With the average cost of a data breach estimated to be £3.5 million responding quickly and effectively is essential. Cyber Incident Response (CIR) offers organisations crucial support when they become victims of a cyber attack, helping them navigate this challenging time.
When a cyber attack occurs, it is essential to respond quickly and effectively. CIR teams bring specialised expertise to manage the crisis, reduce its impact, and guide organisations through recovery. Incident responders handle attacks and breaches every day, whereas a large majority of organisations, staff members and senior decision makers have never dealt with this type of emergency. So, having an incident response specialist on-hand can help advise with decisions that your team will likely not have made before.
When a security incident has occurred, the first step is to preserve digital evidence which can require specialist tooling and skills depending on the incident. This evidence may need to be given to your cyber insurer, to make a claim so check your policy to see what your insurer requires.
Preserving evidence and finding the source of the incident may not be your first thought or priority when you are trying to get your business operational again. It is counterintuitive to focus on anything but getting your systems back online. This is why having an expert incident responder to advise on the next steps is so vital.
Organisations have obligations to notify regulators, customers, or partners when a breach occurs. CIR experts provide advice on how to manage these notifications while meeting legal requirements. To find out more about responding in the first 48 hours of a attack, read our expert guide on the key steps to mitigate damage.
Incident response plan
Having a well-prepared incident response approach can make all the difference in how your organisation handles a cyber attack. By preparing in advance, you will minimise the impact of an attack and recover more swiftly.
When you partner with an incident response team, they will recommend exercises and mock cyber attacks so you can make those crucial decisions before an attack actually happens. When key decisions have been made in advance, they are much easier to implement in a crisis. A rapid, expert-led response gets your business back online faster, minimising downtime and financial loss. It will also drastically reduce the stress experienced by your team.
Choosing the right cyber incident response provider
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has developed an Assured Cyber Incident Response scheme to give businesses confidence in the providers they choose. The NCSC carefully evaluates these providers, known as CIR Assured Service Providers, to ensure they meet rigorous standards for quality and expertise.
Choosing a CIR provider that meets NCSC standards gives you the peace of mind that your organisation will be in capable hands during a crisis.
Some cyber insurance can include an element of incident response, but it is vital to check your policy to see what exactly is included, under what circumstances incident response is provided, and at what extra cost. Your cyber insurer or managed service provider may also have a list of qualified cyber incident responders.
Red Helix’s incident response partner
We have partnered with S-RM, a specialist Cyber Incident Response team who are available 24/7/365 to minimise the impact of cyber incidents. With a global reach and an award-winning team, our partner provides expert support that transforms a potential crisis into a manageable event.
We recommend investing in a retainer. A retainer is a forward-looking investment to improve your cyber resilience while also guaranteeing support in the event of a cyber incident. Most importantly, our retainer clients benefit from a reduced likelihood of incidents, a greatly reduced impact if they occur, and a dramatic reduction in costs associated with debilitating cyber incidents such as ransomware. Get in touch today to discuss how we can help you with your incident response plan, reduce the likelihood of a breach and set up an incident response retainer just in case.
