In the ‘2023 ransomware insights report‘, research shows that 73 percent of the 1,350 organizations surveyed had experienced a successful ransomware attack in 2022. Organizations must remain vigilant as well as be prepared to respond to a cyberattack when it occurs. Here is a cybersecurity checklist that can help you be prepared for any cyber incident event:  

• Create a Cyber Incident Response Plan: A well-crafted cybersecurity incident response plan is essential for preparing your team to effectively respond to, mitigate, and recover from any potential incidents. The plan should encompass the following components: 
  • Emergency contact information: Required personnel, including the IT team, as well as executives who needs to be involved 
  • Initial Response Actions: Isolate the infected devices and remove all connection to the network to reduce the damage. 
  • Recovery Procedures: Establish a clear sequence for restoring affected parts of the network. Identify a clean backup version and define the recovery process to be followed consistently.  

• Be meticulous with documentation: A well-documented IT environment enables your IT team to operate efficiently and effectively. Written documentation can help in recovering all key business information in case of a disaster such as a cyberattack.  

• Develop a communication plan: Clearly define the relevant stakeholders to communicate with, the information to be provided, and the approved channels of communication.  

• Test your backup: Regularly test your backups to verify the availability of the latest data. Maintaining an air gap, or a complete isolation of the backup from the internet, also plays a crucial role in data protection. 

Avoid ransomware 

There are many preventive security measures your organization should take now for protection from the heightened cyberthreat landscape. These measures include: 

• Proactive security updates: Ensure systems are up to date with security patches to eliminate security vulnerabilities. 
• Turn on multifactor authentication: Prevent unauthorized access from cybercriminals. 
• Audit access control. Frequently auditing access to systems to remove inactive users or users who are no longer with the company. 
• Deploy security solutions across all attack surfaces: This includes email, network, web applications, web, and antivirus for all devices and users in an organization. 

• Consider upgrading to Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA). Zero-trust technology provides access control to company’s resources and verifies the security posture of the device prior to granting access so that unsecured devices are blocked from sensitive applications or data. 
• Educate end-users with security awareness training: Educated users will not click on malicious websites or links but will report suspicious links to IT to ensure the threats are removed from the system to prevent damage. 

It’s crucial to acknowledge that despite the preventive measures employed, security incidents are bound to happen. The key lies in being prepared and having the ability to swiftly recover when such incidents occur. Contact us at Access Tech where we have helped people for over a decade develop and strengthen their security postures to mitigate chances or damages of a cybersecurity attack.