The Importance of Incident Reporting

The Importance of Incident Reporting

Training to prepare for and prevent cyber attacks is only part of the battle. If the worst should happen, your next goal is to minimize the damage the attack causes. There should never be a moment when only one person is aware of a cyber attack, alone trying to handle it. There is no business that is strong against cyber attacks unless it has been made strong. Even big business is vulnerable. How well do you think you could do? With the expected total damages of cyber crime expected to reach over $10 trillion in the coming years… Are you ready? Perhaps you should learn more about the benefits of incident reporting.

This article will cover what you should look for and how to report incidents of suspected cybercrime.

What Should You Report?

Many cyber attacks seem like “business as usual.” It can often take up to a year for a company to detect a security breach because they are so subtle. However, by responding quickly, you can prevent as much as 30% of your financial damage and contain the threat much faster. Incident reporting is one way you can hasten your response time. What counts as an incident, though? What should your employees be reporting?

There are four major events that your employees should watch out for. Email events include phishing or directed attacks, data leaks, file discrepancies, and lost devices.

Email Events

These are emails from unauthorized or unapproved sources. An employee doesn’t necessarily even have to download an attachment. If they receive something they don’t recognize, they should report it. This is especially true if it seems to be coming from a trusted source or using personal information, as attackers will impersonate these sources. Employees should report any and all suspicious or out-of-place emails.

Data Leaks

One of the most common ways for data to leak is to send an email to the wrong person. Studies have shown that more than half of all employees have sent a misdirected email. Therefore, employees should report any mistakes made with email.

File Discrepancies

On our website, we’ve discussed ways attackers may gather and hide files in “bundles” before. If an employee notices file transfers at odd hours after closing or new, unrecognized large files, they should report it immediately. Attackers will often store data together before sending it out to unauthorized sources.

Lost Devices

Your company’s USB or mobile devices could contain a great deal of information. Sometimes, an entire computer could go missing. Needless to say, this needs to be reported. In addition, if your employees use personal devices for remote work, they should also report losing any device that has access to company information.

Closing Thoughts on Incident Reporting

Prompt, clear reports can save your business a great deal of money and effort. They can protect your customers as well. A good incident report is one that is both easy to file and easy to review. They should be easy to build a plan around, as well. It would be best if you had a workflow that alerts the appropriate parties so they can jump into action when they need to.

If you would like to set up incident reporting training or response frameworks, give us a call. Arruda Group has what it takes to build an effective response strategy for you. When you work with us, you can be confident your employees and business are prepared for threats. Get in touch today.