Symantec: The violations data are becoming a headache for enterprise IT departments and it is now necessary for all staff to be constantly alert for security issues.
But while businesses focus their efforts on preventing would-be attackers, it's important to also have a strategy in place to deal with any infringements, if it happens.
The first days and weeks after the breach are critical but also emotionally charged. Usually businesses react impulsively and start downloading logs, taking servers down connections while they rush to restore the damage unaware that in doing so they may destroy important evidence. The truth is that the above measures can hinder investigations and cause bigger problems. It is important for the business to know the appropriate actions in the event of a breach, to apply best practices and to have a breach manual in place.
One of the most important steps from the outset is to be clear procedure to inform the IT department about any security issues that have arisen in the business. Most of the time, security breach incidents are not noticed by the business itself. They are usually identified by compliance departments, trading partners such as payment providers, or even customers, and do not quickly reach the office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) because usually the person receiving the information does not know where to turn.
1 day to 1 week after violation:
Once informed about the violation by CIO, CISO and IT department staff, CISO has to follow a three-pronged process: To command the IT department to preserve the and to assess both the size and extent of the breach, to work with the legal department to decide what to disclose and to inform the Information Systems Manager and the Managing Director for the developments in order to inform the shareholders about the situation.
