Cyber Resilience – The Importance of Proper Communication During an Incident

While cybersecurity teams tend to focus on the technical aspects of preventing and responding to incidents, an often overlooked, yet crucial feature of incident response is the importance of crisis communication. Effective communication during a cyber attack can help maintain customer trust, mitigate further damage to the brand, and ultimately lead to a smoother recovery process. Three key elements to building a foundation for successful crisis management include: creation of a crisis communication committee, developing a crisis communication plan, and conducting breach simulations.

Create a crisis communication committee.
A crisis communication committee will ensure coordinated and accurate messaging during a crisis. This is important in order to avoid misinformation, which often plagues these types of situations. The crisis communications committee should comprise employees across the organization and throughout different departments.  

Develop a comprehensive crisis communication plan.
After the committee is formed, developing a crisis communication plan is crucial. Assign clear responsibilities for communication tasks after a cyber incident, gaining agreement from key decision-makers in advance. Encompass various attack scenarios, define communication channels, and adapt the plan based on incident learnings. A well-structured plan aids in regulatory compliance and justifies deviations for improved crisis management.

Conduct breach simulations.
Although organizations commonly rehearse cyber response, it’s important to also integrate crisis communication in these simulations. This will help alleviate the stress, anxiety, and common errors that usually abound during real attacks.

During a cybersecurity crisis, it’s important to communicate quickly and transparently, provide channels for obtaining additional information, update stakeholders regularly, and outline measures to reduce future risks. By having a solid communication plan in place and effectively managing communication during a cyber incident, organizations can build trust and navigate the crisis successfully. For more tips and guidance regarding crisis communication, visit Security Intelligence.