In 2024, 60% of small businesses claimed that cyber-attacks were a top concern. These fears are not unfounded – threat actors tend to target smaller organizations, on the basis that they typically lack the same security measures as larger corporations. Unfortunately, the same factor that results in these attacks is also the reason many of these companies cannot recover. Fewer resources means that up to 60% of small businesses close within six months of experiencing a cyber incident.
The final nail in the coffin? Often, it is the lack of a proper cyber-attack recovery plan. These experiences can be frightening and incur hardship, but it is usually possible to heal from them. The secret to surviving an attack is learning how to recover without the heavy financial burden that forces so many to close their doors.
Why Cyber-Attack Recovery is Difficult for Small Businesses
Small businesses face a unique set of challenges in the aftermath of cyber-attacks, including:
- Limited staffing
- Budget constraints
- Less advanced security solutions
- Lack of in-house expertise
- An outdated IT infrastructure
These factors can make it extremely difficult to recover. Incidents that large corporations easily bounce back from may present an insurmountable barrier to smaller companies with these limitations. And if a cyber-attack recovery plan is not present, the resulting chaos can sound the death knell.
What is a Cyber-Attack Recovery Plan?
A cyber-attack recovery plan is a structured outline detailing how the business will respond to cyber incidents. It is a lifeline that reduces downtime, keeps staff organized, and mitigates any harm caused by the attack. A good plan can account for many of the challenges that make recovery difficult, vastly increasing a small business’ chances of survival.
Step-by-Step Cyber-Attack Recovery Guide for Small Businesses
1. Assess the Damage and Contain the Threat
When a breach occurs, time is of the essence. Before any other action is taken, contain the threat. This might mean disconnecting devices or networks, logging out of accounts, or turning off compromised systems. It is critical to prevent lateral movement within the business network, as the further a threat is able to spread, the harder recovery will be.
Once this is done, assess the damage. Identify which systems were affected, what else (if anything) may have been compromised through them, and what the potential impact could be.
2. Clear Systems
Contact your internal or external IT team to remove the threat. Change any compromised login credentials, listening carefully to the advice of your IT staff.
3. Restore Critical Data
Once the threat has been neutralized, restore your data backups. This step will require you to plan ahead. At all times, you should be following these backup and recovery best practices for cyber-attack preparation:
- The 3-2-1 Rule: Keep three copies of all data, on two different mediums, at least one of which should be off-site or in the cloud.
- Set Recovery Goals: Define your recovery point objective (the maximum acceptable amount of data loss, represented in time) and recovery time objective (the maximum acceptable length of downtime).
- Automate: Where possible, automate regular data backups rather than relying on manual processes.
4. Perform a Post-Mortem
After the attack is over, perform a thorough analysis. Understand what happened to cause the attack, which vulnerabilities were exploited, and how this situation can be avoided in the future. This work is crucial. It will reduce your risk of experiencing further attacks, and enable a smoother recovery.
5. Monitor Closely
In the weeks following the attack, watch all important accounts for suspicious activity. If you detect any unusual behaviour patterns, treat this as an active threat.
Ensuring Effective Implementation of Your Disaster Recovery Plan for Cyber-Attacks
Your cyber-attack disaster recovery plan is pointless if it cannot be implemented effectively in a real crisis. Run regular practice drills and exercises, to pinpoint any weaknesses in a safe environment. During a real attack, everyone should already understand their role and complete it on instinct. The faster and more accurately your plan is carried out, the easier it will be to recover.
In addition, keep a basic checklist available and immediately accessible to anyone who needs it. Emergencies are stressful, and staff may forget critical tasks in the chaos. An easy reference guide will keep them on track.
Cost-Saving Tips for Cyber Attack Website Recovery
Many threats (such as DDoS attacks) directly target your website, rendering it unusable. Getting it back online quickly is critical. If this happens, follow these steps for cyber-attack website recovery:
- Carry out your cyber-attack recovery plan.
- Inform all customers that your website is down, when you estimate it will be functional again, and how they can contact you in the meantime.
- Have your IT team scan the website for any damage or lingering threats, then return it to normal functionality.
- To minimize the harm caused by future threats, have a backup plan that will allow important content on your website to be accessed during downtime.
Additional Tips for Preventing and Recovering From Data Breaches
- Maintain strong backup procedures at all times, not just when a threat might be on the horizon.
- Use access controls and multi-factor authentication (MFA) to reduce the risk of critical accounts being breached.
- Train staff on how to recognize potential threats (such as ransomware attacks and phishing scams), as this will improve their ability to stop them early.
- Always account for human error, and find ways to minimize it.
- Keep money aside to account for cyber-attack recovery. This will reduce the financial burden and increase your business’ chances of survival.
- Have a business continuity plan in place, so that your company can continue to operate as normally as possible during an active threat.
- Partner with a managed service provider (MSP) for extra firepower. This does not cost nearly as much as hiring additional full-time staff, and provides you with access to an entire team of experts.
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Faster Cyber-Attack Recovery Starts Here
When disaster strikes, your response can make all the difference. With cyber threats becoming more persistent each day, it is not a matter of if you will experience an attack but whether you can survive it. A thorough plan that considers every possible angle will allow your organization to recover faster, experience less damage in the process, and ensure business continuity even under the worst circumstances.
Are you experiencing a cyber-attack, or worried about one occurring? ION247 provides expert guidance to walk you through every step, and top tier support to bring your systems back online. Get in touch with our IT support team now.
