Tech

How to Recover From a Cyber Attack and Strengthen Your Online Presence?

Cyberattacks have become one of the main threats facing businesses nowadays. Not only can these result in stolen data and ruin your reputation, but they can also cripple your finances.

In 2025, it's estimated that the total cost of these attacks will reach up to $10.29 trillion worldwide. By 2029, this figure is expected to rise by 66% to a total cost of $15 trillion. From this, we can see that cyberattacks will become even more deadly as time goes on.

The measures you put in place now can and will make all the difference. And in the event of an attack, how you act can reduce the damage you suffer. With that in mind, let's explore the best steps a business can take if it becomes a victim of a cyberattack.

5 steps to recover from a cyberattack

Below are a series of cyber defense strategies you should put in place to contain an attack:

Refer to your cyber incident response plan

Cyberattacks create incredible chaos around a business. Amidst the panic, it's important that employees remain calm, collected, and focused. A cyber incident response plan is a document that tells everyone of their role before, during, and after a suspected attack.

In particular, the plan should nominate key leaders. These people can delegate tasks and streamline communication throughout the threat. Now is the perfect time to develop a plan for future events.

Contain the threat by securing compromised systems

Once employees know their roles, a business can then focus on containment. This process prevents criminals from gaining more data than they may already have access to.

First, identify affected systems and isolate them from the rest of your business. Consider segmenting your network so malware cannot spread throughout your business. Turn off integrated systems, which can be the perfect route for hackers.

Businesses can also reset passwords and activate multi-factor authentication. These simple steps can prevent unauthorized login attempts on compromised accounts.

Assess damage

After the threat has been contained, businesses must assess the extent of the damage and examine the content of corrupted files that may have contained sensitive information. Furthermore, it's important to factor in the financial damages resulting from the cyberattack. This can include ransom payments, stolen funds, and lost earnings from company downtime.

Notify affected parties

Regulations require businesses to report breaches as soon as possible. Failure to do so will not only cause further reputational damage but also result in fines.

Businesses should check legislation for places they are active in. Different states may have different requirements to which you must adhere. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) requires businesses to notify anyone affected by a breach. If over 500 residents are affected, the business must file a report for the Attorney General.

Restore using backups and investigate the attack

With the threat contained and parties notified, businesses can focus on recovery. Regular backups ensure that you can resume work with limited data loss to a time before the attack.

That said, you must get to the root of the cyberattack before restoring. Perform a security audit and ensure vulnerabilities have been adequately patched. Otherwise, you could be susceptible to a repeat breach.

How to be proactive against cyberattacks

In cybersecurity, prevention is the best form of defense. But what should you invest in? Here are the most effective areas to focus on:

Educating and upskilling employees

A report from 2024 found that up to 68% of data breaches involved a non-malicious human element, such as employees falling victim to phishing attacks or making errors that exposed sensitive credentials.

Employees often serve as the primary entry point for hackers. To counter this, businesses must invest in regular staff training. Not only will this upskilling improve employees' confidence and competence, but it will also help ensure that they stay informed about emerging threats in the future.

Using a dark web monitoring service

The dark web is a part of the internet that is not indexed by search engines. It's not easily accessible without special software. As such, it has become a hotbed for criminal activity, where hackers sell stolen data to each other.

A dark web monitoring service has now become an essential part of cybersecurity. It works by detecting if stolen data appears on these hidden websites. Tracking keywords gives you a head-start in identifying vulnerabilities as and when they appear.

The service can flag compromised passwords, financial details, or other stolen data. It gives you precious time to patch vulnerabilities and mitigate potential breaches.

The importance of strengthening your cybersecurity

With the rise of new threats, cybersecurity has become a priority for every business. Only by taking proactive measures can you hope to reduce the threat (and cost) of a future attack.

Thankfully, new technologies like dark web monitoring can help bridge gaps in cybersecurity. With the right investment and preparation, businesses can react to any threats that might be on the horizon.

Comments