Many hackers and cybercriminals have teamed up and performed cyber attacks on big and small businesses. However, they recently seem to focus on the mid to small ones to avoid attention. According to SecurityMagazine, around 92% of data breaches in 2022 occurred due to cyberattacks.

The most significant cybersecurity attacks have garnered much attention in these cases, and various companies have started to improve their online cybersecurity because of it. In most cases, cyberattacks are so successful due to unaware or negligent employees.

Due to the COVID pandemic, many businesses allowed their employees to operate from home. However, remote working led to increasing and even record-breaking data breaches as never seen before. But what should a company do after a data breach? What are the best ways to prevent it? Read more to find out!

What Should You Do After a Data Breach?

Data breaches can lead to substantial financial damage and, most importantly, loss of reputation. Customers will be wary of working with a company that has suffered a data breach, and thus the business will lose customer trust.

The most important thing to do during a data breach is to act quickly to limit the damage caused as much as possible. How a company deals with a data breach is also very important in customers’ eyes, as it can redeem some trust.

The first thing you should do is create a fraud alert and monitor all accounts. Notify at least one credit reporting bureau of your potential theft and ask them to put a fraud alert. It would be best to remain vigilant about your stolen information as it can occur again later on.

You must get copies of your credit reports by accessing annualcreditreport.com or experian.com. If you suspect your debit and credit cards are at risk, notify your bank or financial institution right away.

It would be best to change all passwords related to your company and even personal online accounts. Stay in touch with a fraud department.

Based on the type of data breach you face, you should also inform your customers to stay safe. Instruct them on what to do to keep their information safe. Contact the police and file a report with them, but do so with evidence of identity theft.

Ensure you gather all your information and documents and secure them somewhere else. Talk with your IT cybersecurity team and discuss with them the next moves.

How to Prevent Data Breaches From Happening Again?

Data breaches usually occur due to negligence rather than highly skilled hackers attempting to steal information from you with sophisticated gear/software. Here are some essential tips to take into consideration to avoid data breaches.

Keep Everything Up-to-Date

Data breaches often occur due to out-of-date software. Updates make your applications better and improve their security and weak points. Cybercriminals can take advantage of your outdated software and breach your online defense. To avoid this, you should ensure that all your software is up-to-date regularly and that of your employees.

Use a VPN

A VPN can do wonders for the cybersecurity of any business. With a VPN, your employees can establish secure connections even while working on public wi-fi. The best online VPN providers have a no-logs policy that can encrypt and hide your online data, even from your internet provider and government.

Cybercriminals or rival companies might cause data breaches. However, a VPN can help you change your geolocation as well. This way, you can discourage would-be attackers as they won’t be able to find your IP address when looking for your company service locations or employees.

Raise Awareness

A crucial aspect of preventing data breaches is to train your employees to recognize security threats, such as phishing emails. By regularly raising awareness about the risks of cyberattacks, how to deal with them, and prevent them, your employees might turn from the weakest chain in your cybersecurity to the strongest one.

Use Premium Antivirus

Your company can significantly benefit by working with premium antivirus software. A premium antivirus is regularly updated to identify and deal with the newest malware and viruses on the web. It can show you your weakest points or which files attackers might attempt to hold for ransom. Antiviruses also have anti-tracker features.