My DartPoints Portal
The WannaCry ransomware attack made international headlines in 2017 by affecting more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries around the globe. The attack was distinctive for its scale but also for the innocuous way it gained entry. This wasn’t a phishing scheme where a user had to click on an attachment or download malicious software. Instead, evidence shows that organizations that had not installed Microsoft’s recent security update were at risk, and the initial attack spread through a single exposed and vulnerable SMB port.
Alongside other global headline cyberattacks that occurred in the years that followed, the WannaCry ransomware attack brought a new focus for organizations on the importance of a data backup and recovery plan.
A cyberattack can threaten every aspect of an organization’s ability to function without solid backup and disaster recovery solutions readily available. This threat grows with every passing moment an attack is in play.
The Essentials of Disaster Recovery Planning – What Elements Should a Disaster Recovery Plan Cover?
One of the trickiest aspects of designing a disaster recovery is ensuring all aspects of your data and operations are accounted for.
A common misconception is that if all back-up and/or current data is stored in the cloud or off-site, it is automatically safe from most cyberthreats. However, this isn’t always the case. Most common cloud service providers can only guarantee thin layers of safety and security. Therefore, you’ll need to plan for disaster recovery in the cloud, on-site, and for all your systems and equipment.
Backup disaster recovery is another element of planning that should never be overlooked. Once there has been a data breach and data loss, the most important thing is to get as much current data back up and running as soon as possible. A managed cybersecurity services provider can help you continually and automatically backup your data (and make it readily available). However, when creating your disaster recovery plan, make sure backups are at the top of the list of factors to consider.
Disaster Recovery Objectives in the Cybersecurity Realm
Disaster recovery and cybersecurity recovery are similar terms with a lot of overlap but a few key differences. Disaster recovery focuses on maintaining business continuity after disruption from either manufactured or natural causes, like an earthquake or power outage. Cybersecurity focuses on business continuity, but it also includes the protection of data assets. Such as passwords, sensitive financial information, and plans to effectively respond to an ever-growing number of new cyberthreats or risks.
Furthermore, your disaster recovery plan needs to be part of a larger objective to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and continuity of your organization’s systems and data assets, no matter what.
As such, your disaster recovery plan will want to include the following steps.
Ensure there are tools, initiatives, and controls to stop issues before they begin. Examples of these efforts include the following:
- Have strict access to software uploads or updates, data and system controls, and other elements that drive your business’s ability to function.
- Layers of protective elements such as firewalls, local anti-virus and malware protection, and other protective applications should be on all business computers, applications, and storage systems.
- Have monitoring tools to detect any cyberthreats automatically and continuously or any other issues as early as possible.
- Promote employee training on common cyberthreats, like email or phone phishing schemes, which are some of the most frequent ways that hackers gain access to an entire company’s systems.
Understand How You Can Recover After a Cyberattack
While avoiding a cyberattack is the best outcome, you need to implement concrete steps that will help your company recover as soon as possible in case the worst-case scenario occurs. These steps and initiatives may include the following.
- Define incident management responsibilities and roles for your management team and other essential personnel.
- Identify alternative services and/or facilities for your data.
- Keep a constant eye on backups and ensure that you are backing up all imperative data continuously so you can return to normal operations as soon as possible.
- Come up with a communications plan for stakeholders, clients, customers, and personnel so that any internal or outside parties who may be affected can be informed of what’s happening and what to do next.
- Review and account for any legal or regulatory ramifications of a data breach. This is especially true for industries that work with sensitive data, like financial institutions or healthcare providers. You’ll also want to ensure you adhere to all security measures that may be mandatory in your unique field or industry to avoid legal issues.
- Plan to have communication channels in place in the event of a downtime.
- When in doubt about any gaps in your plan, create a “what-if” guide of scenarios that include similar attacks that have happened in the past. (If you’re not sure what these attacks are, your cybersecurity service provider can help fill in the blanks.)
Cybersecurity and Disaster Recovery Plan with DartPoints
Cyberthreats are constantly evolving both in scale, scope, and impact. Even the best in-house IT and security teams can’t account for every detail when it comes to crafting a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, and it’s better to have a third-party provider who is outside the company. It can serve as a back-up and 24/7 resource.
Don’t just do an online search for “cybersecurity services near me” and hope for the best. Instead, partner with a team that is solely focused on all aspects of cybersecurity and disaster recovery, from safeguarding your systems and data to providing the ability to get back up and running almost immediately after an attack or other incident has occurred.
If you are developing a disaster recovery plan for your organization and want to ensure that there are no gaps in any aspect of your operations, then DartPoints can help. Reach out to us today to start an effective plan with the right cybersecurity for your business. Together, we’ll work to ensure peace of mind so that you can overcome the worst-case scenario.