Even Small Businesses Are Targeted for Cyberattacks. Here Are 7 Ways to Protect Your Company.

A local tech consultant explains how to build cyber resilience, and to bounce back quickly when the worst happens.

Cyber threats have escalated to an alarming level, with breaches impacting Hawai‘i businesses across every sector. To thrive in this environment, companies must embrace cyber resilience by developing systems that can not only fend off attacks but also recover quickly and continue operations in the face of adversity.

This approach is especially critical for small and medium-sized businesses – which can no longer assume they’re not big enough to be targets. Think of a well-planned cyber resilience strategy as part of your business continuity plan, just as you plan for disasters like major storms.

Here are seven ways to strengthen cyber resilience.

1. Develop a Comprehensive Incident Response Plan

The plan should contain clearly defined steps for detecting, containing and mitigating threats. It must include roles and responsibilities across the organization, from IT teams to executive leadership, ensuring that each stakeholder understands their part in mitigating damage and restoring systems. Ensure that you have role clarity by establishing an incident response team to handle the cyber incident and business continuity leaders to manage communication and keep essential services running.

2. Clear Communication Plan With Preapproved Messaging

Having preapproved messages for a few scenarios will increase transparency with your customers and keep your staff apprised of the situation. For instance, external communications will tell customers you are having a service outage and will send updates at a specific time, while your internal communications would focus on what teams need to be activated and what employees should do.

Example of a message to customers: “We are currently investigating a cybersecurity incident affecting some of our systems. Our business continuity plan is in effect, and essential services remain operational. Further updates will follow as more information becomes available.”

Example of a staff message: “We have detected a potential network breach. All employees must disconnect from the network immediately. Incident response teams please report to your locations immediately.”

3. Prioritize Data Backups and Disaster Recovery

A strong disaster recovery plan is essential for cyber resilience. Businesses must prioritize regular data backups and establish “failover” systems that automatically take over when main systems go down, ensuring data integrity and accessibility. Cloud-based systems and hybrid solutions can provide redundancy and ensure continuity, even if primary systems are compromised.

Ensure that you know how to contact your breach coach, a lawyer who specializes in cybersecurity and data protection law, through your cyber insurance policy, and have nondisclosure agreements in place with appropriate outside client services such as general counsel or public relations firms.

NDAs are necessary to ensure confidentiality in case of a breach. While it may be necessary at a certain point to notify impacted parties or make a public statement, you want to maintain control over the communications timeline so you have all the facts before engaging with stakeholders. Any details leaked too early could fuel speculation or false narratives.

4. Conduct Regular Verification and Validation Assessments

Cyber resilience is not a set-it-and-forget-it concept. Regular verification and validation assessments, such as running tabletop drills and tests of employee compliance, are critical to maintaining strong defenses and identifying gaps that may require IT upgrades. To prepare for communication disruptions during an incident, ensure you have printed copies of employees’ phone numbers or an alternative messaging system for emergencies.

5. Engage in Continuous Employee Training

Employees are often the weakest link. Frequent training sessions focused on recognizing phishing attacks, practicing good password hygiene and following data protection protocols can help minimize human error. Consider running simulated phishing attacks to gauge employee readiness and improve response protocols.

6. Leverage Automation and AI for Faster Detection

Cyberattacks often go undetected for weeks or months, allowing bad actors to do more damage. AI and automated systems can improve detection rates and flag suspicious activities in real time. Automating incident response protocols can also reduce downtime and improve recovery speed.

7. Collaborate With Third-Party Experts

Cyber resilience requires an ecosystem of expertise. Collaborating with cybersecurity consultants or managed security service providers can offer external assessments and strategies tailored to your industry. These partnerships provide an extra layer of vigilance and bolster internal IT resources.