If your small business has been hacked, you currently have a nightmare on your hands and probably don’t even know where to begin. According to CNBC, not only are 14 million businesses in the United States at risk of being hacked, but many small business owners don’t make potential cyber attacks a priority. Knowing what to do can mean the difference between making it through the ordeal and losing clients, your reputation and potentially your livelihood. Read on to find out what you should do in case the worse happens and your small business gets hacked.
Contain the Damage
Once you have been made aware of the hack, begin by containing the damage. This means secure all of your networks, data, and files by changing passwords and running anti-virus immediately. Inform your web host provider, and find out if any malware has been downloaded and steps you can take to counteract this.
Get Legal Advice
Depending upon your field of business, you may need legal advice on what steps need to be taken. This is especially true if you are in the medical or legal field where compliance is required. Legal experts can let you know what HIPAA violations have happened and what you legally need to do next.
Inform those Impacted
This is easier said than done because some hacks may take a while to figure out what data has been breached and what sensitive information was seen. A written notification should be sent out to each of your customers. You’ll need to let them know what type of information or data was compromised and what you’re doing to remedy the situation.
Repair and Rebuild
Again, this is not easy, but hire a crackpot team of IT specialists who can examine and evaluate your system and find all security risks and fix them. Then begin repairing your reputation with your employees, clients, and vendors. Having a good communication system and keeping everyone informed is the best way to repair damage and maintain transparency.
Are you a small business and you fear of becoming a victim of hacking? Call M&H Consulting at 1-866 964-8324 or visit our website.
Categorised in: data breach, data management, Security