Cyber resilience: How to communicate effectively when traditional systems fail
Discover in this article, how to communication effectively when traditional systems fail
In this case, the challenge is to respond quickly to resolve the security incident and restore operations to minimise incurred damages. Effective communication is the key to successful crisis management.
What are the communication challenges in the event of a security incident? What are the best practices for communicating as effectively as possible during a crisis?
Managing a cyber attack or security incident that disrupts an organisation's business requires a rapid response. Leaders, IT and cyber teams, suppliers, etc. must be able to coordinate their actions in order to make effective decisions and mobilise the resources needed to resolve the situation.
However, in the event of a crisis, particularly a cyber attack, the organisation may face several challenges. Firstly, its usual communication systems, such as email services, may have been taken offline. Without a plan B, communication between various stakeholders becomes very difficult.
Furthermore, if the security incident was caused by a cyber attack, criminals may have infiltrated communication systems and can monitor exchanges to thwart the organisation's response.
Additionally, managing a cyber attack requires absolute confidentiality when communicating. A leak of information can lead to a loss of customer confidence, damage the company's reputation and escalate the crisis.
It is necessary to take preventive measures to be resilient in the event of a security incident and ensure effective communication that will coordinate actions, minimise damages and restore operations quickly.
Best practices for resilient communications
As the saying goes, to govern is to anticipate. It is crucial to anticipate crises by developing a Business Continuity Plan (BCP). The plan aims to establish all scenarios likely to disrupt your company's activity, and describe all processes and actions to implement to restore it as quickly as possible.
The BCP must plan for the unavailability of traditional communication means such as email or telephone lines, and define redundant communication channels to compensate for these failures.
It is therefore advisable to adopt an independent, sovereign and highly secure messaging system to ensure secure exchanges. This is why Ercom has designed Citadel Team, a highly secure solution that includes messaging, audio and video conferencing features. It can be used by employees as well as external partners such as cyber security vendors who help contain cyber attacks. Citadel Team ensures end-to-end encryption of communications and is undergoing CSPN certification by the ANSSI.
Regardless of the chosen solution, it is important to train employees in its use through exercises and simulations, so that everyone is prepared to respond on the big day.
Defining a Business Continuity Plan and using an independent and secure messaging system will ensure that your organisation is resilient against cyber attacks and other security incidents. This will drastically reduce recovery time... as will the financial damage and the impact on your reputation.
