It’s like any other day at the offi ce until you get an e-mail from a client saying he received several strange e-mails from you, and suggests that you may have been hacked. You check and, sure enough, you’ve been compromised. So what do you do now? How many other clients have gotten the same message? Should you e-mail the rest of your clients with the news? And what else have the hackers gained access to? What do you do NOW?
Don’t dismiss it or ignore it. Just because only one or two unauthorized e-mails were sent doesn’t mean the problem is small. Often, hackers will start out doing minor things to test the security of your network and the speed of your Internet connection, and watch to see whether or not they get caught and blocked. If they aren’t, their activities escalate quickly, so don’t delay in taking steps to regain control of your network.
Change ALL your passwords immediately. Time is NOT on your side on this, so as soon as you discover a breach, change ALL your passwords to every online application and device. Then notify your bank that your laptop or computer was compromised and to put your account on high alert for fraud.
Get professional help immediately. A true pro will have the tools and expertise to regain control and run diagnostics to fi nd out exactly what’s going on. They should be able to determine what applications and data were compromised and what damage has been done so you can take appropriate action from there. DO make sure you fi nd out why your system was compromised, so you can beef up security or fi x the problem before it happens again.
Seek legal counsel. If data was stolen, or if there’s a chance any sensitive personal information on clients, employees or patients was accessed, you should seek professional legal counsel for what you are required to do by law, and how to communicate the breach to those involved.
Finally, get serious about cybersecurity. With more data being stored online, and more and more employees using personal devices to access your network, you cannot simply install antivirus and a fi rewall and hope all will be well. The sophistication level of cybercriminals is on the rise, and you absolutely need a unifi ed threat management system in place to protect yourself.
If you aren't absolutely certain that your network is safe from cyber-criminals, we'll be happy to discuss that with you. Just give us a call today at .
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