Oct 8, 2024 - Speeding Back to Normal: Recovering After an Incident

A cyberattack can immediately cause disruptions that affect everything from customer data to finances to daily operations. The scope of the potential damage means that swift and effective recovery is particularly critical for small—to medium-sized businesses with little margin for error. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework’s Recover function provides a structured approach to quickly returning to normal operations after an incident.

"The time to plan for an incident is not when it happens, but well before. Having a well-rehearsed recovery plan can be the difference between hours of downtime and weeks of interrupted business."

(Source: SANS Incident Handlers Handbook)

Let’s look at the most important steps and priorities to help your organization get back on track and turn your focus back to your customers - as soon as possible.

Do this First: Your First Moves After a Cybersecurity Incident

When an attack occurs, speed is everything. The longer your systems are down or compromised, the more damage your business will suffer. Here are the most important steps to take first:

1. Assess the Damage

Before jumping into your recovery efforts, conduct a thorough – and rapid - assessment of the damage. Your assessment should cover:

Which systems were compromised?
What data was affected or lost?
How far has the breach spread?
Are critical operations impacted?

Understanding the scope of the incident will guide your next steps and help you prioritize throughout the recovery process.

2. Activate your Incident Response and Recovery Plan

Every business – and again, especially smaller companies - should have an incident response and recovery plan firmly in place. If you don't already have one, now’s the time to develop it. Once you’ve assessed the damage, it’s time to activate your recovery plan, which should include:

Step-by-step procedures for restoring all critical systems
Up-to-date processes for retrieving all backed-up data
Contact information for key personnel and external experts (e.g., cybersecurity professionals, legal counsel, PR teams)
A timeline for recovery actions based on priority

The faster you activate your plan, the quicker your recovery will be.

3. Contain the Threat

While recovery efforts are underway, it’s vital to contain the threat to prevent further damage. Depending on the nature of the attack, containment may involve:

Disconnecting affected systems from the network
Shutting down compromised servers or endpoints
Patching vulnerabilities to prevent the attack from spreading

Once the threat is contained, your full-scale recovery efforts can start.

4. Prioritize Critical Systems for Recovery

Not all systems are created equal – some are more important to business operations than others. So, it’s important to identify the most critical systems and focus on their recovery first. These might include:

Systems that process financial transactions
Customer-facing systems (e.g., websites, e-commerce platforms)
Internal communication platforms (e.g., email, messaging apps)

Focusing on restoring these key systems will enable you to resume the most essential operations as quickly as possible, even if that means non-critical systems remain offline for longer.

5. Restore Data from Backups

Restoring backup data is one of the fastest ways to recover from a cyber incident. Ensure that:

Your backups are up-to-date and stored securely (ideally offsite or in the cloud)
Data restoration processes are tested regularly so that you can quickly implement them during an incident

If your backups are unavailable or compromised, data recovery will take longer, and you may even need to call in specialized expertise.

Longer-Term Steps to Ensure Full Recovery

Once your most critical operations are restored, it’s time to focus on recovering fully and minimizing future risks. The following steps are crucial to ensure a thorough recovery and prevent long-term damage:

1. Conduct a Post-Incident Review

After the immediate recovery, gather the team to conduct a detailed post-incident review. Your review should:

Analyze how the breach occurred
Assess the effectiveness of your response and recovery efforts
Identify any gaps in your cybersecurity defenses

The goal of this review is to understand what worked and what didn’t, so you can see what changes and improvements you need to make to ensure the effectiveness of future recovery efforts.

2. Update Security Policies and Procedures

Based on the post-incident review, update your security policies and procedures to address any vulnerabilities or weaknesses. This might involve:

Implementing stronger access controls (e.g. multi-factor authentication)
Upgrading software and systems to more secure versions
Improving employee training on cybersecurity best practices

Regularly updating your policies and procedures ensures you’re better prepared for the next incident.

3. Engage in Improvement

Ongoing improvement is essential to keeping your organization well-protected against evolving threats while enabling you to improve your response to attacks consistently. This means:

Regularly testing and refining your recovery plans
Keeping up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity threats and technologies
Using lessons learned from the incident to strengthen your overall cybersecurity strategy

Continuous improvement helps to build resilience and reduce the impact of future incidents.

Practical Tips for Fast Recovery

In addition to the steps above, here are some practical tips for ensuring a fast recovery after a cybersecurity incident:

1. Invest in Cyber Insurance

Cyber insurance can be a valuable tool, providing financial support for recovery efforts. Insurance can cover costs such as:

Data recovery services
Legal fees
PR efforts to manage the damage to your brand

A cyber insurance policy ensures you have the resources you need for a fast and comprehensive recovery.

2. Create a Communication Plan

Effective communication during a cybersecurity incident is critical. Develop a communication plan that includes:

How you’ll inform customers, partners, and stakeholders about the incident
Clear messaging to maintain trust and transparency
Regular updates on recovery progress

How your business handles communication during an incident can have a long-lasting impact on your relationships and reputation.

3. Build a Relationship with Cybersecurity Experts

Don’t wait until an incident occurs to seek expert advice. Establish relationships with cybersecurity professionals and vendors ahead of time. This ensures you can get the support you need quickly during an incident, whether that involves forensic analysis, legal consultation, or technical recovery.

Recovering from a cybersecurity incident is a complex process, but by following the structured approach outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework's "Recover" function, you can quickly return to normal operations. Key steps like activating a recovery plan, restoring critical systems, and learning from the incident are essential for minimizing downtime and long-term damage.