Can You Recover After a Security Breach?

If you haven't already taken adequate steps to ensure your data and computer security systems are up to date and working to protect you against hackers and other potential threats, then you should do it right now to ensure the chances of being subjected to a security breach are as small as possible.

Unfortunately some businesses take the attitude that there are always more important things to be doing - such as winning new clients for example - and they never quite seem to get around to it. But if you can number yourself and your business among that group, you could be heading for disaster.

If you need an incentive to make sure your network security is as good as it should be, then consider what you would do and how you would be affected if someone did manage to break into your systems and cause havoc as a result.

A lot of people immediately think of the practical considerations. That is understandable, as you will want to see how much data - if any - was compromised or lost during the security breach. The natural step then is to do what should have been done in the first place and plug those holes so no one can get through them again in the future.

But that isn't the only problem you would be faced with if you did fall victim to the hackers. News of the breach would almost certainly reach your clients in one way or another, and that would mean some serious damage limitation exercises would be due on your part.

Just consider how you would feel if you discovered that your personal information had been compromised like this. Even if you were reliably told that the chances of your information actually being used or accessed by someone else were extremely slim, you would still wonder if that tiny chance would actually happen.

But even if it was safe you would begin to wonder how reliable that company is when it comes to looking after your data. Some people may have been with that company for some time - and yet they would still be thinking about whether or not they should go elsewhere. This is the kind of situation you would be faced with if you became the owner of a business that was known for having been hacked into remotely.

It's not unknown for some businesses to be affected like this and never recover from the damage that is done. This is where many people slip up - they assume the damage is physical and can be repaired, ensuring that nothing similar happens again.

But the real damage is that caused to your customers, and no matter how much apologising you do, the decision of whether those customers stay with you or go elsewhere is, at the end of the day, down to them and them alone.

So why chance the future of your business by leaving its security until tomorrow? If you do, tomorrow might just be too late to do anything about it.

Pure Hacking helps protect your Internet security by providing world-class penetration testing and ethical hacking risk management services. For a free consultation, please visit Penetration Testing