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These three strategies can help public sector organizations improve their incident response and prepare for the inevitable security event.Public sector organizations serve many citizens by providing critical public safety, utility, healthcare, infrastructure, transportation, and education services. In order to deliver these services without disruption, the public sector must acknowledge and address the constant threat of cybersecurity attacks. Because it’s impossible to prevent cybersecurity events, public sector organizations must prepare – in advance – to handle them properly when they occur. Waiting until an attack takes place to begin planning a response can put your organization at a serious disadvantage. Incident response involves a lot more than planning ahead. When shoring up security and incident response, here are three strategies your public sector organization can use. Stay on top of public sector and cybersecurity and other insights by subscribing to Cybersecurity Watch. 1. Implement: Establish an incident response planThe following questions can help guide your public sector organization as it works through each action item of an incident response plan implementation. Evaluate where your organization currently stands
Establish relationships with your third-party vendors
Educate your team members on proper protocols
Consider incident response programs and tools
Enact a communication plan
2. Practice: Perform tabletop exercisesOnce an incident response plan is in place, organizations should conduct regular tabletop exercises to make sure the plan is up to date and comprehensive. Running real-life scenarios provides excellent practice for team members without the pressure of responding to an event in real time. This can help them build the confidence they need to respond effectively to the real thing. But it doesn’t stop there. These exercises continue to pay dividends when done consistently. Regular practice exposes strengths and weaknesses and helps teams home in on problem areas. Addressing problem areas now can strengthen your organization before an incident occurs. 3. Evaluate: Continually assess the overall cybersecurity programThe best prepared organizations have a resilient cybersecurity program that includes protection, detection, and response controls. These three pieces layered together can reduce the likelihood of a cybersecurity event and minimize the impact of security events. Incident response is just one part of a cybersecurity program, but it’s crucial to strengthen the security posture of the organization in order to respond to threats. Your public service organization should continue to evaluate its cybersecurity program – including incident response – to address gaps and improve overall security. Consistency is critical in improving incident responseBeing well prepared for cybersecurity events doesn’t happen overnight. A solid incident response plan is a great start, but when that plan isn’t applied or practiced regularly across the entire organization, it can become useless. Continually practicing and evaluating incident response can help each team in your organization know how to respond in the event of an attack. In the end, being prepared is much better than being surprised. Get cybersecurity and other insights delivered directly to your inbox.
Crowe can help your organization with incident response. If you’re ready to take the first step, reach out to one of our experienced technology consultants today. Michael J. Del Giudice Principal, Consulting |