Whether you have already fallen victim to cyber crime or want to learn what procedures to follow in case of an attack, it’s important to know exactly how to respond to a cybersecurity threat and be prepared for the worse.
So, what exactly should one do following an incident? Let’s take a look at what a response team does 24 hours after a cyber attack has been detected, so that you know how to react if it happens to you.
Identifying a Cybersecurity Breach has Occurred
There are several signs that give away that you have been hacked, which will vary depending on the type of malware that was used to perpetrate the attack.
It doesn’t always happen that your antivirus software shows you a pop up telling you you have a security breach in your hands, in fact, antivirus software provides little peace of mind as it provides very limited protection.
Hackers are such experts at disabling antivirus protection once they have gained access to a network, that they can turn off the antivirus altogether so that it doesn’t notify you of anything.
Instead of expecting your antivirus to notify you of a hack into your system, you should stay alert for noticeable changes in your computer. Some signs you will need to pay attention to are:
- Receiving a ransomware message on your screen asking for something, usually money, in exchange for not stealing or deleting your personal files.
- You notice new software installed on your computer that you didn’t download or that wasn’t on your system until you noticed it.
- Unwanted installation files begin to install without you initiating the download.
- Your antivirus software, firewall or Task Manager is disabled and it’s difficult or impossible to get the program to run normally again.
- You notice your computer mouse start to move without your prompt, along with it making selections and or switching between tabs, windows or programs by itself.
- Random pop ups begin to show up frequently and unexpectedly.
- Browser toolbars that you never installed appear on your browser.
- You receive an antivirus message prompting you to take action about something, but there are discrepancies in the image or look of the message that are not consistent with your normal antivirus, even though they may use the same logo.
- When you do an internet search, it gets redirected to a completely different link.
- Your account passwords are suddenly not working, even if you enter them correctly.
- Strange network traffic patterns can be observed.
- You notice that confidential information has been accessed or leaked.
It’s crucial to take note of any strange activity, such as the one mentioned above, so that you can give your cybersecurity team the correct details so that they can identify what kind of threat they’re dealing with.
Taking Action to Combat the Threat
The first thing you should do is call your team of cybersecurity experts, such as Kaesim Cybersecurity. Cybersecurity attacks are taken as emergencies, for which you should contact your team immediately regardless of the time.
This is important because when it comes to a cyber threat, it’s a race against time to protect your data and device.
