Cyber-attacks — 8 essential steps to strengthen your response before it’s too late

Cyber-attacks are increasing in both frequency and sophistication, requiring organisations to continually reassess their cybersecurity frameworks and security measures to ensure that they’re able to implement effective response strategies.

However, it’s no longer just about prevention — when an incident occurs, your response must be both speedy and effective. The longer systems remain compromised, the greater the risk to sensitive data, customer trust and business continuity. A well-defined, tested and agile incident response strategy is critical to mitigate the impact and support a swift recovery.

Here, cybersecurity and data protection specialist Eleanore Beard outlines eight key steps to put your organisation in the strongest position for a prompt and effective response to any cyber-attack.

1. Implement proactive threat monitoring

Early detection is vital. 

A cyber-attack can come from any part of your business, whether that be an employee at your HQ opening a phishing email or via a third-party data breach. It’s imperative to have adequate security measures in place to identify such attacks. 

Organisations should: 

• Deploy continuous monitoring and advanced threat detection tools such as SIEM systems to identify breaches quickly.
• Adopt a Zero Trust Architecture to minimise lateral movement within networks, enforcing continuous authentication and adaptive practises across all devices and users.
• Conduct regular audits and penetration tests to uncover vulnerabilities.
• Encrypt data at rest and in transit and apply pseudonymisation for personal data.
• Implement automated patch management to close known security gaps.
• Ensure that third-party suppliers and the entire supply chain meet robust security standards.

2. Ensure appropriate staff training

Human error remains one of the leading causes of breaches. With cyber attackers becoming more skilled at impersonating IT help desks and manipulating employees to believe that they’re genuine, it’s vital that organisations train their staff. 

To reduce this risk:

• Provide mandatory cybersecurity awareness training for all employees.
• Run simulated phishing exercises to test readiness and identify high-risk individuals.
• Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA) and strong password policies.
• Establish clear escalation protocols for reporting suspicious activity.
• Apply disciplinary measures for policy breaches to reinforce compliance and accountability, setting a clear example to the rest of the workforce that high risk employees are removed from the business. 

3. Prepare an incident response plan

A structured plan ensures swift containment, recovery and minimising disruption to not only your business but affiliates and suppliers. Having resilient systems and backup strategies to restore operations quickly are vital to prevent the disruption. 

You should always conduct a detailed post-incident analysis to understand the root cause and prevent future occurrences before revising your cybersecurity policies and procedures based on the lessons learned. Hopefully such an analysis relates to an attack on another business rather than your own.

Follow the six-phase framework recommended by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and SANS:

1. Preparation.
2. Identification.
3. Containment.
4. Eradication.
5. Recovery.
6. Lessons learnt.

Additional best practices:

• Maintain offline and immutable backups using the 3-2-1-1-0 rule (three copies, two media types, one offsite, one offline, zero errors).
• Conduct tabletop exercises and cyber range simulations.
• Perform post-incident analysis to update policies and prevent recurrence.

4. Create incident playbooks for specific threats

Certain cyber threats have become well-documented through previous attacks. 

To prepare for these known security risks, organisations should:

• Develop playbooks for ransomware, phishing, insider threats and AI-related breaches.
• Include clear escalation paths and predefined communication templates for rapid response.

5. Develop a crisis communications strategy

Transparent communication is essential for maintaining trust and managing reputational damage. This reassures stakeholders and demonstrates accountability while providing an opportunity for customers to protect themselves. 

If you experience a cyber-attack, we recommend that you: 

• Provide timely updates to customers, regulators and stakeholders.
• Use pre-approved messaging templates to avoid delays during high-pressure situations.
• Appoint a dedicated spokesperson to ensure consistency and accuracy.

6. Consider legal compliance

When a cyber-attack occurs, organisations must navigate a complex legal landscape to ensure compliance with the relevant regulations, regulators and organisations. 

Organisations and regulators that companies should involve include:

• National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) — the NCSC provides guidance and support for cyber incidents affecting businesses and organisations.
• Action Fraud — the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
• Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) — supports you when handling personal data and helps you to comply with your obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. If a breach occurs, you have to report the breach to the ICO within 72 hours. You may also be obliged to inform individuals whose data may have been compromised, outlining the nature of the breach and the protective measures they can take. 

ICO guidelines for data breach responses

The ICO provides comprehensive guidelines for responding to data breaches. 

It’s emphasised the importance of ensuring ongoing confidentiality, integrity and availability surrounding personal data.

• Confidentiality — ensure ongoing confidentiality by pseudonymising or encrypting personal data.
• Integrity — implement appropriate technical and security measures to deal with risks and regularly test to evaluate effectiveness.
• Availability — ensure that you’re able to restore the availability and access to personal data in a timely manner.

7. Implement clear & practical employment contracts

Well-drafted contracts can enhance organisational resilience during disruptions and enables employers to respond with greater flexibility to future cyber-related disruptions. 

Companies should:

• Include provisions for temporary lay-offs, alternative working patterns and role reassignment which allows employers with the necessary legal framework to adapt swiftly to operational challenges.
• Ensure flexibility to adapt swiftly to operational challenges while retaining key personnel.

8. Additional preventative measures

To strengthen your defence against evolving threats, organisations should also look at implementing:

• Network segmentation — isolate critical systems to limit malware spread.
• Endpoint detection & response (EDR) — secure all endpoints, including remote devices.
• Cyber insurance — review policies to cover ransomware and business interruption.
• AI-specific control  — protect against adversarial attacks and maintain audit trails.
• Regular cyber risk assessments — update security posture quarterly or after major changes.
• Secure configuration management — enforce least privilege access and disable unnecessary services.

Key takeaways for organisations

Cyber-attacks are no longer a question of if but when. As threats grow in scale and sophistication, organisations must move beyond basic prevention and adopt a proactive, multi-layered approach to security. Speed and effectiveness in responding to an incident can make the difference between a minor disruption and a major crisis.

High-profile breaches at leading retail brands such as M&S, Co-op, Harrods and Jaguar Land Rover highlight the severe financial and reputational consequences of inadequate preparation. Protecting customer trust and business continuity requires treating cybersecurity as a core business priority — not an afterthought. 

By implementing robust monitoring, comprehensive staff training, a tested incident response plan and clear communication strategies, businesses can significantly reduce the impact of an attack. Organisations that invest in these measures today will be best positioned to withstand tomorrow’s threats and maintain confidence in an increasingly digital world.

Talk to us

Our specialist cybersecurity lawyers advise on the full life cycle of incidents — from building resilience by developing proactive governance and risk management measures to assisting with incident response management and disclosure to the NCSC and ICO. 

For businesses looking to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity, legal guidance is essential. We’re uniquely positioned to help organisations to transform challenges into opportunities while ensuring compliance. 

Talk to us by giving us a call on 0333 004 4488, sending us an email at hello@brabners.com or completing our contact form below.