Cyber incident recovery

Becoming the victim of a cyberattack today is increasingly a matter of when, not if. In 2024, the average cost of a data breach worldwide reached its highest point ever—$4.9 million, representing a 10% increase from 2023.

Is your company positioned to respond to and recover from attacks effectively and efficiently? Cyber incident recovery is your best chance at minimizing disruption and restoring operations swiftly. It’s the process that helps organizations bounce back after an attack, reducing downtime, limiting damage, and ensuring business continuity. Cyber incident recovery is your life jacket in the turbulent waters of today’s cyber threat landscape.

What is cyber incident recovery?

In just minutes, a cyberattack can undo what took you years to build. Cyber incident recovery helps you restore systems, data, and business operations after a cyberattack to minimize downtime, data loss, and other harmful impacts. Effective recovery requires organizations to have modern data management solutions that provide tools and frameworks for threat protection and data backup and recovery. These frameworks let you access systems and data— even if they were compromised and inaccessible during the cyber incident. 

How to recover from a cyberattack?

Cyberattacks are becoming a menace, even with cyber defenses. In 2023, there were major cyberattacks, including one in the U.S. State Department and one in the Department of Commerce, where Chinese hackers stole tens of thousands of emails from several accounts belonging to personnel. An attack on a government agency means it can happen to any organization. You have to understand what to do after a cyberattack and how to recover from it.

Preparation

Incident recovery strategies begin with preparation. This includes implementing protections on systems, such as multifactor authentication and platform hardening, to make them harder to exploit. It also includes having a robust data backup plan and a well-defined incident response plan that stresses thorough investigation, effective mitigation, and clear communication with stakeholders. 

Another important part of your recovery strategy is having a team and assigning roles to them. Key roles include: 

• Incident recovery director – An incident recovery director is a senior IT professional who directs the incident recovery team and coordinates all recovery activities. They oversee data collection from logs, network traffic, and user activity, and also ensure timely and clear information flow between the incident response team, stakeholders, and external parties. The director also coordinates digital forensics efforts to analyze collected data, determine the root cause, and impact of incidents, and then document findings for compliance and future prevention plans.
• Incident response specialists – These are expert team members who gather and analyze evidence to understand the nature of the attack. They interview relevant personnel to gather insights and context about the incident. Additionally, these specialists fix system outages, apply security patches, and ensure data integrity. 
• HR crisis liaison – The HR crisis liaison manages and communicates critical information regarding the incident, keeping staff informed about the situation and the organization’s response. This role involves providing emotional support to affected employees, addressing their concerns, and facilitating access to resources such as counseling services.
• Corporate communications team – Your reputation is always at stake during an incident. A corporate communications team addresses stakeholders, employees, and investors, informing them about the scale of the attack and any issues that may impact the brand's image. This team monitors media coverage and public sentiment, responding promptly to misinformation or concerns.

Identify affected assets

Having a team and establishing a hierarchy helps ensure a smooth transition to recovery. Apart from having a team, the recovery plan should also be able to identify affected assets:

• Communication infrastructure – A recovery plan must conduct regular tests and drills to assess the reliability of communication tools, such as team messaging apps and video conferencing platforms. The functionality of these systems ensures teams can share critical updates, coordinate recovery efforts, and make informed decisions without delays. Real-time communication minimizes misunderstandings.
• Data storage solutions – Storage systems are the passageways for cybercriminals, so you must identify the vulnerable ones that attackers can use to breach your system. Keep an updated inventory of all storage assets, including servers, workstations, cloud services, and removable devices. Utilize tools to scan for known vulnerabilities, such as outdated software, misconfigurations, and unpatched systems, and ensure access to data is limited to authorized personnel.
• Other hardware and software – Even devices that do not store sensitive information can serve as entry points for cyberattacks and compromise your security posture. Keep an inventory of all devices and evaluate who accesses them. Then, access control should be given to authorized personnel to minimize exploitation. 
• Review of internal security policies – Evaluating internal security policies helps identify the root cause of a cyber incident. This assessment also determines weaknesses and gaps in existing protocols, providing insights into how the breach occurred. Understanding these vulnerabilities can strengthen your defenses and implement more robust security measures. 

Even after crafting a quality plan, don’t treat it as a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Preparation and planning should be continuous. Regular reviews and updates on security policies ensure they're relevant in the fight against evolving threats.

Detection and analysis

With your team and plan in place, detection and analysis should begin. Security teams utilize automated systems, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, to identify suspicious activities in real time and analyze the information to detect any potential attack. 

They also conduct regular risk assessments to uncover weaknesses in IT infrastructure and user behavior analytics to recognize anomalies. Once they detect a potential incident, the teams analyze logs and system activity to determine the steps to take after a cyberattack based on the extent of the breach and its impact on operations and data integrity. 

Log management in detection involves the collecting, analyzing, storing, and monitoring of log data from various servers, devices, systems, and applications. Logging and monitoring systems provide real-time insights into system activities and unusual traffic that indicate potential threats, expediting incident response.

Incident analysis identifies the cause and scope of a cyber incident. By identifying both immediate and underlying causes and mistakes made, organizations can pinpoint vulnerabilities and systemic issues that allowed the incident to occur. 

Containment

The containment stage involves disconnecting affected systems from the network to stop the spread of threats. Ensure that you communicate with relevant stakeholders about the incident and containment measures. 

Next, implement security measures such as applying patches, updating antivirus software, and enforcing stricter access controls to strengthen defenses. Continue to monitor and log system activities to detect any suspicious activity early on. It's also important to preserve digital and physical evidence for analysis at this phase:

• Digital evidence – Examples of digital evidence include log files, IP addresses, email correspondence, and user account activity.
• Physical evidence – Examples of physical evidence include hardcopy documents, photographs and videos, removable media, written statements, and printed records.

To effectively contain a cyber incident and prevent further damage, organizations follow these steps:

• Immediate response – Quickly assess the situation to determine the scope of the incident, secure affected systems, and ensure the safety of the staff affected.
• Isolation of affected systems – Disconnect compromised systems to prevent the further spread of malware. Consider shutting down servers, deactivating user accounts, or blocking specific IP addresses.
• Preservation of evidence – Safeguard all relevant data and logs related to the incident to support further investigation and analysis. This includes creating backups, freezing garbage collection in existing backups, and documenting the incident timeline.
• Crisis communication – Inform IT teams, management, and affected customers about the incident and containment efforts. Clear communication helps coordinate response actions and manage expectations.
• Monitoring for further activity – During the containment phase, continuously monitor systems for malicious activity or attempts to exploit vulnerabilities.
• Assessment and analysis – Evaluate the incident's impact and identify root causes to inform subsequent recovery efforts and preventive measures.

By following these steps, you can contain cybersecurity incidents, mitigate immediate damage, and position your organization for efficient recovery. These measures contribute to strengthening your company's overall security posture, helping to prevent future incidents and fostering a proactive approach.

Eradication and recovery

After detecting and containing threats, you can eradicate them and reclaim your operations and data. Eradicating threats from the environment involves several steps to ensure that all malicious elements are eliminated and vulnerabilities addressed.

• Assessment of threats – After containment, assess the nature of the threats present. This includes identifying malware, compromised accounts, and any other malicious activities.
• Prioritization – Determine which threats pose the highest risk to the organization’s assets and operations. To minimize potential damage, focus on eradicating these high-priority threats first.
• Malware removal – Utilize automated tools, such as antivirus and anti-malware software, to remove identified malware from infected systems. Manual removal may be necessary for more persistent threats.
• Compromised account management – Identify and disable or reset compromised user accounts to stop unauthorized access. You may change passwords and review account permissions.

After this stage, you can consider your operations as being under your control. But before you return to normal operations, you need to verify that your systems are 100% secure. The International Labour Organization (ILO) guides system recovery after a cyber incident, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and resilience in the workplace. They include risk assessment, incident response planning, data backup and recovery, training and awareness, and post-incident review. 

Post-incident review

Conducting a post-incident review provides an opportunity to analyze the events of the incident, helping teams understand the causes and contributing factors. Organizations can identify weaknesses in their systems and processes. Addressing these vulnerabilities strengthens defenses against future threats and the likelihood of recurrence.

Schedule a post-incident meeting with all relevant stakeholders shortly after resolving an incident. Collect information on the incident, including timelines, actions taken, and outcomes. Use structured questions to guide discussions, focusing on what worked, what didn't, and why.

Create a report that includes a summary, incident overview, findings, and recommendations for improvement. Organize lessons learned by categories such as detection, response, and recovery.

Sharing findings with stakeholders fosters collaboration and builds trust within the cybersecurity community. This exchange of information allows stakeholders to leverage diverse perspectives and experiences, leading to an understanding of vulnerabilities and effective mitigation strategies. Additionally, sharing threat intelligence helps eliminate biases and blind spots.

The importance of having a data breach recovery plan

Recovering from an incident is possible. After a ransomware attack in May 2021 that disrupted fuel supply across the U.S., Colonial Pipeline took immediate action to contain the breach by first shutting down thousands of miles of pipeline and later restoring operations. They also engaged federal authorities and invested in security measures post-recovery to bolster their defenses.

Your data is your most valuable asset. Losing control over it can bring business to a standstill and cause financial and reputational damage. A cyber incident recovery plan protects your organization from long-term repercussions, including increased insurance premiums and a loss of customer trust. By implementing recovery strategies, you can restore operations, protect data, and maintain stakeholder confidence.

Recovery ensures business continuity and resilience by restoring operations, minimizing downtime and financial losses while maintaining customer trust. A recovery framework fosters a culture of preparedness, allowing organizations to learn from past incidents and adapt their strategies accordingly.

The importance of cyber resilience

Recovering from a cyber incident requires more than a quick fix — it demands a well-thought-out strategy to restore operations, safeguard sensitive data, and prevent future breaches. Here are tips to help you make your cyber incident recovery plans successful and build cyber resilience.

• Regularly update recovery plans – As technology, business processes, and regulatory requirements change, recovery plans must be updated reflect these changes and remain relevant and effective. Frequent updates ensure that the plan incorporates lessons learned from previous incidents, addresses new vulnerabilities, and aligns with best cybersecurity practices.
• Conduct training and simulations: –Provide ongoing cybersecurity training for employees to reduce human error risks and enhance awareness of potential threats. Include simulations for realistic learning experiences.
• Leverage modern backup solutions – Implement a data backup strategy that includes regular backups stored in secure, isolated locations. Ensure that backups are tested for integrity and can be quickly restored.

With these best practices, your cyber attack recovery plan will be successful, and you will enhance your resilience against future incidents, ensuring you’re prepared to bounce back.

Challenges in cyberattack recovery

Recovering from a cyberattack is rarely a straightforward process. Organizations often encounter a range of challenges that can complicate and prolong the process. Understanding these common hurdles is crucial to developing an effective recovery strategy that minimizes impact and ensures long-term resilience.

• Resource constraints – Limited personnel or financial resources may impede the ability to implement robust recovery measures effectively.
• Complex IT environments – Managing data on-premises and on private and public cloud resources can be challenging. Having data across various platforms requires enhanced strategies for backup, replication, and restoration.
• Communication gaps – Without clear updates, misinformation can spread, leading to confusion about the incident's impact and recovery efforts. Clear communication keeps stakeholders informed about the incident's status, recovery efforts, and any changes to operations—speeding up the recovery process.

If you can address these challenges, you will have a better chance of success in your recovery strategies. Planning for them also improves resilience against future incidents.

Cyber incident recovery and Cohesity

Today’s cyber threat landscape demands a Cyber incident recovery and Cohesitymodern cyber resilience strategy—one that ensures fast, secure recovery and minimizes business disruption. Cohesity’s AI-powered data security capabilities help organizations prepare for incidents, strengthen their response, and accelerate recovery—so they can withstand and bounce back from even the most destructive cyberattacks.

At Cohesity, we allow organizations to protect and manage their entire data estate—across data centers, edge locations, and public clouds—through a single, unified platform. This allows for rapid, reliable recovery when it matters most. Our comprehensive data security solutions support threat detection and hunting, data classification to meet strict compliance requirements, and incident response to ensure a secure recovery.

Ready to strengthen your cyber resilience? Contact us to learn more—and start your free trial today.

Cyber incident recovery restores your data, systems, and operations by identifying the extent of the damage, containing and eradicating threats, and restoring critical technology assets. At Cohesity, we consolidate data protection, backup, and recovery into a single platform, simplifying management regardless of your IT environment. We offer fast recovery options, allowing you to restore data quickly and minimize downtime after incidents.

Whatever nature of the incident you experience, whether an outage to your data, hardware, power, network, or sites, the architecture of our Cohesity Data Cloud can handle multiple failures. Contact us to learn more about threat protection and how to secure your valuable assets — your data. It all starts with a free trial.