How Rapid Response Teams Protect Your Business from Cyber Attacks

How Does Rapid Response Keep Your Business Safe

A Managed Service Provider should provide your business with a range of cyber security solutions and training to support organisations in order to prevent cyber-attacks. However, if the worst happens and an organisation isn’t adequately protected or a user makes a mistake, (such as clicking phishing link) and a cyber-attack occurs, having a reliable Cyber Security team who is able to respond swiftly and effectively is crucial.

And this is where a Rapid Response team comes in:

In this blog, we'll explore what a rapid response team does during and after a cyber-attack and how partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) like Technical Drive can benefit you.

What is a Rapid Response Team?

A rapid response team is a group of highly trained Cyber Security experts who will jump into action immediately when a cyber-attack occurs. Their objective is to minimise damage, secure your systems and get your business back to normal operations as quickly as possible.

Steps Taken by a Rapid Response Team Following a Cyber Attack

1. Identify

• The team uses advanced Cyber Security tools to monitor traffic and detect unusual patterns and suspicious activities to identify the nature of the attack.
• The team examines logs from various systems (e.g., firewalls, servers, applications) to trace the activities leading up to the breach and detect the entry point.
• Scanning for vulnerabilities in the system that could have been exploited.
• Typical entry points include unpatched software, weak password, misconfigured systems or a user clicking or accessing harmful material.

2. Contain

• Immediate steps are taken to contain the attack and then prevent it from spreading and causing any further damage.
• The team may then segment the network to create a barrier between the compromised and non-compromised systems.
• The team removes unauthorised access to affected resources, which may involve changing passwords, revoking access rights and securing user accounts.

3. Remove

• The team will use specialist tools to scan and remove malware from infected systems and manually deleting any malicious files and code.
• Applying patches to fix vulnerabilities that were exploited.
• Resetting passwords for any affected accounts and preventing unauthorised access and closing any unauthorised access points.

4. Recover

• Rebuilding systems from clean Back-Ups to ensure they are free from any remnants of the attack.
• If required, re-installing operating systems and applications.
• The team ensures that all systems are secure and functioning correctly, so normal operations can be resumed.

5. Report

• A thorough investigation is conducted to understand how the attack happened.
• The team provides you with a full report showing what steps have been taken and any recommendations to prevent future attacks.
• Your Account Manager will provide a consultation to take you through the steps and any recommendations.
• Recommendations could include potential Cyber Security solutions, staff training or gaining accreditations such as Cyber Essentials.

Benefits of using an MSP for Cyber Security

1. Access to Cyber Security expertise
2. Implementation of robust security measures.
3. Continuous, proactive Monitoring and Patching.
4. Proactive IT Support and strategy
5. More cost-effective than hiring an in-house IT team

Summary

A rapid response team is essential for protecting your business from the devastating effects of a cyber-attack. By partnering with a Managed Service Provider, small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from expert support, cost savings, enhanced security and scalable solutions.

Our advice would be, don't wait for a cyber-attack to happen, ensure your business is prepared with the right team and resources in place.