Best Practices to identify and mitigate security breaches and data leakage

oliviahiljegren6
Sep 19
3 min read

Updated: Oct 27

After it became known over the weekend that material from a breach at a system supplier has been leaked, the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) has published advice for both organizations and private individuals. When information from breaches is spread openly, it creates major risks for both organizations and individuals. This is not only about IT-related consequences, but also about issues of information and trust that can take a long time to manage. At Gridheart, we naturally take this very seriously, and as a leading cybersecurity distributor, we have also compiled some key points to strengthen your protection and reduce the risk of being affected by similar incidents.

Key measures for organizations

Establish a comprehensive situational picture

Conduct a thorough assessment of what information may have been exposed, to what extent, and which business-critical processes are affected. Identify which stakeholders are impacted, such as customers, partners, key individuals, or persons with protected identities. Also ensure that management and security officers receive regular updates in order to make the right decisions.

Activate enhanced monitoring and threat detection

Implement or strengthen log management solutions to detect suspicious activity at an early stage. Use threat intelligence to monitor the darknet and other malicious sources where your data may appear. We offer services from recognized providers, such as Acronis and Nord Security, for this purpose.

Strengthen the human role in cybersecurity

Carry out urgent information initiatives for staff so that they know how to act, what to watch out for, and how to report irregularities. Also ensure the introduction of continuous training, so that your staff — and your customers’ staff — receive tailored training and simulations, for example through phishing tests, to strengthen digital preparedness. Gridheart offers U-secure, which is a perfect service for this. It is also important to provide clear support materials, such as an FAQ and internal guidelines, so that employees feel confident and act consistently.

Prepare and act according to an incident response plan

Having an established incident and crisis management plan that can be activated immediately is crucial to handling a cyber incident effectively. For organizations, this is not only a recommendation but also a requirement under the NIS2 Directive, which entails an obligation to implement such a plan. During the process, it is important to carefully document all actions in order to evaluate the response afterward and to meet the reporting requirements in place. The incident must also be reported to the relevant authorities, including the Police Authority and the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY).

Build long-term resilience

To build long-term resilience, it is important to evaluate the breach afterward and thereby identify both vulnerabilities and areas for improvement. By investing in strong, multi-layered protection that includes backup and recovery, endpoint protection, identity management, and continuous monitoring, you can establish a robust defense that reduces the risk of future incidents. With solutions such as Acronis, you gain comprehensive protection, and by choosing Acronis, you also have the option to store your data in the Acronis data center (SE01) in Sweden. This applies to all Acronis services and ensures that all storage takes place within the country’s borders — with full compliance with Swedish and European data protection regulations.

Do you have questions or concerns about how to best secure your company and your customers’ businesses?