PR Insight: Keeping your reputation intact after a data breach

Chances are, you or someone you know has had personal information compromised due to relentless cyberattacks across various industries in the U.S. Last year alone, we saw major companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield, Verizon and even the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission fall victim to data breaches. In fact, according to Gemalto’s Breach Level Index, more data records were lost or stolen in the first half of 2017 than throughout all of 2016, and this frequency will likely continue to escalate into 2018.

So, what can you do if your credit union experiences a data breach?

How your organization responds will impact if and how quickly your reputation recovers after the incident. The guidelines below will help ensure your credit union is prepared to minimize any PR nightmare that ensues if the unthinkable does happen.

Do you have an incident response plan in place?
First and foremost, your credit union should have an incident response plan in place before a cyberattack occurs. Proactivity is vital in crisis communications, and your credit union’s executive team should be familiar with the plan. When a data breach is discovered, you and your team will not have time to develop a response plan from scratch. Many of the CU’s executives will be busy responding to the breach on the operational and technical side, which makes having your communication plan in place—and reviewed frequently—important.

 

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