2023-05-22 16:12:55
The development of consumer computing has led to an upheaval in the use of new technologies. In our increasingly interconnected society, digital technology has on the one hand become the key element of innovation but, on the other hand, it generates many risks. These risks can be at the origin of a crisis, in other words a risk can do be born a situation of disruption in the usual functioning of an organization. Vis-à-vis its brutal nature, a crisis needs to be mastered quickly.
Of our time, cyberattacks continue to increase in frequency and sophistication. The question is no longer “if” we will suffer a cyberattack but rather “when”. This demonstrates the importance of preparation in order to react in an insightful way. In effect, cyber incidents can cause a sequence disastrous consequences for their victims, for example the loss of customer data causes the loss of credibility and ultimately a financial loss. The key word is then the trust. And trust is built with legitimate, respectful and transparent communication. This reasoning explains why communication is a major pillar of the crisis management process.
Communication of a cyber crisis refers to a set of actions implemented with a view to limiting the negative impacts of the cyber incident. The response to these cyberattacks cannot be improvised, they must be anticipate, and this requires the hand in hand work of IT security and communication specialists. To illustrate the essential place of communication in the management of cybercrisis, it is necessary to study concrete cases.
In 2014, Snapchat was the collateral victim of a cyberattack suffered by Sony Pictures. The private mailbox of its CEO, Evan Spiegel, was the target. Following leaks of confidential data relating to the company’s strategy and development plan, Evan Spiegel, to deal with this cyber incident, reacted immediately with a letter to staff from Snapchat. He opted for a your simple and empathetic tone that made the human crisis. This communication strategy has borne fruit and has generated goodwill and appreciation on the part of the staff but also of the users of this application. Indeed, this Snapchat example clearly demonstrates that communication not only makes it possible to overcome a crisis but also to ensure a good way out of the crisis. Reassuring stakeholders is therefore essential in crisis management. Good communication requires transparency. In 2021, video game development studio CD Projekt Red suffered a ransomware attack. The Polish company focused on a fully transparent strategy by posting the details of the case and even a copy of the ransom note sent by the cyber attackers on social media.
Transparency, recommended by most specialists, is however not always the chosen strategy. Moreover, some organizations make the strategic choice not to communicate on the case. But is it a good idea? To answer this question, let’s take the emblematic case of the municipality of Rolle in Switzerland. At the end of May 2021, the municipality of Rolle suffered a ransomware cyberattack from the group of hackers known as the “Vice Society”. The municipality makes the strategic decision not to communicate about this cyber crisis. During the summer of 2021, the media made the headlines concerning the leak of data from the inhabitants of the municipality by expressing the unpreparedness of the Rolloise administration in the face of these cyber risks. The silence on his part provoked reactions and this led his authorities to establish an action plan in terms of communication in order to restore an environment of trust.
“The digital ocean can carry us far and everywhere”, as well as badly. In view of this context, anticipating the cyber crisis has become the key to success. On the communication level, it is therefore fundamental to adopt a good strategy. It is with this in mind that the ANSSI has published a guide aimed “to provide very operational advice and recommendations in order to build and then trigger the crisis communication component during a computer attack”.
Sources :
The fundamentals of cyber crisis management, Laurane Raimondo
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