You recently discovered that your organization had a data breach. If hackers stole personal information from your company's server, an employee stole client information, or information was accidentally exposed on your company's website, you may be unsure what to do next.

What procedures should you take, and who should you notify, if you believe your personal information has been compromised? Although the answers differ every circumstance, the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recommendations can help you make informed decisions.

Secure your operations

Take immediate steps to safeguard your systems and address any flaws that may have caused the incident. Multiple breaches are worse than a single data exposure. Take steps to prevent this from happening again.

To prevent future data loss, activate your breach response team right away. The specific procedures to take will differ based on the nature of the breach and your company's structure.

Form a competent team to handle the whole breach response. Depending on the size and type of your company, these areas may include forensics, legal, information security, information technology, operations, human resources, communications, investor relations, and management.

Fix vulnerabilities

Think about the service suppliers. If service providers were involved, consider what personal information they can access and whether you should modify their access rights. Also, make sure that your service providers are taking the appropriate precautions to prevent another compromise. If your service providers claim to have corrected vulnerabilities, make sure they actually did.

Check the network segmentation. When you built your network, you most likely separated it such that a hack on one server or site would not result in a breach on another. Consult with your forensics experts or a forensic accounting consultant to see whether your segmentation strategy was successful in containing the occurrence. If any changes are required, implement them right away.