A quick response to a data breach is key to mitigating its impact. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) recommends that all entities have a data breach response plan in place and has recently released draft guidance on how to develop such a plan.

The guidance recommends that the plan include setting out the actions to be taken in the event of a breach and the team members involved in those actions. Here are some questions for your organisation to consider based on the OAIC’s draft guidance to developing a data breach response plan.

  1. What constitutes a data breach?
  2. What actions should your staff take?
  3. Who is a member of the response team?
  4. When does a breach needs to be escalated to senior management?
  5. Who is responsible for contacting and managing any affected individuals?
  6. Who decides whether to contact law enforcement or regulators?
  7. How are records of data breaches kept?
  8. How will you identify and address any weaknesses in data handling that contributed to a data breach?
  9. Are there any steps your cybersecurity insurance policy requires you to follow?
  10. How will you test your response plan?

The OAIC’s Guide to developing a data breach response plan Consultation draft can be found here.