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Commissioner (OAIC) recommends that all entities have a data breach response plan in place and has recently released draft guidance on how to develop such a plan.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 Here are some questions for your organisation to consider based on the OAIC’s draft guidance to developing a data breach response plan.
- What constitutes a data breach?
- What actions should your staff take?
- Who is a member of the response team?
- When does a breach needs to be escalated to senior management?
- Who is responsible for contacting and managing any affected individuals?
- Who decides whether to contact law enforcement or regulators?
- How are records of data breaches kept?
- How will you identify and address any weaknesses in data handling that contributed to a data breach?
- Are there any steps your cybersecurity insurance policy requires you to follow?
- How will you test your response plan?
The OAIC’s Guide to developing a data breach response plan Consultation draft can be found here.