Why quick and transparent comms is vital when you’re under cyber attack

According to the latest UK Government figures, more than 40% of businesses and 30% of charities experienced a cyber security breach or attack in the past year. No matter the size of your business, the odds are increasing that you’ll face a cyber incident. And even with cutting-edge security tech, attackers are often one step ahead.

Cyber-attacks are no longer rare events – weekly headlines about businesses being hit are becoming the new norm. It’s not if, it’s when, and given that global giants struggle to protect themselves, smaller organisations face even greater risk.

Preparation is everything. And while having a robust procedure in place to respond to incidents in a technical sense is crucial to getting you back on track, being ready beforehand is what keeps you on the front foot.  That’s where Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland’s free incident response helpline comes in, helping businesses and individuals to prevent, detect, respond and recover from a cyber incident.  In partnership with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland, the Centre gives members of Scotland’s business community immediate access to its National Cyber Incident Response Cadre, providing top-tier support across key areas like threat intelligence analysis, incident investigation, legal support – and now, communications.

Cyber-attacks don’t discriminate. Whether you’re a small charity, a local business, a public sector body or a global conglomerate, the impact of a breach can be chaotic, overwhelming and high stakes. That’s why the IR cadre is built to support organisations of all shapes and sizes – not just the big players. If you’re under attack, they’re there to guide you through those first critical hours, helping you make sense of the noise and take the right steps forward.

We’re proud to announce that Clark has been appointed to the centre’s National Cyber Incident Response Cadre, working alongside a trusted group of experts in a variety of fields to provide, for the first time, strategic communications support to organisations in crisis.

Clear, timely and honest communication during a cyber-attack isn’t just helpful – it’s vital. While transparent crisis comms is non-negotiable during a cyber-attack, communicating in the right way can make or break an organisation.  Poorly considered or delayed messaging can have major consequences long-term, like reputational damage and mistrust among customers, employees, and partners. How you communicate in those crucial first hours can define your recovery and significantly reduce longer term financial loss. After an incident, you’ll want to make a quick comeback, which is all the more difficult if your hard-won reputation is in tatters because you tried to keep your troubles on the down-low.  

As communications specialists, we use our experience to guide organisations through high risk /low trust situations – offering valuable advice, expert strategies and effective delivery to protect reputations, reduce risk and safeguard futures, with planning insight, or responsive support where it’s needed most.

If you’re looking for crisis communications support, you can contact our team for more information. 

The Cadre doesn’t just show up when things go wrong. It also helps organisations stay one step ahead – offering expertise in threat scoping, intelligence sharing and prevention. 

If you are concerned about whether your business could weather a cyber-attack, or if you’re experiencing an issue, contract the Cyber and Fraud Centre’s incident response line for immediate assistance, on 0800 1670 623.