Why is communication essential during a cyber security incident?

14th July 2025

If your business is attack, it is important that everyone can communicate to mitigate damage.

In any aspect of life, communication with other people is essential. People don’t know what you need from them if you fail to communicate properly. If you fail to communicate, problems can escalate, and important tasks won’t get completed.

If a cyber attack occurs, that communication is even more vital. We explain how good communication can prevent a bad breach from becoming a dreadful one:

Coordination: a cyber attack may impact people from across a business, in different departments. With clear communication, everyone understands what they should be doing. For example, if the leadership team and the IT team both try to solve the problem without talking, errors may be made. By communicating, they can resolve the issue fast.

Speed: speaking of speed, when it comes to a cyber attack time is critical. You need to act before the situation gets worse. Good communication ensures people aren’t waiting on confirmation, they can go ahead and fix the problem quickly.

Accurate information sharing: if information about the attack isn’t communicated properly, it may result in issues. Clarity helps to maintain accuracy, keeping your business’ response on track.

Stakeholder confidence: external parties that may be impacted – customers, partners and regulators – need to be communicated with properly. If they are kept in the dark, it may damage your reputation worse than the cyber attack itself.

Legal: laws such as GDPR and HIPAA require notification after a breach. Failure to do so promptly could result in fines or legal action.

Post-incident: communicating after the incident has been resolved is vital. Upon review, you can help to determine what went wrong and where changes need to be made to prevent another breach from occurring.

Evidently, communication is vital during a cyber incident. Does your team know their role should an attack happen? Do you feel confident communicating with them in an emergency? If you need any help or advise, contact Interfuture Security.