Large Payroll Service Targeted by Sophisticated Cyber-Attack

Companies large and small can be vulnerable to a data breach. As cyber criminals become more sophisticated with their attacks, all data can be at risk and breaches are possible. When your company is targeted by a cyber-attack, no matter how sophisticated, it is your responsibility to have the right response plan in place.

The Giant Umbrella Data Breach

Giant Group is a UK umbrella payroll company with thousands of contractors. The attack forced the company to shut down their entire network, and over a week later, contractors were still not able to contact the company to carry out payroll tasks, leaving many contractors in a precarious position. Giant Group has responded only by saying the attack was sophisticated and were reluctant to share additional details.

Communication from the company has been lacking, and many contractors are, understandably, frustrated and upset. Giant, not having a recovery plan, has put themselves in a very vulnerable position.

Developing a Proactive Data Protection Plan

The lesson that can be learned from this and all the recent data breaches that have impacted companies both large and small is that every business needs to have a solid plan in place, including a procedure for responding to attacks, before they face a threat. Developing a proactive data protection plan, rather than a response in reaction to a data breach, puts your business in a much better place to keep your reputation intact and both you and your clients data protected. This plan should include not only a plan for data protection, but a plan for how you will respond to a breach if you ever have to.

CSR Readiness Pro Suite

Most businesses are simply not prepared for the aftermath of a breach, especially if they have plans in place for data protection. Yet even with a data protection plan in place, lack of a plan for your response to a breach puts your company at risk. CSR Readiness Pro is a powerful, proactive program that can do several things. First, your company will go through a risk assessment to identify any weak points. Once those points are identified, remediation tasks will be provided and prioritized to help your organization improve their data protection plan. In the case of a breach, taking this step will help protect your organization in the face of a legal inquiry related to a data breach. Finally, this program will assist you with reacting to a data breach, should one occur. The professionals will handle the mandated reporting, help mitigate fines, and take steps to protect your reputation. This program will help you both avoid and respond to a data breach that could otherwise devastate your business.

When you are unprepared to respond to a cyber-attack, you can plan on paying for it, both in the financial costs of your reactive response and in your reputation. Many UK contractors who had previously used Giant Group are looking into other services to manage payroll, as they cannot risk this happening again. While any company can be vulnerable to any attack, your data protection plan and planned response to any potential attacks will demonstrate to your staff and clients that you have their best interests in place. For guidance on how to best protect your company’s sensitive data, contact AccuShred to learn more about our data protection services.