Smart Tech Investments: How Black Friday Deals Can Benefit Your Business

When a cyberattack hits, the first 24 hours can define the outcome. How your business responds during this crucial window determines whether the damage is contained or spirals out of control. For companies in Buffalo and across Western New York, having a clear, hour-by-hour action plan is essential.

The First Hour: Immediate Containment

As soon as an attack is detected, the priority is to contain it. Disconnect affected systems from the network and isolate compromised devices. This prevents the threat from spreading to other servers or endpoints. Avoid shutting down machines unless advised by your IT or incident response team, since memory data may hold critical forensic evidence. Document everything, including alerts, timestamps, and unusual behavior.

Hours 1-4: Communicate, Assemble, and Triage

Once containment begins, communication becomes the next focus. Notify key internal stakeholders and your managed service provider or cybersecurity partner. Assemble your incident response team to assess the situation and establish clear leadership. Begin triaging affected systems to determine which assets are down, what data may be at risk, and whether operations can safely continue. During this phase, it is important to control information flow. Ensure that updates are factual and delivered through a single point of contact.

Hours 4-12: Investigation and Analysis

With the situation stabilized, the next step is to investigate how the attack occurred and how far it reached. Your IT team or external cybersecurity experts should analyze logs, identify the initial point of entry, and determine whether the attacker still has access. This is also when decision making begins. Should backups be restored? Do customers or regulators need to be notified? Having predefined thresholds in your incident response plan helps make these decisions quickly and confidently.

Hours 12-24: Stabilization and Recovery Planning

Once the root cause is identified, the focus shifts to restoring normal operations. Begin rebuilding and validating systems using clean, verified backups. Recovery efforts should be deliberate. Rushing can reintroduce malware or leave gaps unaddressed. Parallel to restoration, review your business continuity plan and update security measures based on what was learned. If data loss occurred, document recovery efforts and coordinate with insurance providers and legal advisors as needed.

Building Long-Term Resilience

The first 24 hours after a cyberattack are about immediate containment and recovery, but the lessons learned are just as important. Regularly testing your incident response plan, training employees, and conducting vulnerability assessments can strengthen your defenses for the next threat.

Prepare and Respond with MVP Network Consulting

MVP Network Consulting helps businesses in Buffalo and Western New York develop, test, and execute effective 24-hour cyber response plans. From real-time monitoring to recovery support, the MVP team ensures your systems are ready for anything. Contact MVP today to build a resilient response strategy and keep your business protected.