IT Emergency Package for Small and Medium Enterprises

M.Sc. Chris Wojzechowski

IT Emergency Package for Small and Medium Enterprises

In cooperation with DIHK, VOICE, BKA, Initiative Wirtschaftsschutz, NIFIS, Charter of Trust and eco the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is developing an IT emergency package for small and medium-sized enterprises.

IT emergencies in SMEs

If a company is affected by a cyber attack, action must be taken as quickly as possible so that the damage can be kept to a minimum. Comparable to a fire, every second counts, because the more time an attacker has in the system, the more files he can steal or encrypt.

In the past, the process of encrypting in particular led to great damage. One example is Aebi Schmidt, who was the victim of a large Ransomware attack at the end of April. In addition to this large company, however, it is mainly small and medium-sized enterprises that have problems with such cyber attacks. There are various reasons for this, including the fact that smaller companies cannot raise the capital to build and maintain a secure IT infrastructure.

It is precisely for these reasons that the IT Emergency Package was developed. This package provides several notes explaining how to proceed in cyber attacks. These slips of paper can be hung up in the office, comparable to escape plans.

The IT Emergency Package

The IT Emergency Package contains three PDF files that are available free of charge:

  1. Response to IT emergencies:
    This note describes the sequence in which an employee should report an IT emergency. In addition to the IT emergency number, there are various questions that should be answered during the emergency call. To ensure that every employee has immediate access to this slip of paper, every office should have at least one copy.
  2. Catalogue of measures:
    This catalog should be located in the offices of IT staff. The various points should be implemented preventively so that all employees are prepared for a cyber attack. One item listed in the catalog is, for example, the appointment of an IT officer within each department. Comparable to a fire safety officer who knows what to do in an emergency.
  3. After a cyber attack:
    Each cyber attack is different from the other, so it is all the more important to perform a detailed post-attack check. In this document you will find 12 actions you should take after successfully averting a cyber attack so that you do not have to fear later damage.

The provision of these documents can help every employee to react correctly in an emergency situation. Especially in emergency situations where the employee is nervous, it is important to implement a fixed plan to keep the damage to a minimum.

You can download and print the documents free of charge under the links.

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M.Sc. Chris Wojzechowski

My name is Chris Wojzechowski and I studied my Master in Internet Security in Gelsenkirchen a few years ago. I am one of two managing directors of AWARE7 GmbH and a trained IT Risk Manager, IT-Grundschutz practitioner (TÜV) and possess the test procedure competence for § 8a BSIG. Our bread and butter business is performing penetration testing. We are also committed to promoting a broad understanding of IT security in Europe, which is why we offer the majority of our products free of charge.