That’s why clear, honest, and timely communication is just as important as technical containment. This guide offers step-by-step instructions on how to communicate effectively after a cyber attack and how Wyrdex, a trusted cybersecurity partner, helps businesses stay in control during their most vulnerable moments.
Why Communication Is Just as Critical as Containment
Cyber attacks impact more than just IT infrastructure.
The way you talk about the event influences:
- Brand reputation
- Customer trust
- Investor confidence
- Regulatory scrutiny
Poor communication leads to:
- Customer churn
- Media backlash
- Investor doubt
- Legal exposure
- Regulatory fines
Smart communication helps:
- Preserve brand integrity
- Rebuild stakeholder trust
- Prevent panic and speculation
- Demonstrate leadership and control
Your technical team handles the breach.
Your leadership team owns the message.
Step 1: Align Internally Before Going Public
Before releasing any external communication, ensure internal alignment.
Immediately after confirming the breach is contained:
- Assemble your CEO, CIO, CISO, Legal, and PR teams
- Determine what’s known, unknown, and verifiable
- Appoint a single spokesperson (usually CEO or CISO)
- Assign roles to Legal, PR, HR, and Support
- Agree on tone: calm, transparent, and factual
- Avoid speculation. Don’t go silent.
Even a placeholder statement like
“We are investigating a potential security incident and will share updates as we learn more”
shows empathy and control.
Step 2: Inform Employees First
Your internal team should hear the news from you, not the media.
Send a short, clear message explaining:
- What happened (in simple terms)
- What’s being done to respond
- What’s affected (systems, access, operations)
- Who to contact with questions
- What not to do (e.g., speak to media or speculate)
Employees may receive calls from customers or partners. Equip them with consistent, approved messages.
Wyrdex helps businesses develop pre-approved internal comms templates to avoid confusion and misinformation.
Step 3: Notify Customers Quickly
If customer data or services are impacted, don’t delay.
Delays erode trust.
Your message should:
- Acknowledge the event
- Explain what happened and when
- Clarify what services or data may be affected
- Outline your investigation and containment actions
- Offer customer steps (e.g., password reset, fraud check)
- Provide a dedicated support contact
Avoid jargon. Avoid vague PR language.
Example:
“we detected unauthorized access to part of our system. We’ve contained the incident and are working with cybersecurity experts to investigate further. Some customer information such as names and email addresses may have been accessed. We’ve seen no evidence of misuse but recommend updating your account password as a precaution. Our support team is available 24/7.”
Be honest. Take responsibility. Offer actionable next steps.
Step 4: Notify Regulators and Legal Stakeholders
Depending on your industry and location, you may be legally required to notify:
- Data protection authorities (e.g., GDPR mandates notice within 72 hours)
- Financial regulators (for fintech/banking)
- Health regulators (e.g., HIPAA)
- Securities regulators (for public companies)
Wyrdex helps identify your regulatory obligations and draft breach notification documents to ensure legal compliance and avoid penalties.
Don’t wait for legal enforcement. Be proactive. Be compliant.
Step 5: Brief the Board and Investors
Your board and investors want answers.
They need to know:
- Was sensitive or financial data stolen?
- Was it human error or a technical flaw?
- How long were attackers in the system?
- Are legal or regulatory consequences expected?
- What’s the plan for recovery?
Translate technical issues into business impact:
- Number of records exposed
- Estimated downtime
- Financial loss estimates
- Recovery timeline
- Insurance coverage status
- Preventive measures underway
Wyrdex provides executive-ready breach summaries and board-level reports to help leadership communicate clearly, responsibly, and professionally.
Step 6: Control the Media Narrative
The media will find out whether you tell them or not.
Being transparent early helps you stay in control.
Coordinate with PR teams or agencies to:
- Draft a press release and Q&A
- Appoint a media spokesperson
- Monitor social channels for misinformation
- Maintain consistent messaging across platforms
Be timely, factual, and direct.
If you don’t know something, say so and commit to follow up.
Wyrdex helps clients craft media-safe messaging and avoid PR pitfalls that erode trust under pressure.
Step 7: Communicate Throughout Recovery
Communication doesn’t stop after 48 hours.
Stakeholders want ongoing updates:
- When will full service be restored?
- Has the forensic investigation concluded?
- Were any customers financially harmed?
- What’s being done to prevent a recurrence?
Establish a regular update cadence weekly or biweekly and maintain a consistent tone.
Transparency earns respect. Silence creates fear.
Even a short update like:
“We’ve restored 80% of systems and completed forensic review. No payment data was compromised. Our next update is Friday.”
can go a long way.
Step 8: Share What You’ve Learned and Changed
Once the crisis has passed don’t pretend it didn’t happen.
Show your stakeholders how you’ve improved your defenses:
- Hired a Managed Security Services Provider like Wyrdex
- Conducted a full audit and risk assessment
- Upgraded firewalls, EDR, and email protection
- Implemented MFA organization-wide
- Trained employees on phishing and social engineering
- Developed and tested an incident response plan
This is not just cleanup it’s accountability.
It proves you’re taking action to protect your customers, investors, and brand.
Wyrdex supports clients with post-incident reporting and audit preparation to restore stakeholder confidence.
Step 8: Share What You’ve Learned and Changed
Wyrdex is more than just a cybersecurity firm. We help you manage the entire response lifecycle from breach detection to stakeholder communication.
With Wyrdex, you get:
- 24/7 incident detection and containment
- Executive and board advisory support
- Legal and regulatory compliance guidance
- Internal and external communication strategy
- Customer notification planning
- Media and PR coordination
- Post-incident audits and reporting
- Cyber insurance documentation and claims support
Whether you’re facing an active threat or preparing for future risks we’re by your side with clarity, tools, and experience.
Final Word: Trust Is Earned When Things Go Wrong
The way your company communicates during a cyber attack will define how your brand is remembered.
You can:
- Hide, delay, and confuse
- Or lead with transparency, speed, and responsibility
The latter builds trust.
The former destroys it.
At Wyrdex, we help businesses defend against cyber threats and lead through them with the right messages, strategies, and support.
Let’s build your communication plan, your cyber resilience, and your stakeholder confidence before the next incident happens.