Building a resilient brand in the age of cyber threats

Building a resilient brand is more critical than ever in the fight against cyberattacks. With increasing cyber threats, IT leaders must prioritize safeguarding their brands against potential attacks. The fact that 22% of businesses and 14% of charities have experienced cybercrime in the last 12 months shows how big a problem this is for businesses. 

 In this blog post, we’ll take a look into what brand resilience entails and provide practical strategies to enhance it. We’ll show you how to keep your brand agile, to secure it against changing security needs and constant new threats. 

Understanding brand resilience 

What is brand resilience? 

Brand resilience refers to a company's ability to withstand and quickly recover from disruptions, including cyber threats. A resilient brand is an agile one, being able to react quickly to new threats. It maintains its reputation and operational efficiency despite challenges. 

The key components of brand resilience 

By focusing on four main components, brands can build resilience that allows them to not only survive but also thrive in the face of adversity.  

The key components of brand resilience include: 

1. Robust security measures: Implementing strong cybersecurity protocols to protect against attacks. 

   
   

2. Proactive strategies: Staying agile and responsive to new threats. Making sure your technology tools are secure. 

   
   

3. Employee training: Ensuring all staff are aware of cybersecurity best practices. 

   
   

4. Consumer trust: Maintaining transparency and reliability to keep customer confidence high. 

Vulnerabilities in brand 

To prevent vulnerabilities from affecting your brand, it's important to: 

• Understand the scope of security vulnerabilities 

• Establish strong values and ethics within your company 

• Invest in cybersecurity measures 

• Differentiate yourself in the market 

• Maintain consistency in branding efforts 

• Have a solid crisis management plan in place 

By proactively addressing these vulnerabilities, you can protect your brand's reputation and ensure its long-term success. 

Common brand vulnerabilities 

Understanding where your brand might be vulnerable is the first step toward strengthening it.  

Here are some common pitfalls: 

• Digital footprint exposure: The more data you have online, the higher the risk. 

• Weak security protocols: Outdated or inadequate security measures make brands easy targets. 

• Insufficient employee training: Employees are your first line of defense, and those who are unaware of cyber threats can inadvertently compromise security. 

High-profile examples 

Even the biggest brands aren't immune to cyber threats. Companies like Equifax, Yahoo, and Target have all faced significant breaches, underscoring the importance of robust cybersecurity measures. 

Most notably in 2014, Sony Pictures was attacked by a group known as the "Guardians of Peace". This breach involved the leaking of sensitive internal data, including personal information about employees, emails, and unreleased movies. The repercussions were severe, causing significant embarrassment, operational disruption, and significant financial losses for Sony. Moreover, it raised concerns about corporate cybersecurity and the broader geopolitical implications of cyberattacks. 

Another good example is one of the largest hacks in history, the Marriott International data breach of 2018. It exposed 500 million guest records, including passport details, credit cards and arrival-departure dates. Attackers accessed Marriott’s guest data through email spoofing to spread malware into the vulnerable guest reservation system using legacy I.T. infrastructure. Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) fined the company 18.4 million pounds for GDPR violations. 

The impact of cyber threats on brands 

Cyber threats can have profound and far-reaching impacts on brands, affecting them in various ways. They have the potential to severely damage a brand’s reputation, erode customer trust, and lead to significant financial losses due to regulatory fines and legal costs. They can also disrupt business operations and negatively impact employee morale and relationships with suppliers and partners.  

To mitigate these risks, brands should: 

• Invest in robust cybersecurity measures 

• Conduct regular security audits 

• Develop comprehensive incident response plans 

The first step though is to understand types of cyber threats and potential consequences. 

Types of cyber threats 

Cyber threats come in various forms, each with distinct characteristics and potential impacts.  

Here are some common types: 

• Hacking: Unauthorized access to systems, often leading to data theft or service disruption. 

• Phishing: Deceptive attempts to obtain sensitive information through fraudulent emails. 

• Data breaches: Unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. 

Potential consequences 

Cyber breaches can have severe consequences for individuals, organizations, and even broader society.  

Here are some of the primary consequences for business: 

• Loss of consumer trust: Customers losing confidence in your brand's ability to protect their data. 

• Financial repercussions: Costs associated with breach recovery and potential legal penalties. 

• Brand reputation damage: Long-term harm to your brand's image and market position. After all, your brand can make or break customer trust. 

Strategies for building brand resilience 

The good news is that there are steps you can take to build resilience and protect your brand. 

Protective measures 

Implementing proactive security measures is crucial to safeguard your brand. Regularly reviewing and updating security protocols through security audits is vital. Additionally, conducting vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security weaknesses is essential for maintaining a secure environment.  

For further reading, here’s how IT leaders prioritize security in the digital age. 

Build a culture of cybersecurity 

Creating a security-conscious culture within your organization is important. This involves implementing employee training programs with regular sessions to keep staff informed about cybersecurity practices.

Additionally, creating open communication is essential to encourage employees to feel comfortable reporting any suspicious activities they encounter. 

Future trends and considerations 

Emerging cyber threats 

As technology advances, so do cyber threats. Keep an eye on: 

• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs): Prolonged attacks that stay undetected for extended periods. 

• IoT Vulnerabilities: As more devices connect to the internet, the attack surface expands. 

The role of technology 

Leveraging new technologies can enhance brand resilience. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can help predict and mitigate potential threats before they materialize. Embracing these innovations is crucial in safeguarding brands against evolving risks. 

Building a resilient brand in the age of cyber threats requires a comprehensive approach to choosing the right technology. By understanding vulnerabilities, implementing protective measures, creating a culture of cybersecurity, and staying ahead of emerging threats, IT leaders can pick the right tools to safeguard their brands effectively. 

Using Exclaimer to protect your brand 

A robust email signature solution serves as a first line of defense against cyber threats. It enhances email security by providing authentication, protecting against phishing, enforcing security practices, increasing visibility and monitoring, protecting the brand, and enhancing overall communication security. By ensuring that all outgoing emails are consistently branded, verified and with the correct disclaimers, organizations create a strong first line of defense against various cyber threats. 

Exclaimer’s email signature management tool protects data at every stage. From including DevSecOps engineers when we build new products, to running advanced web application firewalls during processing and protecting gateways with active DDoS protection. As well as enforcing MFA with Google and Microsoft sign-in options for single sign-on (SSO). 

It means data is encrypted at every stage, with TLS offering security across the entire network, which we continuously scan to fix issues before they start 

Learn more and sign up for a free trial to protect your brand with Exclaimer.