With the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region becoming a victim of cyberattacks due to its strategic and economic significance, Jeddah-based independent marketing agency W7Worldwide has launched a crisis communications guide to help companies prepare for the increased risk of Covid-19 -related cyberattacks.

The ‘7 steps to crisis communications under a cyberattack’ guide, developed in partnership with cybersecurity services provider VirtualPort advises companies to take key steps in preparation for and during an incident, including reviewing the current crisis communications plans, simulation practice, employee threat education programme, controlling the narrative when under pressure and how to move on undamaged from an attack.

According to W7Worldwide, organisations should develop their crisis communications plan as a pre-emptive measure now and as part of their broader cyber resilience planning.

“A cyberattack itself does not need to destroy your corporate reputation; it is how you prepare for and handle such a crisis that will determine lasting trust in your brand.  Consumers, investors, partners, employees, and shareholders are holding organisations much more accountable for their actions.” said Abdulrahman Inayat, co-founder of W7Worldwide.

“Managing the current increased cyber risk is crucial and means continually assessing your organisation’s cyber resilience.  As part of that it is vital to mitigate the impact on brand reputation with a solid crisis communications plan in place and a proactive communications approach,” he adds.

With the increased number of businesses undergoing digital transformation in response to Covid-19, comes a rise in cybersecurity issues. GCC countries recorded 3,067 email, URL and file threats related to the Covid-19 coronavirus in Q1 2020., while global organisations as a whole have seen an increase, with the finance and healthcare industries most heavily targeted.  The global cost of ransomware alone is expected to reach $20-bn by 2021.