ALTA Develops Template to Help Companies Respond to Cybersecurity Incidents

ALTA created a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan template to help member companies develop a structured strategy to prepare for, identify, respond and recover from cybersecurity incidents.

ALTA’s Information Security Work Group developed the template based off an approach by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which has established guidelines to help companies implement strategies to safeguard against cyber threats.

“The Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan template is intended to be a high-level starting point for title agents at any level of IT knowledge and sophistication,” said Genady Vishnevetsky, chair of ALTA’s Information Security Work Group and CISO for Stewart Title. “As cyberattacks have become more inevitable, it’s essential for businesses of any size to build a secure, vigilant and resilient environment.”

The template provides information on how to

prepare for an incident
detect and analyze an incident
contain, eradicate and recover from an incident
assess lessons learned
complete any post-event activity

“We want our member companies to be as prepared as possible as cyber incidents continue to evolve rapidly in number and sophistication,” said Diane Tomb, ALTA’s chief executive officer. “Preparing for the inevitable threats involves more than preparing to react. It involves the ability to respond effectively and recover thoroughly. We want to provide the necessary tools to help in the battle against cybercrime.”

Additional resources and tools to help companies protect their systems:

For more details, contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.