Every minute of everyday companies, institutions and individuals experience cyber or breach attacks and can be digitally assassinated.

What can be done to the world’s most powerful governments can certainly be done to you, your company or your organization.

In January 2021, for a bylined article posted in Corporate Counsel Business Journal, Richard Torrenzano straightforwardly outlined three types of cyberattacks organizations face today. All have significant reputational considerations and consequences.

Cyberattacks from outside the organization – crime syndicates, overseas competitors or state actors seeking destruction or theft of data, money, or intellectual property; disruption or ransom; blackmail, extortion, retaliation, or denial of service, as well as warnings of attack capabilities.

Reputation attacks – on company operations or management issues from activists or trolls seeking to disrupt; conflicts with labor or other constituents; product or service liability retaliation; brand or reputational injury; operational mistake, compounded by dreadful fact gathering and communications.

And the deadliest, attacks from within – disgruntled current or former employees – seeking financial gain, commercial espionage or retaliation for employment issues.

The Wall Street Journal revealed many organizations are “dangerously behind the curve” in deploying defensive software. Beyond technology, however, is a critical defense that also needs high-level focus – a crisis management plan to address the aftermath of cyber or reputational assassination.

Digital assassins inflict instant havoc and substantial damage to infrastructure, brands, credibility, employee morale, reputation, sales and stock value.

If your organization is attacked – especially on a Friday evening, during a weekend or holiday – are you really ready to counter such disruption? Could you mount a well-rehearsed communications strategy that deals with instant digital and media reactions that everyone will see?

​Have you anticipated what important constituents ask? How will you restore trust and mitigate reputational damage with customers, regulators? Do you have reputation management strategies in place to calm jittery investors ready to sell stock at the next opening bell? How will you keep rattled employees focused on recovery?

Torrenzano experienced professionals’ work on these and many other issues – planning and rehearsing clients – and working with legal counsel, security firms and insurance companies to advise the public response necessary when cyberattacks occur. As a matter of fact, Torrenzano is the recognized provider for communications and reputation services in several insurance company policies.