Effective post-incident communication strategies for CISOs

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Executive Summary

Cyber incidents are inevitable – communication is critical: With 84% of organizations experiencing a cybersecurity incident in the past three years, breaches have become a when-not-if scenario. Effective communication by Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) during press interviews can significantly influence the aftermath, helping to contain reputational damage and preserve trust. Public companies suffer stock price declines averaging 7.5% after a major breach, but strong crisis messaging can shorten recovery time and maintain stakeholder confidence.

Cross-industry insights: While all sectors face cyber crises, communication strategies must account for industry-specific considerations. Financial services firms prioritize reassuring customers about asset safety and meeting regulatory disclosure obligations. Healthcare organizations emphasize patient safety and privacy, communicating with compassion within compliance frameworks. Tech companies tend toward transparent, technically detailed disclosures to maintain user trust. Each sector's approach varies, yet the core principles of honesty, speed, and empathy remain universal.

Real-world examples: Recent incidents underscore what works and what doesn't. Successful responses include Norsk Hydro's daily press conferences with technical leads in 2019, praised for transparency and credited with stable share prices. In 2024, CrowdStrike's CEO appeared on national television within hours of an incident to apologize and take responsibility. Poor responses include Okta's initial downplaying and delayed disclosure of a 2022 breach, sparking backlash until the CSO issued an apology. Similarly, Uber's failure to disclose a 2016 breach for over a year led to customer outrage, legal consequences, and lasting brand damage.

Key elements of crisis communication: Effective post-incident messaging balances tone, timing, consistency, transparency, legal prudence, and strategic alignment. The tone should be empathetic and accountable, while timing is crucial—"stealing the thunder" by disclosing bad news promptly can preempt speculation. Messages must be consistent across all spokespeople and channels, and transparent about what is known and unknown without speculation. Communications should be vetted for legal considerations while remaining open, and messaging should align with organizational values and business strategy.

Best practice frameworks: A strong crisis communication plan, prepared in advance, is vital. This includes a cross-functional team, pre-drafted templates, and designated trained spokespeople. During an incident, the Krebs Framework offers practical guidance: tell the public what is known, acknowledge what is unknown, advise stakeholders on protective actions, and explain next steps without overpromising. Regular crisis drills and media training ensure smooth execution under pressure.

Mitigating reputational damage: Clear and candid communication can substantially mitigate cyberattack fallout. Companies that respond swiftly and honestly tend to emerge with their reputation intact or enhanced. Frequent updates maintain customer loyalty, while transparency reassures investors. Conversely, poor communication can compound damage, as delayed or evasive responses often become a bigger story than the breach itself. Effective CISO communication is an integral part of incident response that supports business recovery, protects the brand, and ultimately helps restore normalcy faster.

Introduction

Cybersecurity incidents have escalated in frequency and impact across all industries. In 2024 alone, organizations worldwide faced an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks, with one analysis finding over 3,200 publicly reported breaches in the U.S., up from just 447 a decade earlier. The business stakes are enormous: breaches bring not only technical remediation costs but also reputational damage that can translate into lost customers and market value. A recent Harvard Business Review report noted that publicly traded companies suffer an average 7.5% drop in stock price and $5.4 billion loss in market capitalization after a major cyber breach, taking roughly 46 days on average for the stock to recover.

In this climate, how a company publicly handles a breach can be as important as technical containment. Stakeholders—customers, investors, regulators, the media, and the public—closely judge an organization's response immediately after an incident comes to light. Communication has become a front-line defense in crisis management. Done well, timely and transparent communication can reassure stakeholders, reduce uncertainty, and demonstrate leadership competence. Done poorly, communications missteps can amplify the crisis: eroding trust, inviting public anger, and increasing legal liabilities.

While corporate communications departments and CEOs traditionally led the public narrative during crises, Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) now play an increasingly pivotal role in external communications. These leaders possess the technical understanding of the incident and can speak with authority about what happened and how the organization is responding. Post-incident press interviews often feature the CISO alongside or in lieu of the CEO. This is a double-edged sword: CISOs bring credibility on security matters, but must also master crisis communication—translating technical details into clear, reassuring messages and exuding calm accountability.

This whitepaper explores effective communication strategies for CISOs conducting press interviews after a cybersecurity incident. It integrates insights from recent real-world breaches, best practices from cybersecurity and public relations domains, and academic research on crisis communication. We examine key elements of post-incident messaging—including tone, timing, consistency, transparency vs. secrecy dilemmas, legal constraints, and alignment with business strategy. We also highlight sector-specific nuances and provide case studies of successful and unsuccessful responses, offering a practical guide for CISOs and communications teams to handle press engagement during cyber crises.

Cross-Industry Perspectives on Breach Communication

Cyber incidents spare no sector, but communication approaches differ markedly by industry due to varying types of data at risk, regulatory requirements, and stakeholder expectations.

Financial Services: Reassurance and Regulatory Compliance

In financial services, a data breach strikes at the heart of customer trust—the safety of money and personal financial information. Financial industry CISOs typically focus post-incident messaging on assuring customers that assets are secure (or will be reimbursed if fraud occurs) and that the institution remains stable. Statements often highlight containment of the breach, limited scope if applicable, and steps being taken to protect customers. The tone is typically formal, serious, yet empathetic—recognizing customer concerns about their finances.

Regulatory considerations weigh heavily in this sector. Banks are heavily regulated and may be required to notify regulators within a short time. In the European Union, GDPR mandates notification of personal data breaches within 72 hours. In the United States, banking regulators and SEC rules demand prompt disclosure of "material" cyber incidents, effectively forcing financial firms to communicate incidents quickly.

A key communication challenge in finance is maintaining confidence to prevent runs or client attrition. Financial CISOs often strike a balance between transparency and controlled messaging, acknowledging the incident while underscoring what was not affected and the resilience measures in place. An example is JPMorgan Chase's handling of its 2014 breach: the bank reassured customers that there was "no evidence of fraud" linked to the incident and that customer money was safe.

Financial firms often engage in direct outreach alongside press releases: personal notifications to clients, dedicated help lines or website FAQs, and close coordination with financial press. Given the potential market sensitivity, messaging consistency is crucial—CISOs, CEOs, and PR teams ensure they tell the same story to investors, regulators, and customers.

Healthcare: Prioritizing Patients and Privacy

In healthcare, cybersecurity incidents often directly concern patient information and safety. Communications after a breach must demonstrate deep care for patient privacy and well-being. The tone is often empathetic and patient-centric: organizations frequently apologize to patients, express understanding of how upsetting it is to have personal health data exposed, and underscore that patient care will not be compromised.

One unique aspect of healthcare breaches is the potential impact on medical services. Ransomware attacks can disrupt IT systems needed for patient care. In such cases, communications must address what the facility is doing to ensure patient safety. During the 2021 Scripps Health ransomware incident, the hospital system noted that critical patient services continued and that clinicians had read-only access to records, even as IT systems were being restored.

Privacy regulators require timely notification of breaches involving personal health information. In the U.S., any healthcare breach affecting 500 or more individuals must be reported to HHS within 60 days and often triggers press notification. The communications strategy usually involves notifying affected patients via letters or emails at the same time as or shortly after a public disclosure.

Healthcare breach communications tend to include: an apology to patients, an outline of what happened in plain language, specific information that was compromised, and response actions. Often, healthcare providers will offer identity theft protection if financial or identity data was exposed, and advise patients on protective steps. For example, when Anthem suffered a massive breach of health records in 2015, the company's communications included a dedicated website and regular press updates, along with two years of free credit monitoring to all affected.

Healthcare breach communications require a compassionate, transparent approach. CISOs should avoid bureaucratic or technical language and instead speak to the human impact, highlighting remedies and support being provided. In healthcare, a well-handled communication can actually bolster trust—showing that even in a crisis, the organization prioritizes patient interests.

Technology and Cybersecurity: Transparency and Technical Detail

The technology sector has a distinct communication culture when breaches occur. With tech-savvy users, there is an expectation of transparency and technical detail in post-incident disclosures. Tech companies often choose an open communication style, sometimes sharing extensive forensic information in public reports or blogs.

For example, when FireEye was hacked by a nation-state in 2020, CEO Kevin Mandia published a detailed blog post the same day revealing that sophisticated attackers stole their offensive security tools. Rather than hiding the incident, FireEye transparently described what was taken and released countermeasures—a move widely applauded as responsible and transparent.

Tech companies frequently use multi-channel communication: official blog posts, social media updates, developer forums, and press releases. They recognize that news travels fast online, so they aim to reach audiences directly. A notable trend is CEOs or CISOs taking to social media during an incident. For instance, in July 2024, CrowdStrike's CEO George Kurtz took to Twitter (X) and media within hours of a faulty software update that caused worldwide outages. He even appeared on national TV the next morning, issuing an "unreserved apology"—a response considered unusual in its speed and humility.

In technology companies, communications tend to include more technical explanation than other industries might provide. The rationale or root cause of the breach is often discussed publicly to assure users that the issue is understood and being fixed. For example, after a major outage or data leak, a cloud provider might publish a post-mortem detailing which server or process failed, and how they are changing their architecture to prevent recurrence.

Another hallmark of tech-sector breach communications is speed. Tech companies operate in real-time news cycles and face intense scrutiny from tech media and users. Delays or silence can lead to loss of control over the narrative. The 2022 example of Okta illustrates this: Okta was breached via a third-party in January but didn't inform customers until March. When hackers leaked screenshots to force their hand, Okta's initial statement downplayed the impact, only to later admit hundreds of clients were potentially affected. The backlash was severe, with experts and customers criticizing the company for lack of transparency. This incident reinforced that timely, forthright communication is essential, even if all facts aren't known yet.

In contrast, many tech firms now subscribe to the "open kimono" strategy during incidents—sharing information early and updating frequently. Microsoft, when confronting major vulnerabilities or attacks, provided continuous public updates and guidance to customers.

For tech firms, communications often reinforce commitment to security and user trust. A company that has built its brand on protecting customer data must handle communication carefully so as not to contradict its value proposition. Many tech CEOs/CISOs explicitly state something like, "Security is core to our mission, and we are devoting all necessary resources to address this incident and prevent future ones," thereby aligning crisis messaging with long-term strategic posture.

In summary, the tech and cybersecurity sector tends to favor fast, transparent, and technically informative communications. The CISO's role is often to educate and assure simultaneously—explaining what happened in clear terms, owning responsibility if the company was at fault, and convincing users that the solution is in hand.

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