When a cyber incident strikes, the speed and clarity of the first response can determine whether the issue is quickly contained or spirals into a full-scale breach.
According to the latest IBM Cost of a Data Breach report, the average time to identify and contain a breach, from initial compromise to containment and remediation, is 241 days.
While security technologies play a role, it’s often faculty and staff who first notice something is wrong: a suspicious email, an unusual system message, or missing data.
Knowing what to do in those first ten minutes can make all the difference.
Real-World Examples of Delayed Response
Many campus breaches escalate not because of advanced hacking, but because early warning signs go unrecognized or unreported.
- A professor receives a suspicious email and deletes it without notifying IT, only to later discover colleagues were also targeted and compromised.
- An administrator notices abnormal behavior on a shared computer and assumes it’s a system glitch, allowing attackers to exfiltrate sensitive student data overnight.
- A staff member hesitates to report clicking a suspect link out of fear of blame, resulting in days of undetected lateral movement across the network.
These situations illustrate a painful reality: detection delayed is damage multiplied.
What To Do in the First 10 Minutes
A calm, consistent response plan reduces panic and prevents missteps during a security incident.
- Stop and disconnect: Immediately disconnect affected devices from Wi-Fi or campus networks.
- Do not investigate alone: Avoid clicking further links, opening files, or attempting fixes.
- Preserve evidence: Leave the system exactly as it is when possible. Don’t reboot or delete files.
- Report immediately: Contact the IT help desk or security team using official channels.
- Document what you saw: Note the time, system behavior, and any actions taken.
Best Practices for Building a Campus-Ready Response Culture
Incident response doesn’t begin at the moment of attack. It’s shaped by what happens long before it occurs. Here are some best practices to implement:
- Conduct regular phishing simulations and tabletop exercises.
- Offer micro-learning security awareness training multiple times a year to make content easier to retain and put into practice.
- Publish a simple “What to Do If You’re Hacked” checklist.
- Normalize reporting by assuring staff they won’t be punished for honest mistakes.
- Integrate response training into faculty onboarding and student worker programs.
Practical Preventive Measures for Faculty and Staff
Every employee plays a role in detecting and stopping threats, even without technical expertise.
- Prepare in Advance
- Keep the IT emergency contact information accessible on your phone, email, and office.
- Familiarize yourself with the campus security policies and incident response plan.
- Train your team on how to recognize phishing emails, suspicious links, and unusual system behavior.
- Protect Your Accounts
- Use strong, unique passwords for campus systems and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Regularly update passwords and review account recovery options.
- Do not reuse passwords across multiple platforms.
- Monitor for Anomalies
- Look for unusual login activity, unexplained file changes, or sudden access denials.
- Be alert to unexpected communications, such as requests for confidential data or urgent actions from unknown sources.
- Report Quickly and Accurately
- Immediately notify the IT help desk or designated security officer when you notice suspicious activity.
- Provide a detailed account of what you observed, including time, location, and affected accounts or devices.
- Support Your Department’s Response
- Help colleagues understand the situation without spreading unverified information.
- Assist IT by providing access to logs or devices if requested.
- Follow instructions for secure communication, file handling, or temporary system shutdowns.
- Engage in Continuous Awareness
- Participate in refresher courses, phishing simulations, and tabletop exercises offered by your institution.
- Encourage peers to stay vigilant and report anything unusual.
- Keep up to date with emerging cyber threats targeting higher education.
Incident Response: Key Considerations
The first few minutes after a suspected breach can dramatically shape the outcome. Here are some key takeaways to remember:
- Fast reporting reduces exposure and recovery costs.
- Silence or delay helps attackers spread.
- Training eliminates fear and guesswork.
- Culture matters as much as tools.
- Prepared campuses recover faster.
Final Thoughts
Cyber incidents are inevitable, but a catastrophe is not. In higher education, where systems are complex and data is sensitive, awareness is not optional; it’s essential.
When faculty and staff are trained to recognize danger and act decisively, institutions move from being vulnerable to being resilient. The first ten minutes after an incident don’t belong to IT alone; they belong to everyone.
CampusGuard offers comprehensive solutions designed to help your organization prevent cyber incidents and respond promptly should they occur. We conduct tabletop exercises to assess your team’s readiness for cyber incidents. We provide phishing simulations to evaluate how effectively your staff can identify and report phishing attempts. CampusGuard also delivers information security awareness and phishing training, ensuring your employees are equipped with the necessary knowledge to implement cybersecurity best practices in their daily responsibilities.
Contact us for a free training demo and to get started.
