这是查理·麦克林·布里斯托尔的博客, PlanB咨询公司董事, looks at a recent cyber incident from Clarion and explains how organisations can recover from a cyber incident.
下个星期, 我正在为一个住房协会进行网络演习, 在准备过程中, I decided to explore the specific impact of a cyber incident on housing associations. 当讨论网络攻击时, the most frequently mentioned event was the Clarion cyber incident that occurred in June 2022. 到目前为止我学到了什么?
在教授危机沟通时, one crucial consideration is the attitude of key stakeholders before a crisis event. 他们会团结起来支持这个组织吗, or does the incident reinforce an existing narrative about the organisation’s dealings with stakeholders and customers? Reading the responses to Clarion’s organisation update posts on Facebook after the incident, 每个帖子都引发了一连串的谩骂和愤怒. One particular post by Clarion solicited over 250 comments and replies. 来自邮政, it appears that Clarion had a poor reputation and strained relations with its customers even before the hack, 抱怨缺乏对问题和维修的回应, 以及糟糕的客户服务. In 2021, Clarion was subject to a London and ITV investigation revealing numerous stories of housing disrepair, with tenants living in substandard conditions despite reporting these issues. The cyber incident further fuelled the perception of organisational incompetence, 导致顾客的沮丧和愤怒. The key lesson from this event is that if an organisation has a poor reputation before a cyber incident, it should be prepared for a wave of disgruntled and frustrated customers.
客户不满并不是房地产行业独有的现象, 但影响住房的事件有其独特的因素. 住房的提供在人们的生活中起着重要的作用, as issues such as a broken window or loss of heating directly impact individuals, 他们的家庭和生活质量. Unlike other goods or service providers, switching housing providers is not easily done. 搬离需要得到住房协会的许可, 如果居民自己进行维修, 他们无法收回成本. 这种灵活性的缺乏加剧了服务质量差的影响.
Poor communication after the cyber incident intensified resident anger, leading to the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) calling for government intervention due to the inadequate response. 即使在最好的时候，危机沟通也是具有挑战性的, but dealing with a cyber-attack further limits available communication channels. 在Clarion的例子中, 网络攻击影响了他们的电话系统, leaving only a single emergency number as the main means of interaction. 几天后，直播聊天和Facebook成为备选方案. I suspect another difficulty could have been that many of the residents in Clarion’s houses may have been 上了年纪的 or not that tech savvy. If residents are accustomed to using the telephone to contact the organisation, 适应其他方法可能会带来困难. The lesson here is to carefully plan how communication will be conducted during system outages and ensure that alternatives are suitable and accessible, 特别是对于老年人或不熟悉技术的人.
号角公司延迟承认网络攻击引起了人们的担忧, particularly as they had earlier instructed residents to contact them only in emergencies. 延误五天的原因, whether it stemmed from slow communication processes or an attempt to conceal the incident, 仍然是模棱两可的. Nevertheless, such a prolonged acknowledgement period indicates poor incident management.
图1检查, 这是对Clarion Facebook上交流的描述, Clarion于6月28日承认, 事件发生后11天, “让我们的系统重新上线需要一些时间”。. 值得注意的是, an apology video and update from their Chief Customer Officer only emerged on the 16th of August, 事件发生一个月后. The chronology of these events implies a reactive, rather than proactive, communication strategy. An article by Cyber Security Awareness in August 2022 criticised Clarion’s response for its tardiness and inadequate comprehension of the breach’s severity and impact. This underscores the vital need to seize control of the narrative and adopt a proactive stance in crisis communications.
住房协会, 作为居民个人资料的保管人, 拥有对骗子有重要价值的信息. 如果这些数据被非法访问, 对于那些试图欺骗居民的人来说，这是一个宝贵的资源. Armed with contact details and insights into individuals’ recent transactions, 骗子可以冒充房屋协会的官员, attempting to extract sensitive information such as bank account or credit card details. 尽管Clarion保证没有数据丢失, the Social Housing Action Campaign (SHAC) reported a surge in phishing activity among residents. Whether this increase stems from heightened awareness or actual phishing attempts remains unclear. 在回应, housing associations must promptly communicate if there is a potential loss of data, advising residents on precautionary measures to safeguard themselves from potential scams.
The last mention of the incident on Facebook was on the 15th of November, 说明Clarion的账户余额现在是正确的. 然而，目前尚不清楚这些问题是否会在此日期之后继续存在. Cyber incidents across industries take time to resolve, and Clarion’s case is no exception.
Many of the challenges faced by Clarion in their response were typical of a cyber-attack, 但某些因素是住房所独有的. Housing issues have an immediate and larger impact on people’s lives than other products or services, 使影响居民服务的网络事件更具影响力. 因为很多住宅协会的居民可能很脆弱, 上了年纪的, 或者不懂技术, any changes to contacting the organisation must consider these factors. Since housing is an emotive issue, communication is crucial in successfully managing an incident. Delayed, incomplete, or reactive communications can significantly impact and anger residents. Finally, if information held by housing associations is lost, scammers may exploit this. 在他们的回答中, housing associations must communicate early if there is a potential loss of data and advise residents on precautions. These factors underscore the importance of preparation for housing associations to successfully manage a cyber incident.