Natural disasters, be it hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, floods or wildfires, can cripple an organization’s infrastructure, rendering IT networks and the systems that secure them vulnerable while exposing sensitive data to potential breaches. However, by recognizing cybersecurity as a core pillar of disaster recovery planning, organizations can not only survive but emerge stronger after a crisis.

For CEOs and C-suite executives, integrating cybersecurity into disaster recovery and business continuity planning is no longer optional. It is a critical necessity. Unfortunately, most organizations focus on physical damage and operational disruptions during natural disasters and often neglect the cybersecurity risks that arise.

Threat actors are opportunistic and exploit the chaos that disasters cause. Damaged servers and data centers, and increased reliance on personal devices or public networks, make certain organizations particularly vulnerable. A natural disaster is no less an invitation for threat actors to infiltrate an IT network, wreak havoc and perpetuate scams. In such scenarios, employees may rely on insecure personal devices or public networks, increasing exposure to cyber threats.

Critical industries, including healthcare, energy, utilities, finance, and government services, are prime targets for cybercriminals seeking to exploit weakened defenses.

The factors that make these industries vulnerable include:

• Healthcare: Digital records and connected medical devices make hospitals and providers susceptible to ransomware.
• Energy & Utilities: Power grids, water treatment plants, and fuel supply chains are essential targets.
• Financial Institutions: Increased fraud, phishing, and DDoS attacks often surge as people seek urgent access to funds.
• Public Services & Emergency Response: Cyberattacks on communication networks, relief funds, and public safety agencies can paralyze disaster response efforts.
• Supply Chains & E-Commerce: Threat actors often exploit spikes in online shopping for emergency supplies to launch scams and attacks.

The power of immutable backups

A multi-layered cybersecurity approach is essential to disaster resilience. However, without a robust backup strategy, organizations face severe consequences. Alarmingly, 94% of ransomware victims experience backup destruction because their systems are not properly managed.

One of the most critical aspects of a resilient cybersecurity strategy is ensuring that data backups are immutable — meaning they cannot be altered or deleted by malicious actors. Incorporating a 5-4-3-2-1 immutable backup framework ensures that multiple copies of data are stored across diverse environments, with at least one being completely air gapped. This methodology guarantees rapid recovery even if primary backups are compromised, effectively neutralizing ransomware threats.

Additionally, company leaders are advised to deploy continuous backup validation and automated recovery testing. This will ensure that their operations are not just storing backups but can actually restore them in the event of an attack. Without these measures, businesses risk thinking they are protected only to find out too late that their backups are incomplete or corrupted.

To mitigate these risks, organizations should:

• Maintain immutable backups across multiple locations, including secure cloud environments.
• Establish a cyber incident response team that can act swiftly in securing systems and mitigating risks.
• Implement redundancy measures such as off-site/cloud storage and backup internet connections.
• Regularly test disaster recovery protocols to ensure rapid and reliable restoration.
• Adopt automated failover systems for seamless transition with minimal downtime.
• Maintain a robust asset inventory to track all critical systems and ensure proper backup coverage, preventing any gaps that could lead to operational failures

Critical industries, including healthcare, energy, utilities, finance, and government services, are prime targets for cybercriminals seeking to exploit weakened defenses.”

Investing in resilience, not only prevention

Cybersecurity budgets often focus on prevention, but resilience is the only true guarantee in today’s threat landscape. Firewalls and endpoint protection help, but threat actors evolve. Backups are the only control that eliminates their leverage. Without immutable, managed backups that are regularly tested for recovery speed, organizations risk slow, painful restoration or will have no choice but to pay ransom to retrieve their encrypted data.

For industries under legal requirements for data protection and retention, having the right data recovery strategy ensures organizations can meet these obligations and avoid penalties. However, losing customer data can damage customer reputation and erode trust, but those with reliable data recovery can maintain customer confidence. For organizations that rely on proprietary data, research and confidential information, recovery ensures that critical intellectual property is not permanently lost.

Many organizations focus their cybersecurity budgets on prevention, yet resilience is the only true guarantee against evolving threats. Firewalls and endpoint security help, but backups — when properly managed — are the only control that completely eliminates a threat actor’s leverage.

A robust disaster recovery plan ensures:

• Compliance with data protection regulations.
• Protection of customer trust and brand reputation.
• Preservation of critical intellectual property and proprietary data.

The executive team plays a critical role in integrating cybersecurity into disaster recovery. Key actions include:

• Prioritizing cybersecurity investments to enhance resilience strategies.
• Fostering a security-first culture among employees and leadership teams.
• Collaborating with government agencies and industry peers to share intelligence and best practices.
• Conducting post-incident forensic analysis to strengthen future defenses.

Remote work security and safeguarding the supply chain

If employees are working remotely (especially during a natural disaster), VPN usage and multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote access should be required. Implementing endpoint security on all company devices can protect against malware and unauthorized access. Cybersecurity awareness training will help employees avoid phishing scams and keep their connections secure, regardless of a natural disaster event.

Not only are your own operations at risk, but that of your suppliers and business partners. To ensure third-party and supply chain resilience, executives are well advised to assess vendors' disaster recovery and cybersecurity preparedness to minimize exposure to external risks.

By implementing contractual cybersecurity requirements, organizations can require their partners to meet their security standards. Establishing contingency plans with alternative suppliers or cloud service providers can also mitigate disruptions.

Case study: Saving a medical device manufacturer

Recalling one harrowing disaster scenario, a global manufacturer of life-saving artificial medical devices suffered a sophisticated ransomware attack that crippled its entire IT infrastructure, rendering critical systems inoperable. All backups were compromised, leaving the company on the brink of catastrophe. Lives quite literally hung in the balance.

Without immediate recovery, patients dependent on these devices faced life-threatening delays. But a fully recovered infrastructure allowed life-saving medical devices to reach patients on schedule and catastrophe was avoided.