Cyber attacks are not ‘a maybe.’ They are ‘a when.’ The faster a company accepts that, the better it can prepare. Kevin Scott, a shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, helps businesses survive the chaos after a breach.

His advice? Be ready, stay sharp, and know your plan cold.

Start With a Real, Detailed Response Plan

Most companies don’t plan for a cyber attack until it is too late. That is like locking the front door after the burglars leave. Scott says the key to surviving a cyber attack is preparation – and not just a vague idea of what to do. He means a written, detailed, ready-to-go response plan.

Scott suggests printing it out, too, as well as storing it online. Cyber attacks often freeze your systems, including access to the very plan you need.

Practice Like It Is the Real Deal

Writing the plan is not enough. You have to test it. That is where tabletop exercises come in. They are basically mock cyber attacks where your team runs through what would happen if your systems got hit today. Scott pushes companies to do these regularly.

Why? Because they expose holes in your plan. Maybe someone’s contact info is outdated. Maybe no one knows who is supposed to talk to the press. Better to find that out in a drill than during a full-blown crisis. Bonus: Many insurers offer this kind of training for free, so take advantage of it.

Understand the True Cost of a Cyber Breach

Scott warns that a cyber attack doesn’t just shake up your network. It hits your bottom line. Legal fees, forensic investigators, notifying customers, and business downtime all rack up fast. One breach could set your company back hundreds of thousands or more.

That is why you can’t ignore cyber insurance. Review your policy carefully. Know exactly what is covered, what is not, and what your responsibilities are if a breach happens.

If you don’t meet the policy conditions, your claim might get denied. That is a painful mistake you can prevent now.

Know the Rules and Follow Them

If you are a public company, you are under a legal spotlight. The SEC now requires businesses to report material cyber attacks within four business days. That is a tight window, especially in the middle of a crisis.

Customers and investors expect fast, honest communication.

Don’t Wait Until You Are in Trouble

Scott’s advice makes one thing clear: surviving a cyber attack is not luck. It is planning. It is practice. Plus, it is knowing your weak spots before someone else finds them. The goal is to recover quickly, communicate clearly, and keep your business running.

Cyber attacks are here to stay, and hackers keep getting smarter. But companies that treat security like a priority, not an afterthought, come out stronger. Build your plan, test it, understand your coverage, and get your team on the same page before anything hits.

When the worst happens, you don’t want to be figuring it out on the fly. You want to flip open your response plan and say, “We got this.”

That is how smart companies survive cyber attacks.