האתגר החדש: משברים תקשורתיים בתחום הסייבר

On Monday, January 24, 2022, approximately seventy million attacks, breaches, or attempts to hack into computerized systems were registered worldwide. This was just a randomly selected day, and was in no way extraordinary.Modern technology, which has made cyber a global house commodity, in addition to the wide scope of cyber-attacks, has created a new reality of pancyberdemia,namely, a universal cyber pandemic which threatens to cause organizational crises and, potentially, communication crises.We propose identifying and defining cyber crises as a separate kind of organizational crisis, since their characteristics differ from those of other crises. Hence, their communicational and reputational conduct must be treated differently. Unique strategies and tactics must consequently be created in order to handle adequately the communication and reputation aspects of such crises.We propose distinguishing between various types of crises: economic, security-military, health, strategic terror acts, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks. By comparing the different types, we have found that cyber-attacks possess some unique characteristics, among which are: their potential extent, their development and range,and the difficulty of assessing actual damage.A cyber crisis, as opposed to other crises, might have various initiators: a single individual, a group or organization, or even a country. Another characteristic is that in most cases the attacker’s identity remains anonymous, so that a deniability range is formed, which may benefit both the attacker and the attacked.The article indicates the necessity of preparing for cyber-attacks on the reputational,as well as the technological level, because crises caused by cyber-attacks are both expected as well as unexpected, so one must adopt an attitude of expecting the unexpected.We propose a particular model of managing a communicational cyber crisis, which requires treatment on two parallel tracks, both of which must be coordinated jointly,namely, the managerial-operational track and the communications-reputation one.The model is based on seven main stages. The first takes place upon discovering the cyber event, when the actual damage assessment must be accompanied by a reputation damage assessment. The second stage is the reprisal, whereby a distinction should be made between practical responses and communicational ones. The third stage is assessment of the main situation, namely, the practical damage caused by the cyber-attack, as well as the reputational one. The fourth stage is the complementary reaction,when the damaged organization is on its way to functionality – either fully or partially.On the communications level, it is necessary to consider whether steps are needed in order to facilitate a return to normal functioning. The fifth stage is evaluating the situation, during which the success of returning to normal function is examined, as well as the effectiveness of the communications strategy. The sixth stage is rehabilitation,whereby organizational activity returns to its usual level and relationships with whoever has been harmed directly are rehabilitated. On the reputation level, various actions must be taken to ensure the organization’s rehabilitation. The seventh stage is returning to organizational routine. At this stage, the organization should be prepared for possible future crises. Preparations on the communications level should include,among others, training designated workers and constructing adequate communication tools.One of the most important aspects of communicational handling in cyber-attacks is “attacker awareness,” namely, an activity intended to create in the attacker a sense of failure, an awareness of the target’s immunity and the effectiveness of its defense systems, and the threat of its capacity to retaliate effectively against the attacker.A cyber-attack, and moreover, a communicational cyber crisis, is not merely a challenge to the organization targeted and to its public relations staff; it also presents a number of challenges and difficulties for reporters and media that are expected to cover the events. This is due to the uncertainties surrounding them, as well as the fact that they constitute fertile ground for spreading fake news and disinformation.The cyber world, therefore, has created a new reality for public relations experts and journalists, one that requires training and acquisition of singular tools to deal appropriately with the challenges it poses