SC Congress Chicago 2014: Make FBI an ally after breach

While companies may be tempted to remain mum in the aftermath of a breach, “one reason to talk to the FBI is to invoke delayed notification,” Steven Grimes, a partner at the law firm Winston & Strawn LLP, told attendees at SC Congress Chicago Tuesday.

During a closing keynote panel, Grimes joined Supervisory Special Agent Eric Shiffman, Squad CT-2, FBI Chicago, to offer advice on how to manage a breach and solicit the help of the agency. 

Shiffman noted that while the FBI can't communicate all the details of an ongoing investigation – something that irks many victim companies – the agency has gotten better at sharing information to the extent that “J. Edgar Hoover wouldn't like it.”

Both panelists urged attendees to not only have a crisis management plan in place to handle breaches but to test it before it's needed.