Wiley, a global publishing and education company, experienced a breach under the leadership of former CISO Sean D. Mack (now at ISMG). The incident highlighted the critical gaps small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) face post-breach, including delayed response, improper forensic evidence preservation, and lack of structured coordination among leadership, legal teams, and vendors. The breach exposed vulnerabilities in Wiley’s incident response framework, particularly in the first 48 hours—where common errors like deleting logs or inadvertently alerting attackers were risks. While the article does not specify the exact data compromised, the context suggests potential exposure of internal systems, credentials, or operational disruptions requiring system isolation and credential resets. The breach underscored the need for proactive measures like tabletop exercises and fractional CISO engagement to mitigate long-term reputational and financial harm. The company’s recovery relied on legal engagement, cyber insurer notifications, and regulatory compliance, reflecting broader SMB challenges in post-breach resilience.
Source: https://www.govinfosecurity.com/post-breach-essentials-for-small-businesses-a-29374
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/john-wiley-and-sons
"id": "joh2433124091025",
"linkid": "john-wiley-and-sons",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "60",
"impact": "3",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with internal employee data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'name': 'Small Businesses (Generic)',
'size': 'Small to Medium',
'type': 'Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs)'}],
'description': 'After a breach, small businesses face urgent decisions but '
'typically lack the resources to respond and recover quickly. '
'Organizations must act decisively to limit damage, preserve '
'forensic evidence, and coordinate a clear response plan '
'across leadership and vendors. Key actions include isolating '
'systems, resetting credentials, avoiding common errors (e.g., '
'deleting logs or alerting attackers), legal engagement, and '
'early notification to cyber insurers and regulators. Emphasis '
'is placed on building resilience through tabletop exercises '
'and response planning to prevent future incidents.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Risk of reputational damage if '
'response is poorly managed',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential legal consequences if regulators '
'or cyber insurers are not notified promptly',
'operational_impact': 'Potential disruption due to lack of '
'resources for rapid response and recovery'},
'lessons_learned': ['Small businesses must act decisively post-breach to '
'limit damage and preserve evidence.',
'Avoid common mistakes such as deleting logs or alerting '
'attackers in the first 48 hours.',
'Clear ownership and coordination across leadership and '
'vendors are critical.',
'Engage legal teams and notify cyber insurers and '
'regulators early.',
'Build resilience through tabletop exercises and response '
'planning to prevent future incidents.'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['Implement an incident '
'response plan with clear '
'ownership.',
'Conduct regular tabletop '
'exercises to prepare for '
'breaches.',
'Engage fractional CISO or '
'security leadership if no '
'in-house team exists.',
'Prioritize containment '
'(e.g., system isolation, '
'credential resets) and '
'evidence preservation.',
'Establish early '
'communication protocols '
'with cyber insurers, legal '
'teams, and regulators.'],
'root_causes': ['Lack of resources for rapid '
'response and recovery in SMBs',
'Absence of dedicated security '
'leadership (e.g., CISO) or '
'incident response plans',
'Common errors in early breach '
'response (e.g., deleting logs, '
'alerting attackers)']},
'recommendations': ['Develop and regularly update an incident response plan '
'with clear ownership.',
'Conduct tabletop exercises to build muscle memory for '
'breach scenarios.',
'Isolate affected systems and reset credentials '
'immediately post-breach.',
'Preserve forensic evidence (e.g., avoid deleting logs).',
'Notify cyber insurers, legal teams, and regulators as '
'early as possible.',
'Assign leadership roles (e.g., fractional CISO) if no '
'dedicated security team exists.'],
'references': [{'source': 'Information Security Media Group (ISMG) - Video '
'Interview with Sean D. Mack'},
{'source': 'ISMG CXO Advisory Practice - Post-Breach '
'Essentials for Small Businesses'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Potential legal actions if '
'compliance requirements (e.g., '
'notifications) are not met',
'regulatory_notifications': 'Early notification to '
'regulators '
'recommended'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Early notification to stakeholders '
'(cyber insurers, regulators)',
'containment_measures': ['Isolate affected systems',
'Reset credentials'],
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Recommended (clear '
'ownership and coordination '
'across leadership and '
'vendors)',
'third_party_assistance': 'Engagement with cyber insurers, legal '
'teams, and regulators advised'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Coordinate clear communication with leadership, '
'vendors, cyber insurers, and regulators.',
'title': 'Post-Breach Essentials for Small Businesses',
'type': 'Data Breach (General)'}