Best Practices: Mitigating Data Breaches and Vulnerabilities and Appropriate Incident Response 2026

Data breaches continue to rise in frequency, cost, and complexity, placing organizations and the professionals who advise them at significant risk. With cybercriminals increasingly exploiting human behavior, unpatched systems, and weak security controls, accounting, tax, and financial professionals must understand how data is targeted, compromised, and monetized. This course delivers a practical, real‑world framework for mitigating data breaches and vulnerabilities while preparing professionals to respond effectively when incidents occur.

Led by Susan Harper, Certified Fraud Examiner and retired IRS Internal Revenue Agent, this program examines common sources of intelligence, high‑value data targets, and the methods attackers use to access sensitive information. Participants will learn how to implement safeguards to reduce cyber risk, develop an effective cybersecurity posture, and design an incident response plan capable of protecting confidential client and organizational data. The course also walks through appropriate incident response steps, remediation strategies, and identity theft procedures, reinforced through real‑world case studies and breach scenarios.

Publication Date: August 2026

Designed For
This course is designed for professionals responsible for handling sensitive data or advising clients on data protection and cyber risk.

Topics Covered

• Sources of intelligence and common data targets
• Threat actors and attack vectors
• How information is lost, stolen, or exposed
• Safeguarding information and reducing vulnerabilities
• Cybersecurity frameworks and preventive controls
• Incident response planning and response teams
• Responding to cyber incidents and data breaches
• Remediation, recovery, and prevention strategies
• Identity theft response procedures
• Practical case studies and breach examples

Learning Objectives

• Identify common sources of intelligence and data targeted by cyber criminals
• Analyze how sensitive information becomes lost, stolen, or compromised
• Apply best practices to mitigate data breaches and cybersecurity vulnerabilities
• Implement appropriate incident response actions following a data security incident
• Develop an incident response plan designed to protect sensitive and regulated data
• Execute identity theft response procedures to limit harm and exposure

Level
Basic

Instructional Method
Self-Study

Field of Study
Taxes (2 hours)

Program Prerequisites
None

Advance Preparation