Cyberattacks are bad, but know what’s worse? A cyberattack that is then punctuated by an incomplete crisis management strategy and an ever-changing message.

Melissa Ventrone, a partner at Clark Hill PLC focusing on data privacy and cybersecurity, pointed to Target, Equifax and Facebook as examples of crisis management strategies that exacerbated preexisting problems. As she explained, “Once we say something, we have to expect, whether it’s internal or external, that it’s going to be public.”