• The Wall Street Journal, Friday, June 17, 2011 12:20 PM

Companies with online exposure -- i.e., nearly all of them -- are getting smarter about hacking incidents, reports The Wall Street Journal. "In the past, companies were typically caught off guard when a breach occurred and responses were often flat-footed, requiring updates and further clarifications to concerned customers," it writes. "Now an industry of experts -- including lawyers, public-relations specialists and forensic investigators -- has emerged to help companies determine what to disclose and how to reassure victims."

Now, executives without much computer savvy are more aware of the threat posed by hacking, "leading companies to formulate breach-response plans before an incident ever occurs." The changes, according to WSJ, come amid an uptick in hacking occurrences, but also a industry-wide demystification of the practice. Indeed, if a breach is handled well, "customer loyalty and your brand can actually improve," says Lori Nugent, an attorney who specializes in breaches at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker.

Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »