Incident Response (IR) Explained

BEFORE BEGIN

• According to a study by the Ponemon Institute:
  
  • 77% of companies do not have a formal, consistently applied plan in place
  • 57% indicate there has been an increased amount of time to respond
  • 77% say they have a difficult time hiring and retaining security staff
• On average, it takes 214 days to identify a malicious or criminal attack, and 77 days to contain and recover. It’s clear that better incident response management is needed to fully protect organizations from the growing and accelerating number of threats they face every day.Source

Incident Response

Shortly; Incident Response (IR) is the process of identifying, containing, and mitigating the effects of a security incident or breach.

 Reading about incident response best practices, such as creating a incident response plan, incident triage and investigation, and communication plan, can provide a valuable understanding of how to prepare for and handle security incidents. Additionally, understanding of incident response's legal and regulatory requirements and compliance is a must for large organizations or industry-specific.

The incident response process typically involves several phases:

• Preparation

• Identification

• Containment

• Eradication

• Recovery

• Lessons learned and post-incident activity

It's important to note that incident response is not a one-time process, rather an ongoing cycle that involves constantly monitoring, detection and response. These six steps / phases needs to be followed carefully for an effective incident response. A proper preparation and planning are the key effective to incident response.

Incident Response Plan (IRP)

An incident response plan (IRP) is a document which outlines the procedures and processes to follow in the event of a security incident. It defines the roles and responsibilities of different teams and individuals within the organization, as well as the steps that should be taken to contain and mitigate the incident.

The IRP is a critical aspect of an organization's overall security strategy, as it helps ensure that the organization is prepared to respond to incidents in a timely and effective manner. The IRP is also an important compliance requirement for many regulatory frameworks such as PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOX, etc.

Key objectives for an IRP:

1. To minimize the impact of an incident on the organization's operations, reputation and financial standing.
2. To ensure that a consistent and effective response is provided to any incident that occurs within the organization.
3. To ensure that sensitive information is protected and confidentiality is maintained during and after the incident.
4. To ensure that incident response team is able to function effectively, even during major disruptions.
5. To ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements
6. To provide direction and guidance in incident response efforts.
7. To ensure that the incident response team has the necessary resources and equipment to effectively respond to incidents.

IRP typically includes the following:

1. Purpose: The purpose of the plan, including the types of incidents it covers and the goals of incident response. Eg:

   • The plan covers incidents such as data breaches, network intrusions, and Denial of Service attacks. The purpose needs to be set correctly according to the organizations' requirements.

2. Preparation: Procedures for preparing for incidents. Eg:

   • All personnel will be trained on incident response procedures and the incident response plan at least once a year.
   • Identify potential incident scenarios and maintain a list of incident response equipment and supplies.
   • Establish incident response team, including an incident commander and team members with specific roles and responsibilities.

3. Identification: Procedures for detecting and reporting incidents. Eg:

   • Establish monitoring systems and processes to detect incidents in a timely manner.
   • Establish a process for reporting an incident and who to contact in the event of an incident, such as security team, IT department or incident response team.

4. Containment: Procedures to isolate the incident. Eg:

   • Isolate the incident to prevent it from spreading by disconnecting systems from the network, shutting down services, or disconnecting hardware.
   • Implement additional security measures to protect remaining systems and data.

5. Eradication: Procedures to eliminate the cause. Eg:

   • Identify and eliminate the cause of the incident, such as malware or a vulnerable system.
   • Run malware scans, patch vulnerabilities, or restore data from backups as necessary.

6. Recovery: Procedures for returning to normal operations. Eg:

   • Returning to normal operations, such as bringing systems back online, restoring services, and reconfiguring networks.
   • Document and assess the incident, the response and actions taken during the incident.

7. Post-Incident Activity: Procedures for reviewing and analyzing the incident. Eg:

   • Conduct a review of the incident, identify areas of improvement, and update the incident response plan accordingly.
   • Update the incident response team and the organization about the outcome and lessons learned.

8. Communication Plan: Procedures for communicating with various stakeholders. Eg:

   • Establish procedures for communicating with employees, customers, authorities, and media.
   • Identify appropriate spokesperson to deal with media and public.
   • Coordinate with legal department if required.

An incident response plan should be regularly tested, reviewed, and updated to ensure it remains effective, and that all team members are aware of their roles and responsibilities. Incident response plan does not need to be a static basic document, rather it can be a collection of different policies and procedures that aims to provide guidance and structure in incident response efforts.

Creating an Incident Response Team (IRT)

Incident response team members should possess a combination of technical and non-technical skills to effectively respond to and manage security incidents. Here are some specific talents that a incident response team member might possess:

1. Technical skills: A strong understanding of information security concepts, as well as knowledge of various types of attacks, vulnerabilities, and malware. Familiarity with various security technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and antivirus software.

2. Analytical skills: Ability to quickly and accurately analyze information, identify patterns and correlations, and draw logical conclusions from data.

3. Problem-solving skills: Ability to think critically and creatively to identify and evaluate alternative solutions to complex problems.

4. Communication skills: Ability to effectively communicate with a variety of stakeholders, including senior management, IT staff, and external parties such as law enforcement or regulatory agencies.

5. Project management skills: Ability to manage incident response activities and coordinate the work of multiple teams and individuals, as well as to plan and organize activities to achieve specific goals.

6. Technical writing skills: Ability to write reports, procedures and communicate the incident's technical information to non-technical stakeholders.

7. Crisis management skills: Ability to remain calm under pressure, make quick and effective decisions, and manage the stress and uncertainty of a crisis.

8. Legal and regulatory compliance skills: Familiarity with legal and regulatory requirements related to incident response, as well as experience interpreting and applying relevant laws and regulations.

Cybersecurity domain specific skills: Depending on the organization, specific knowledge such as industrial control systems security, Cloud security, incident response in cloud etc can be required.

Key to success is creating a well-rounded team with varying areas of expertise!