Mastering Cyber Incident Response

CYBER INCIDENT RESPONSE

What is Cyber Incident Response?

Cybersecurity incidents can quickly turn into crises, leading to financial loss, legal consequences, service disruption, and reputational damage. Effective incident response enables organizations to detect and halt attacks swiftly, minimizing damage and preventing future incidents.

Incident Response Steps: 6 Phases of the Incident Response Lifecycle

1. Preparation of Systems and Procedures

Preparation involves risk assessment to identify vulnerabilities and prioritize assets. This phase includes system reconfiguration and implementing measures to protect high-priority assets.

2. Identification of Incidents

In this phase, incidents are identified, and evidence is retained for analysis. Communication plans are activated.

3. Containment of Attackers and Incident Activity

Containment minimizes damage by isolating threats. This phase includes short-term containment, like segmenting affected network areas, and long-term containment, such as applying additional access controls.

4. Eradication of Attackers and Re-entry Options

Teams assess the full extent of the attack and remove malicious elements from the system. This phase may involve taking systems offline to ensure all malware is eradicated.

5. Recovery from Incidents

Systems are restored, and data integrity is ensured. Monitoring post-recovery is crucial to prevent attackers from re-entering.

6. Lessons Learned and Feedback

Teams review the incident response to identify what worked and what didn’t, and they make improvements to the incident response plan. Documentation is finalized for future reference.

Why You Need an Incident Response Plan

An Incident Response Plan is crucial for quickly detecting and responding to security incidents, thereby protecting an organization’s reputation and preventing losses.

Incident Response Process and Procedure

Incident response is a process aimed at minimizing the impact of security incidents and supporting rapid recovery. It involves a lifecycle (process) and specific tactics (procedures) for managing incidents.

Incident Response Process – Preparation

-Prioritize assets and establish baselines for normal operations.
-Develop clear communication channels and protocols for incident response.
-Document actions and provide regular updates to all relevant stakeholders.

Incident Response Process Methodology

-Identify anomalous behavior through tools like log analysis, SIEM alerts, and traffic analysis.
-Evaluate the cyber threat landscape and the organization’s context to prioritize events.
-Choose the best course of action to minimize damage and recover quickly, guided by the organization’s security policy.
-Implement remediation, recovery, and continuous improvement of incident response procedures.

Incident Response Procedures: The Need for Checklists

-Forensic Analysis Checklist for each critical system to investigate incidents, detailing commands and areas to check for anomalies.

-Emergency Contact Communications Checklist to develop a detailed communication plan, specifying when and how to activate it.

-System Backup and Recovery Checklists to create recovery checklists for each operating system, including time estimates for each step and verification of system integrity post-recovery.

-Jumpbag Checklist to prepare a list of essential tools and contact details for the incident response team.

-Security Policy Review Checklist (Post-Incident), document detection methods, scope, containment, eradication, and recovery efforts.

Cyber Incident Response: Assessment Notes

In a cyber incident, it’s crucial to immediately assess the incident’s nature and scope. Determine whether the incident is a malicious attack or a technical glitch, as this affects the type of assistance required and the damage to address.

Key Assessment Points

-Identify affected systems, the origin of the incident, any malware used, and remote servers involved.

-Document logged-on users, current system connections, running processes, and open ports.

-Suspicious communications, such as threats or extortion demands, should be preserved as part of the incident record. Avoid altering or deleting data that could hinder the incident response or criminal investigation.

Who Should You Notify of Cyber Crime?

Internal Notifications

-Notify managers and relevant personnel as outlined in the incident response plan. This includes senior management, IT, physical security coordinators, public affairs personnel, and legal counsel.

Law Enforcement

-Contact law enforcement if the incident appears to involve criminal activity.

What Not to Do Following a Cyber Incident?

-Avoid Using the Compromised System to Communicate
-Do Not Hack Back