What are the differences between incident recovery and restoration procedures for security incidents?

When a security incident occurs, such as a data breach, a ransomware attack, or a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, the affected organization needs to respond quickly and effectively to contain the damage, analyze the root cause, and restore normal operations. However, these are not the same steps. In this article, you will learn the differences between incident recovery and restoration procedures for security incidents, and why they are both important for information security.

1 Incident recovery

Incident recovery is the process of eliminating the threat, eradicating the malicious artifacts, and restoring the integrity and confidentiality of the compromised data and systems. Incident recovery may involve actions such as isolating the affected network segments, removing the malware, patching the vulnerabilities, restoring the backups, and verifying the data quality. Incident recovery aims to bring the organization back to a secure state, where the risk of recurrence or escalation is minimized.

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Esteban Ruiz Vargas

Cybersecurity Analyst | C3SA |Internal Auditor ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | Diploma in Information Security | Email Security SME | Certified Phishing Specialist
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In my role as a cybersecurity analyst, I recognize incident recovery as a pivotal phase in responding to security breaches. It's the stage where swift, precise measures are taken to contain and eliminate threats while restoring affected systems to limit operational disruption and prevent further harm. Reinstating the integrity and security of the compromised environment stands as a cornerstone in reducing the organization's exposure to potential risks, ensuring a resilient cybersecurity posture.

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2 Incident restoration

Incident restoration is the process of resuming the normal business functions and services that were disrupted or degraded by the security incident. Incident restoration may involve actions such as reconnecting the network segments, restarting the servers, reconfiguring the applications, and notifying the stakeholders. Incident restoration aims to bring the organization back to an operational state, where the availability and performance of the systems and services are restored.

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Esteban Ruiz Vargas

Cybersecurity Analyst | C3SA |Internal Auditor ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | Diploma in Information Security | Email Security SME | Certified Phishing Specialist
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As a cybersecurity analyst, I recognize the critical nature of incident restoration. It's the phase where the focus shifts from containment and recovery to ensuring that the organization can resume its normal operations efficiently and effectively. Swift and accurate restoration of services is crucial to minimize the impact of the incident on business operations and to regain the trust of stakeholders who rely on these services.

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3 The relationship between recovery and restoration

Recovery and restoration are not mutually exclusive, but rather interdependent and sequential. Recovery is usually the first priority, as it addresses the immediate security threat and prevents further harm. Restoration is usually the second priority, as it addresses the business impact and ensures continuity. However, some recovery and restoration actions may overlap or occur in parallel, depending on the nature and scope of the incident. For example, while some systems are being recovered, others may be restored to provide alternative or partial services.

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Chad ST Thomas

Consultative Sales Expert in Backup & Disaster Recovery and IaaS | Focused on Tailored Solutions & Client Success at Otava
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In a cloud environment, "recovery" refers to the process of retrieving data and applications from backups in the event of data loss, corruption, or a disaster. It's about regaining access to data and ensuring business continuity. "Restoration," on the other hand, involves returning the system to its original or desired state after a disruption. This includes not only data retrieval but also reinstating system configurations, settings, and ensuring that all system components are functioning as intended. Both are crucial for maintaining the integrity and availability of cloud services.

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Steven Close

Cyber | Risk | Information Security | Resilience
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Incident recovery and restoration procedures for security incidents, while interconnected, serve different roles. Incident recovery focuses on responding to and managing the security incident to limit its impact. This involves identifying the breach, containing it, and eliminating the threat. Restoration is about returning systems and operations to their normal state after the incident has been addressed. This includes repairing systems and restoring lost data from backups. While recovery deals with immediate threat management, restoration is concerned with the long-term stability and resilience of systems post-incident.

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Esteban Ruiz Vargas

Cybersecurity Analyst | C3SA |Internal Auditor ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | Diploma in Information Security | Email Security SME | Certified Phishing Specialist
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The recovery and restoration phases are not isolated processes but rather interconnected and sequential in nature. Recovery typically takes precedence as it addresses the imminent security threat, aiming to halt further damage. Following recovery, restoration focuses on addressing the business impact and ensuring continuous operations. Nevertheless, some actions in both recovery and restoration phases might occur simultaneously or overlap, depending on the incident's specifics. For example, while certain systems undergo recovery, others may initiate the restoration process to provide alternative or partial services.

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4 The challenges of recovery and restoration

Recovery and restoration are not simple tasks, as they require the cooperation of different teams, such as security, IT, business, and communication. It's important to have a thorough understanding of the incident scope, impact, and root cause, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each team member. Challenges that may arise during recovery and restoration can include a lack of backups or outdated backups that cannot restore the data or systems to a recent state, conflicting or unclear priorities or expectations between security and business teams, inadequate or inconsistent documentation or procedures for recovery and restoration, insufficient or unavailable resources or tools for recovery and restoration, and unforeseen or emerging issues or complications during recovery and restoration.

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5 The best practices for recovery and restoration

Organizations should strive to effectively recover and restore data and systems. To do so, they should establish and test a comprehensive incident response plan that outlines the objectives, strategies, and processes. Additionally, they should implement and maintain a robust backup and recovery strategy to ensure the availability and integrity of data and systems. Furthermore, it is essential to align and communicate the recovery and restoration priorities between security and business teams. It is also important to document and update the procedures and results of recovery and restoration, as well as leverage and optimize resources and tools. Lastly, organizations should monitor and evaluate the outcomes of recovery and restoration.

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6 The benefits of recovery and restoration

Recovery and restoration are essential for information security, as they can reduce the severity and duration of a security incident and its consequences. Additionally, they can protect the reputation and trust of an organization and its stakeholders, as well as enhance the resilience and agility of the organization and its systems. Moreover, recovery and restoration can help organizations learn from incidents and improve their security posture and processes.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What are the differences between incident recovery and restoration procedures for security incidents?

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2

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5

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1 Incident recovery

2 Incident restoration

3 The relationship between recovery and restoration

4 The challenges of recovery and restoration

5 The best practices for recovery and restoration

6 The benefits of recovery and restoration

7 Here’s what else to consider

Information Security

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What are the differences between incident recovery and restoration procedures for security incidents?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Incident recovery

2 Incident restoration

3 The relationship between recovery and restoration

4 The challenges of recovery and restoration

5 The best practices for recovery and restoration

6 The benefits of recovery and restoration

7 Here’s what else to consider

Information Security

Rate this article

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