What is a security incident response plan?

Leaving all the technical jargon aside - it's simply addressing 3 questions - 'what? ', 'so what?', 'now what?'. 1. In the 'what?' stage, you answer the 5Ws for root cause analysis. 2. In the 'so what?' stage, you first address the immediate impact and later assess long term impact. 3. And 'now what?' stage is the immediate containment we need to do to 'fix' the issue to reduce impact and then the long term plan to actually fix the root cause of the problem. Immediate containment can(or should) be done in parallel at the 'what?' stage There is a lesson to learn from every security issue - the proactive detection, prevention, controls, processes is in the 'now what?' phase for us to better handle the issue in the future.

There is a famous Navy seal quote: "Under pressure, you don’t rise to the occasion, you sink to the level of your training". A security incident is an extremely time-sensitive, urgent, and critical juncture. At this point, you do not want to be in a position where you are "figuring out things" under pressure. It's better to have a plan designed when calmer heads prevailed and go about executing it effectively.

Incident response plans provide a path for organizations to rapidly detect to, respond to, and limit the adverse affects of a cybersecurity incident. Having a written plan for who does what before a cyber incident occurs ensures that when the inevitable cyber incident happens, you can minimize data and reputational loss. What not to do: 1. Have an outdated plan that is printed out in a 3-ring binder and not updated to the current technology a company implements. 2. Exclude non-IT stakeholders. 3. Have a plan that's not tested annually. 4. Write a plan that is heavily based on a pre-canned template where you search-and-replace your company name. This is sad and ineffective. :(

A Security Incident Response Plan (SIRP) is a predefined set of instructions and procedures designed to identify, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity incidents. It outlines roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and steps to mitigate the impact of security breaches. A SIRP includes phases such as preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. Its goal is to minimize damage, reduce recovery time and costs, and prevent future incidents by improving security postures. Effective SIRPs ensure coordinated, efficient responses to threats, maintaining business continuity and protecting organizational assets and reputation.

A security incident response plan is a structured approach outlining steps to take when a cybersecurity breach occurs. Key benefits include: 𝟭-Rapid Detection: Identifying threats promptly to minimize damage. 𝟮-Efficient Mitigation: Swiftly containing and neutralizing the incident. 𝟯-Minimized Impact: Limiting the disruption and potential harm to systems and data. 𝟰-Legal Compliance: Ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements. 𝟱-Reputation Protection: Safeguarding brand trust by demonstrating proactive handling of security issues.

Uma bom planejamento; Uma equipe bem preparada; Uma equipe com talentos diversificados; E boas ferramentas para lidar com os possíveis problemas que surjam.

A SIRT plan defines what constitutes a security incident, it includes a detailed list of roles and responsibilities, specifying who within the organization is responsible for each aspect of the response process, and contains a communication plan, detailing how internal and external stakeholders will be notified about incidents and how information will be shared. It also at least contains procedures for: - Incident detection and analysis: for identification, assessement, and categorization of incidents - Response procedures: detailing the steps that will be taken to contain, eradicate, and recover - Post-incident activities: outlining how incidents will be reviewed, lessons learned will be identified, and improvements will be made.

A robust Information Security Incident Management (ISIM) plan includes preparation with a dedicated response team and training, identification through monitoring and intrusion detection, containment to isolate and limit impact, eradication by removing the root cause, recovery to restore to normal, communication with stakeholders, thorough documentation, and continuous improvement through post-incident reviews. This comprehensive approach ensures effective response, resolution, and ongoing enhancement of the organization's security posture.

Communications section should include: 1. the who (e.g. cloud team), 2. to whom (e.g. SOC), 3. what (e.g. flow logs, XDR alerts) 4. when (e.g. within 'X' hours) and; 5. how (e.g. Excel tracker in a MS Teams channel). 6. add a call-tree to the annexure - with a link to a live document having contact details that is updated regularly. For out-of-band communications, I suggest a separate procedure / plan.

Preparation: define roles, communication protocols, resources, and training for your incident response team. Detection & Analysis: Identify potential incidents, assess their nature and impact, and prioritize them for action. Containment & Eradication: Stop the incident's spread, eliminate the threat, and minimize damage. Recovery & Post-Incident: Restore affected systems and data, analyze lessons learned, and update your SIRP.

A security incident response plan is a critical document outlining steps to be taken in the event of a security breach. The plan typically includes preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned. It helps organizations respond swiftly and effectively to security incidents, minimizing damage and ensuring business continuity. A well-prepared plan is essential for protecting against cybersecurity threats and maintaining a secure environment.

Forensics will span across multiple stages of an incident and hence create sub-sections in the relevant stages. One must ensure process for CoC (Chain of Custody) throughout various stages. If forensics is outsourced, at least include a process which assures to some degree that digital artifacts are not corrupted or tampered. (There will of course be the question of prioritizing evidence preservation vs ensuring quick BAU.)

Not necessary six steps, the steps depends on the context and requirement and many other factors. However, it is important that plan has a full coverage and cover all possible scenarios and security test cases and prepare for known and unknown threats and regularly get updated with new changes.

First off draw the line between an alert or investigation versus an incident/security incident. Next start with a framework that goes through identification containment, remediation and recovery then begin to work with your team to define the inputs and outputs that are needed for incident response. Once you have the inputs and outputs defined ,create high-level procedures that work through how you handle each input to produce the output for example: One of the inputs is user reporting, then you might move into a triage step that defines whether it’s a threat and how to handle containment investigation and remediation. Be sure to include all of the needed downstream teams in your conversations before you define your procedures.

There is and old saying "No plan survives first contact with the enemy." Frameworks like NIST are great, but only a starting point. First find a framework like NIST then start separating things into two buckets. -Incident response plan: things in the plan that your organization is capable of doing now. -Incident Response Roadmap: Things your organization will require tools, training, executive buy, etc to start doing in the future. A less than ideal plan that is executed on is miles better than an ideal one that no ones reads because its unrealistic

To create an ISIM plan, begin by comprehending organizational policies and regulatory requirements. Establish technical controls and processes for Preparation, Identification, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, Communication, and Documentation & Reporting. Emphasize Continuous Improvement through regular assessments and updates, aligning the plan with evolving business needs. Additionally, address parameters like risk assessments, employee training, technology updates, incident documentation, and legal compliance for a holistic approach to information security.

Develop an incident response policy and document step-by-step procedures for each phase of incident response. Implement detection and reporting mechanisms, along with strategies for containment and eradication. Create a communication plan for internal and external stakeholders, and provide training for the incident response team as well as awareness programs for all employees.

Get all stakeholders to agree on the deliverables / roles & responsibilities / timelines etc., get the leaders to sign-off and then finalize and promulgate the plan. This way, you don't lose precious time in an actual incident e.g. when teams have clarity on the RACI matrix and the steps they need to perform.

What's true in sports is true in this case, too: "train like it's gameday." Sure, there is value to running paper drills or tabletops (and those are certainly great areas to start)-- but as organizations mature, security teams need to embrace operational drills leveraging test environments and ranges to get as close to real-life as possible. Pull forensics data, analyze malware behavior, perform threat hunts and get as gritty as possible. It's better to train and learn from mistakes in simulated environments than during an actual incident, after all...

To comprehensively test the Information Security Incident Management (ISIM) plan, initiate Tabletop or walk-through exercises delving into execution plans, response strategies, decision-making, and identifying communication gaps. Follow with Simulation Drills, mimicking real incidents to assess the response team's technical skills. The most important would be Post-Incident Review, , assessing the plan's real incident performance and process alignment. Finally, evaluate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to validate, measure and refine incident response capabilities.

You must test the entire plan at least once a year and sections of the plan separately (e.g. containment plan, communications plan or even backup restoration plan) Plans can also be tested through formal TTX (table top exercises) or even by gamifying incident response drills using say 'Backdoors and Breaches'.

There are a lot of methods to test a plan but tabletop exercises, simulated incident drills, and full-scale exercises are the 3 most common ones. Tabletop exercises involve stakeholders discussing simulated scenarios and their responses, identifying strengths and weaknesses in the plan. Simulated incident drills simulate a real incident, allowing the response team to practice their roles and the plan's procedures in a controlled environment. Full-scale exercises involve conducting a comprehensive test of the plan's effectiveness, often involving multiple teams and resources. After testing, it's essential to evaluate the plan's performance, identify areas for improvement, and make necessary updates to the plan based on the test results.

Simulated incident responses are crucial to testing whether your response methodology and approach actually works when put to the test. It is important where economically feasible you have environments that replicate your production and you are able to test your response plan from end to end with real life incident scenarios. This will allow teams to not only identify weaknesses in technology but more so issues with the process itself and the people (humans) that are responsible within that process. Often simulations are half baked due to time and budget restrictions. If this is the case focus on areas of highest priority where failure at a particular point is non-negotiable.

Perform a table top exercise (pretend the event is happening ). Run through the plan. Pick a random day and run the drill. Have someone who knows it's a drill take great notes on what worked and what didn't. When emotions are high it's hard to focus but the more you practice the less you are driven by emotions and can follow the plan.

Tailor to your organization: Industry, size, assets, data sensitivity all matter. Integrate with plans: BCP, DRP for seamless recovery. Test and maintain: Regular drills, updates for evolving threats. Train and communicate: Clear roles, protocols for internal/external stakeholders. Legal compliance: Understand and adhere to data privacy regulations. Consider: Insurance, vendor involvement, performance metrics.

There should also be a section that talks separately about how to keep the plan upto date and have a continuous testing process for the new changes.

There should also be a section that talks separately about how to keep the plan upto date and have a continuous testing process for the new changes.

Treine sua equipe sempre que puder, para dificultar que caia em golpes, uma equipe treinada contribui muito para fortalecer a segurança da empresa