The Importance of Incident Response
Cyberattacks are growing in frequency and impact. Cybersecurity incident response serves a critical purpose among the tools and technologies used by companies to protect and defend against attacks. By documenting an approach to addressing security incidents and following that approach when a security incident occurs, an incident response plan can help organizations significantly minimize an attack’s impact, ensure critical attack information is gathered in a timely fashion, and help reduce the costs associated with an attack.
What is a security incident?
A security incident is any attempt by an internal or external entity to gain unauthorized access to an organization’s systems, files, networks, or devices. Incidents can be intentional and come from external threat actors or insiders, but incidents may also be the result of unintentional actions that lead to security incidents. Today’s most common security incidents include ransomware, malware, phishing, distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attacks, or insider security threats.
What is incident response?
Incident response is a company’s approach to addressing incidents that may occur at the organization. An incident could be something as simple as server downtime. However, in most cases, incident response is designed to provide a documented approach to detecting and responding to a security incident.
How does incident response aid in protection?
A formal incident response approach can significantly help minimize the scope and scale of an attack or data breach. Studies suggest that organizations with incident response plans and teams experienced an average data breach cost that was approximately $2 million lower than businesses that had no plan or team in place.
What is an Incident Response Plan?
An incident response plan (IRP) is a formalized document containing procedures that outline the approach to managing a security incident. The purpose of an incident response plan is to help businesses understand an attack to reduce both the cost and impact and prevent future attacks.
Cybersecurity Incident Response Framework
NIST
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework is a cornerstone in incident response management and gives organizations a structured approach to handling cybersecurity incidents. It encompasses four key phases: Preparation, Detection and Analysis, Containment, Eradication, and Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity. Organizations may consider following the NIST framework if they're developing comprehensive information security incident response policies.
SANS
The SANS Institute's approach to incident response complements the NIST framework and offers practical, hands-on training and resources to security professionals who need to help their organizations make better decisions and minimize risks posed by cyber threats. This approach emphasizes strategic planning and policy development as well as the tactical aspects of incident response detection like forensics and active threat neutralization.
What is included in an Incident Response Plan?
Your incident response plan should outline the processes to follow from an organization-wide perspective, including which teams and executives need to be informed, which experts or professionals need to be brought into the loop, whether you should contact the authorities, the policies for negotiating with the attacker, and how to inform any internal staff or external customers that may be affected. Incident response plans are often tailored to an individual company’s needs and may contain a variety of different procedures and steps. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identifies the four key IRP elements as (1) preparation, (2) detection and analysis, (3) containment and eradication, and (4) post-incident recovery. Other incident response plan approaches include steps such as identification, recovery, prioritization, notification, and lessons learned.
The incident response plan will also define the key players that should be involved in the incident response process, known as the incident response team.
Step 1: Preparation
Preparation is the bedrock of effective incident response; establishing a dedicated response team that's well-versed in handling diverse incidents is the first step. It's important to define clear policies and procedures that can ensure a coordinated and timely response to breaches. Security leaders should equip their teams with continuous training to complement this groundwork, and they should bear in mind that the preparedness of their employees not only streamlines the response process but also minimizes potential damage.
Step 2: Identification
The early detection and identification of cybersecurity incidents are pivotal for minimizing potential damage. By constantly scrutinizing network traffic, user activities, and system performance, these systems can quickly identify anomalies that may indicate a breach. Advanced strategies include employing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to detect subtle, unusual patterns indicative of sophisticated cyber threats. The integration of comprehensive logging and real-time alerting ensures that any suspicious activity is promptly flagged, enabling immediate investigation and response, thereby playing a critical role in the overall cybersecurity defense strategy.
Step 3: Containment
Once an incident has been identified, immediate containment strategies must be deployed to isolate affected systems, block malicious network traffic, and revoke compromised credentials. Simultaneously, emergency patches are implemented and security controls are updated, while communication protocols ensure timely information dissemination to relevant stakeholders.
Step 4: Eradication
When it comes to eradicating threats, the focus needs to shift to the elimination of the source of the security incident. This involves thoroughly removing malware, closing exploited vulnerabilities, and cleansing infected systems. Our incident response specialists rely on methods like applying security patches, changing compromised passwords, and reconfiguring network settings.
Step 5: Recovery
The recovery process involves cautiously restoring systems and data from secure backups after verifying they are threat-free. This step includes extensive testing and monitoring to ensure no remnants of the threat linger. It's crucial to gradually reintegrate systems into the operational environment, continuously assessing for anomalies to guarantee the integrity and security of the restored assets.
Step 6: Lessons Learned
A post-incident review and analysis can help organizations refine their incident response process. This evaluation can help you determine what worked well and what needs to be improved, providing you with valuable insights into the effectiveness of your response.
What is a Cybersecurity Incident Response Team?
The IRP team is composed of the key players who need to be leading or involved with various components in the incident response process. The team typically includes individuals with decision-making authority from security, IT, operations, legal, management, communications, and HR. It may also include individuals with expertise in threat analysis, response, and mitigation. Each representative on the incident response team has a defined role to play at different phases of the incident response lifecycle. For example, the security and IT teams often lead the investigation effort, a crucial part of the incident response process. The legal representative will serve as the point of contact on all legal concerns, such as responding to any regulatory requirements to disclose a breach. The communications lead will develop and manage external communications about the breach and be the primary point of contact with outside entities, such as the media. And the HR representative will be the primary point of contact with employees.
Incident Response Best Practices
Have an Incident Response Plan: It is important to have a customized incident response plan to guide you when your business is dealing with an attack or breach. A plan will help you determine the scope of business interruption, the extent of exposure, and the necessary resources, as well as the step-by-step processes to get your business up and running again.
Perform Simulated Attack Exercises: Create and perform simulated attack exercises, sometimes called tabletop exercises, to test your response plan, confirm all key team members understand and can perform their roles and responsibilities, and verify your incident response program is working as planned.
Visibility: Know your organization, your systems, and where your sensitive data is stored.
Backups: Maintain regular system and data backups. If a ransomware attack happens, something this simple could save you from having to pay the ransom.
Provide training: Make sure incident response team members are well trained, and confirm all employees understand the chain of command within their own organization if an incident occurs.
Common Challenges
Each of the following challenges requires a strategic approach and adaptive measures to ensure an effective and efficient incident response process.
Resource Limitations:
- Limited budget for cybersecurity initiatives
- Insufficient staff or lack of specialized skills
- Inadequate technological tools and infrastructure
Coordination Difficulties:
- Challenges in inter-departmental communication and collaboration
- Inefficiencies in coordinating with external agencies (law enforcement, cybersecurity firms)
- Difficulty in managing and synchronizing multi-team responses
Evolving Threat Landscapes:
- Rapidly advancing cyberattack techniques
- Increasing sophistication of malware and hacking methods
- Continuously changing tactics of threat actors
Maintaining Compliance:
- Keeping up with evolving regulatory requirements and standards
- Difficulty in ensuring all response activities are compliant
- Balancing rapid incident response with regulatory reporting obligations
Rapid and Accurate Threat Identification:
- Difficulty in quickly detecting and accurately identifying the nature of threats
- Challenges in distinguishing false positives from genuine threats
Effective Eradication and Recovery:
- Ensuring complete removal of threats without residual risks
- Safely restoring systems and data while maintaining operational continuity
Post-Incident Analysis:
- Conducting thorough investigations to understand root causes
- Drawing actionable insights from incidents for future preparedness
Communication and Information Management:
- Managing internal and external communications effectively
- Safeguarding sensitive information during and after an incident
Psychological Impact on Staff:
- Stress and burnout due to high-pressure situations
- Ensuring staff resilience and mental well-being
Legal and Ethical Considerations:
- Navigating legal implications of breach disclosures
- Ethical handling of data and privacy concerns during an incident response
Can you automate it?
Automating your incident response process can significantly enhance its efficiency. Our experts at GuidePoint can demonstrate to you how tools like AI-driven algorithms can help you analyze data sets, identify patterns, and initiate predetermined actions more quickly. Keep in mind that situations requiring ethical considerations, nuanced understanding of context, and strategic decision-making still necessitate human oversight.
Which incident response technologies should be used?
A few key technologies play crucial roles during your incident response process:
- Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): IDS tools monitor your network traffic for suspicious activities and potential breaches to give you real-time alerts.
- Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: SIEM systems aggregate and analyze data from your different data sources to offer a comprehensive view of your overall state of security.
- Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) Tools: SOAR integrates security tools and automates responses to cyber threats. This technology can streamline your operations, reduce your response times, and enable more effective alert handling.
Your organization can enhance its detection, analysis, and response capabilities with these technologies, significantly improving the overall effectiveness of its incident response process.
What should be the final goal of incident response?
Your ultimate goal of incident response is threefold: to minimize the damage caused by security incidents, swiftly restore normal operations, and leverage the experience to continuously improve your organization's security posture. By effectively managing and resolving incidents, you not only address immediate threats but also strengthen your defenses against future attacks. This continuous cycle of response, recovery, and improvement is essential in building a resilient and robust cybersecurity framework, ensuring your organization is better prepared and more capable of handling the dynamic challenges of the digital landscape.
Next Steps
The response component of incident response begins the moment a threat is detected, regardless of who identifies it. Incident response services are a critical part of the incident detection and response process. GuidePoint Security is experienced in helping businesses develop comprehensive incident response programs. To learn more, contact GuidePoint Security today.