Cybersecurity incident response plan is a written document that helps companies to effectively and systematically prepare for, identify, and respond to a cyber events and to recover from incidents. With the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, businesses are under growing threat from ransomware phishing malware, insider risks, and the storage of data illegally. An effective cybersecurity incident response plan can help mitigating the effect of cyber incidents.
A cybersecurity incident response plan documents what the security team and management should do before, during and after a cybersecurity incident. It identifies response team roles and responsibilities, communication process, escalation procedures and technical activities required for handling security incidents.
Documented response plans allow consistent responses at minimal impact on operations, and with reduced risk to critical corporate information. Typically, a security incident response plan consisted of the procurement of a number of critical phases, including Preparation, Detection and Identification, and Containment. Under the Preparation Phase, security polices were prepared, employees were trained, risk assessments were carried out, and monitoring tools were put in place. Detection and Identification involved anomalous activities being identified through the use of security alerts, system logs, threat intelligence, and user reports. Once an incident was confirmed, the Containment phase ensued whereby the threat was contained and unaffected systems were safeguarded.
Removal of malicious software, eliminating vulnerabilities, and reverting to secure system configurations characterize the eradication stage. After systems are restored to normal operational status, the validation of system integrity and monitoring of the environment for signs of continued infection follow. The last stage, termed lessons learned, enables an organization to examine the incident, assess the effectiveness of its response, and enhance its cybersecurity incident response plan. Continual testing is critical to the ongoing validation of a cybersecurity incident response plan. Tabletop training, simulated cyber incidents, and scheduled reviews will reveal deficiencies in planning and prepare response teams for various scenarios.
The plan should be revised if there are major technological upgrades, new susceptibility to a security threat, or new regulations. On top of procedures, awareness is the third key element of a robust cybersecurity incident response plan. If employees know what a phishing email, unexplainable activity, or dropped system access looks like, they can report it to the CSIRT team immediately for timely investigation and containment.
A well-established cybersecurity incident response plan is one that effectively incorporates standard procedures, offers ongoing awareness training and enforces a cycle of continual refinement. This approach solidifies the collective competence of business continuity, digital property protection, and the ever-militarized cyber warfare environment.