The Complete Guide to Incident Response
Incident response is your first line of defense against cybercrime. Gilad David Maayan outlines the four components you’ll need to build an incident response process that works: a robust plan, a succinct playbook, a knowledgable team, and the right tools.
An incident response process aims to ensure the fastest response to cybersecurity events, thus preventing, blocking, and minimizing threats before a breach or other negative event can threaten the network.
What Is Incident Response (IR)?
Incident response is a set of practices and tools implemented when organizations respond to cybersecurity incidents. Incident response teams use practices and tools to identify cyberattacks, remediate swiftly, apply fixes, and sometimes perform analysis and offer optimization insights.
Components of Incident Response
Every organization defines incident response differently, but in general, it is composed of four elements:
- A plan
- A playbook
- A team
- Tools
1. Incident Response Plan
An incident response plan is a process that describes in detail all steps, practices, tools, and resources used while responding to security events. Incident response plans are typically based on one of two frameworks offered by the SysAdmin, Audit, Network, and Security (SANS) Institute and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The 6-Step SANS Incident Response Process
The SANS Institute is a global leader in cybersecurity education and training. It offers a 19-page Incident Handler’s Handbook to help create your own incident response plan.
Elements of a SANS-based incident response plan:
- Preparation—what to do before incidents occur
- Identification—how to distinguish real security incidents from false positives
- Containment—which steps to take for the purpose of blocking an incident
- Eradication—take measures to remove the root cause of the incident
- Recovery—recover systems, bring them back online, and test for issues
- Lessons learned—analyze the incident and make plans to prevent future occurrences
The 7-Step NIST Incident Response Process
The US Department of Commerce operates NIST. The NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide offers incident response guidelines, which are focused on creating incident response teams.
Elements of a NIST-based incident response plan:
- Prioritize and scope—assess and rank assets based on a hierarchy of importance
- Orient—conduct a vulnerability and threat assessment
- Create a current profile—document your current cybersecurity baseline
- Conduct a risk assessment—analyze previous, current, and possible risk management
- Create a target profile—outline your desired cybersecurity outcomes
- Determine, analyze and prioritize gaps—create a prioritized action plan for gaps
- Implement action plan—begin applying steps to achieve your target profile
2. Incident Response Playbook
An incident response playbook is a guide that outlines the quick action steps teams need to take when responding to cybersecurity events.
The incident response playbook is based on the incident response plan. The main difference is length—a plan is a long and detailed document, whereas a playbook contains short and actionable action steps for specific incident scenarios.
There are typically two types of incident response playbooks:
- Manual playbook—a document outlining step-by-step instructions for each scenario, defining the person in charge, the responders, and specific response steps.
- Automated process—a technological tool that integrates with systems that require protection. This tool runs a script that executes the playbook automatically.
You can opt for one of the above options, or use them together. Typically, an automated incident response process is integrated into the process to supplement the response team.
3. Computer Security Incident Response Team
A Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) comprises cybersecurity professionals. The core responsibility of the CSIRT is to respond to cybersecurity incidents.
The most common jobs carried out by a CSIRT:
- Creating an incident response plan
- Managing and responding to cybersecurity events
- Performing post-event research
- Providing and applying optimization guidelines for the response process
- Creating educational resources such as training guides and papers
- Mediating between the organization and the press during events
- Controlling internal communications during security events
- Recommend the implementation of new and additional cybersecurity policies and tools
Source: NIST’s Computer Security Incident Handling Guide
CSIRT units are typically categorized into four main types:
- Centralized—this is an in-house CSIRT unit that handles the organization’s incident response operation.
- Distributed—third-party CSIRT units that collaborate while responding to events. Distributed CSIRT units are usually managed by a coordinating team.
- Coordinating—a CSIRT unit that manages multiple CSIRT units. This team doesn’t respond to events but coordinates between distributed teams.
- Hybrid—a collaboration between centralized, distributed, and coordinating CSIRT units. The centralized team is usually the coordinating team that manages distributed units.
4. Incident Response Tools
Incident response tools serve the organization’s incident response efforts. These tools can be dedicated incident response solutions or general cybersecurity tools. Since there are a wide range of free and paid tools, it is important to introduce only the tools that fit your operation, environments, systems, skillset, and objectives.
Tools used for incident response include:
- Automated vulnerability management—scans the systems for vulnerabilities and prompts action based on pre-configured prioritization.
- Automated event notification—scans the systems for malicious behavior and prompts action based on pre-configured policies.
- Automated incident response—monitors the systems, sends alerts, and responds when possible.
- AI-based User Behavior Analytics (UBA)—monitors behavior and identifies malicious behavior based on pre-established sets of normal behavior.
Each of the above tools serves a unique and important function in the incident response process. Generally, some tools are purpose-built for one of the above functions, while others offer end-to-end solutions. Figure out what you need, what your budget is, and then choose accordingly.
Conclusion
Incident response is the process that protects your network, systems, data, and users during cybersecurity events. In today’s chaotic digital sphere, which is filled with cybercrime, it’s crucial to protect your network and its contents.
Each network should be assessed and protected based on its needs and limitations. Hopefully, this article has helped you understand the importance of incident response and how to take your first steps toward implementing or optimizing your incident response process.
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