Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan: Preparing for the Unwanted

The world is in the era of an alarming rise in cyber risks. Government officials warn that losses from cybercrimes will grow more than 2.7 times from 2022 to 2027. International institutions call cyber incidents a threat to global financial stability.

Are you aware that 83% of organizations that suffered from a data breach in 2022 experienced such incidents more than once? As it turns out, the question is not whether you will ever experience a cyber incident but how you will act when it does happen.

Under such circumstances, a well-crafted incident response plan is indispensable for protecting digital assets and maintaining business continuity. In this article, we will focus on properly preparing a solid incident response plan and share our experience and best practices in incident response planning.

The Main Things about the Incident Response Plan

I should start from the basics, as we can observe different levels of preparedness for actions in case of cyber incidents in companies of various sectors.

For example, fintech companies and the banking sector traditionally pay much attention to data protection issues. Each banking organization tries to implement a practice-tested sample incident response plan to maintain compliance with the banking sector’s high-security standards.

At the same time, a company operating in an industry with less stringent regulations and standards can only now begin to build its data protection system, looking for, for example, an incident response plan example that it will use.

Why Every Organization Needs an Incident Response Plan

An incident response plan contains instructions outlining your organization’s response to security incidents like data breaches, leaks, etc. 

This set of instructions provides specific directions for various cyber attack scenarios, helping you avoid further damages, reduce recovery time, and mitigate cybersecurity risks. Guided by such clear guidelines, organizations` incident response teams prevent, detect, and contain attacks and limit damage to affected systems.

A verified and understandable incident response plan enables fast incident handling. The speed of incident response activities is critical.

According to research, organizations need an average of 277 days for breach detection and containing. However, today’s information security threats leave you little time for incident response efforts. By the same study, if earlier ransomware was deployed in two months, now it takes four days.

Objectives of an Incident Response Plan

With a robust, comprehensive incident response plan, you can minimize damage caused by an incident, reduce recovery time and costs, and ensure business continuity.

Based on the results of incident response planning, the staff of your organization receives predefined procedures to:

1. Detect, recognize, and assess an incident
2. Identify stakeholders and inform them about the incident
3. Organize a coordinated response.
4. Facilitate business recovery following an incident.

Regulations and Requirements for an Incident Response Plan

Customers and partners who exchange information with your organization expect that its security events are effective. During incident response planning, you should be ready to consider the current regulations regarding data protection and cybersecurity.

For example, the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) requires an incident response plan. The international standard ISO/IEC 27001 covers the building and operating information security management systems. One of the annexes to this standard sets specific requirements for an incident response plan.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which regulates data privacy in the European Union, obliges organizations that have experienced security incidents to notify regulatory agencies within a set period.

Thus, legislation and standards create a frame of reference for your incident response planning and your incident response team’s actions. Best practices, frameworks, recommendations, guidelines, and security tools for incident responders supplement this system.

One of the clear examples in this area is the NIST incident response framework, which deserves careful consideration.

The NIST Incident Response Life Cycle

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides comprehensive guidelines for incident response, helping organizations navigate cyber incidents and ensure compliance with industry standards. The NIST incident response lifecycle consists of four interconnected stages:

1. Preparation
2. Detection and Analysis
3. Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
4. Post-Incident Activities

Each phase has a specific goal and role in incident response. For instance, the preparation stage focuses on implementing an incident response policy and function, as well as preventing future incidents. The detection and analysis stage involves identifying the type of threat and determining whether it’s an incident .

With such a structured approach, you and your incident response team members can better prepare for responding to security incidents. It’s essential that incident response is an ongoing process, and you should continuously improve plans based on the findings after each incident.

6 Essential Components of an Incident Response Plan

Now, we break down the six primary components of a robust incident response plan.

Preparation

Preparation is the basis of any effective incident response plan. This part involves defining roles and responsibilities for our incident response team, establishing communication channels, and setting up the necessary tools and resources.

It will be helpful if you also organize regular training and simulation exercises to keep your incident response team members sharp. These exercises help us identify possible gaps in our plan and ensure everyone knows their role when the pressure’s on.

Detection and Analysis

The next step is quickly identifying and analyzing potential threats. You need a system approach to detect unusual activity indicating a security breach. This might include automated alerts from intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, security tools, or log analyzers.

Once you detect something suspicious, you must analyze its scope and impact. You should ask yourself and your incident response team members:

• What are the functional implications for systems and services?
• Has any sensitive data been compromised?
• How fully can we recover, and what resources will we need?

Remember, early detection, as a rule, is crucial to minimize damage.

Containment

When you confirm an incident, shift your priority to containment. Containment might include shutting down systems, disconnecting from networks, or disabling certain functions.

Your containment approach should consider the following:

• The potential for damage or theft of resources
• The need to preserve evidence
• Maintaining essential services
• The time and resources required
• The effectiveness of the strategy (partial or complete containment).

Eradication

After containing the threat, it’s time to eliminate it completely. This phase involves removing all traces of malicious activity from affected systems

Some key steps in the eradication phase include:

• Identifying the point of entry to prevent re-infection
• Removing malware and other malicious components
• Patching vulnerabilities
• Changing compromised passwords

It’s critical to document all actions taken during this phase. This information will be valuable for your post-incident analysis and future prevention efforts.

Recovery

After eradicating the threat, you focus on returning to your business’s normal operations. This includes restoring affected systems and data from clean backups, reconfiguring systems, and bringing services back online.

Here are some key considerations during the recovery phase:

1. Prioritize the restoration of critical services
2. Validate that systems are operating correctly and outputs are accurate
3. Monitor restored systems closely for any signs of recurring issues
4. Consider a phased approach, releasing recovered systems to smaller units first for testing

Post-Incident Activity

Last but certainly not least, you need to learn from the incident. At this phase, it is all about continuous improvement. It would be best to organize a thorough post-incident review to understand what happened, how it happened, whether there were, in addition to external, insider threats, and how to prevent similar future incidents.

Key activities in this phase include:

1. Discussing lessons learned with all parties involved 
2. Analyzing the incident’s impact, both monetary and non-monetary
3. Identifying areas for improvement in our incident response plan
4. Updating our plan based on the insights gained

Focusing on these six essential components can help you create a robust incident response plan that prepares your organization for the unexpected. It’s not just about reacting to threats. It’s about building a culture of readiness and continuous improvement in your cybersecurity efforts.

How to Use the Incident Response Plan Template

There is rarely a need to create a security incident plan from scratch. You can usually use a sample incident response plan for your company’s needs. It may be an incident response plan example of a particular organization or a common cybersecurity incident response plan template.

Of course, the example of an incident response plan is only the starting point for obtaining an effective security incident plan.

Overview of the incident response plan template

An incident response plan template is an invaluable tool to help you outline specific instructions for detecting, responding to, and limiting damage from security incidents.

Such an incident response template provides a comprehensive checklist of roles and responsibilities for the incident response team, along with the necessary steps to understand the impact of a security incident and control the damage.

By using an established incident response plan template, you can save time and ensure that you cover all the principal elements of an incident response plan.

Most templates follow a common framework. Typically, a security incident response plan template includes the following:

1. Defining the ultimate goals of our incident response strategy
2. Determining key roles and responsibilities
3. Outlining the sequence of events to follow during an active cyber threat

It’s important to note that while the security incident response plan template offers a general foundation for an incident response plan, I advise you to adapt it to your specific organizational needs.

Adapting the Cybersecurity incident response plan template

To get the most out of the incident response plan template, customize it to fit your unique organizational structure and policies.

Here’s how you can adapt the cyber security incident response plan template effectively:

1. Review and customize the cyber incident response plan template: You should thoroughly review the sample incident response plan or template and tailor it to your company’s specific needs. This involves aligning the security incident plan with your existing policies and organizational structure.
2. Collaborate to adopt an incident response template: Involving senior management and various internal departments is crucial. You should consult facilities management, legal, risk management, HR, and key operational units to ensure the security incident plan addresses all aspects of your organization.
3. Seek external inputs about an incident response template: First, you can find a security incident response plan template that organizations like yours use. If possible, you should have external specialists review your adapted cyber incident response plan template. Their suggestions can prove valuable and increase the plan’s effectiveness if put into action.
4. Build a master plan to adopt the cybersecurity incident response plan template: While creating separate plans for different scenarios is tempting, it’s best to have a single master plan. Such a proven approach increases the likelihood that individuals responding to an incident will take appropriate action. You can consider supporting documents for critical scenarios, but the master plan should be your primary reference.
5. Ensure flexibility when adopting a cyber security incident response plan template: Your incident response plan should be flexible enough to allow teams to decide which steps are most appropriate for the specific threat at hand. Only some situations will perfectly match the outlined process.
6. Practice and refine your security incident plan: Once you adapt the template, you should practice the incident response process. This approach will help your teams work faster and more confidently during an attack.

To help you get started, I should note that you can apply as a sample incident response plan one of the following documents:

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Incident Response Plan
• University at Buffalo Information Security Incident Response Plan
• Carnegie Mellon Computer Security Incident Response Plan

You can leverage these templates and examples to create an incident response plan tailored to our organization’s specific needs. Remember, the goal is to have a comprehensive yet flexible plan to handle various security incidents effectively.

Testing and Updating Your Incident Response Plan

Regular testing and updating of your incident response plan is crucial. Many security teams make the mistake of operating with plans that have not been updated or looked at in months or years. This oversight can leave your organization vulnerable when a real crisis hits.

Regularly Testing the Incident Response Plan

Testing an incident response plan is essential to ensure its effectiveness and readiness. We recommend testing the plan quarterly or semi-annually, depending on the organization’s size and complexity. It’s not just about ticking a box. These tests help you identify gaps in our security defenses and operational processes.

You should also conduct tests after significant changes to infrastructure, systems, or applications, as well as after staff changes or actual incidents. This approach helps you stay prepared for evolving threats and ensures your team is always ready to respond.

Tabletop Exercises

Tabletop exercises are one of the most common and effective ways to test an incident response plan. These are discussion-based simulations where you gather key personnel to walk through hypothetical security incident scenarios.

During these exercises, you can:

1. Define clear objectives and focus areas
2. Develop realistic testing scenarios based on actual security threats
3. Evaluate our team’s decision-making process and response actions
4. Identify areas for improvement in our plan

Tabletop exercises are particularly valuable because they allow you to test plans without the pressure of a real-life event. They help us understand roles and responsibilities, maximize the use of available tools and resources, and exercise current decision-making processes.

Full-Scale Simulations

Full-scale simulations or operational exercises put our plan through its paces in a more hands-on manner. These can include:

1. Simulated attacks by external penetration testers or our own security team
2. Unannounced drills to test our team’s readiness
3. Scenarios that test various threat types, such as ransomware, DDoS attacks, and insider data theft

These exercises help you identify any ineffective integrations between technology tools, misconfigured security controls, process issues, or miscommunications between team members.

Updating the Incident Response Plan

After each test or actual incident, it’s crucial to review and update the plan, including:

1. Analyze the results to identify strengths and weaknesses
2. Compare actual outcomes with expected outcomes
3. Make necessary changes to address any gaps, issues, or errors discovered
4. Incorporate new information, best practices, or lessons learned

Remember, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. In particular, this may apply to cases where you have not sufficiently customized the sample incident response plan or have used an incident response plan example from an organization fundamentally different from yours as a basis.

You must exercise your professional judgment during actual incidents and use the lessons learned to improve your plan iteratively.

Ensuring the Relevance of the Incident Response Plan

To keep the plan relevant, you need to consider both internal and external factors:

1. Internal changes: Review and update the plan whenever the organization’s structure, policies, or processes change.
2. External threats: Stay informed about the evolving threat landscape. For example, the dramatic increase in ransomware attacks over the past year has raised new questions from an incident response perspective.
3. Contact information: You should regularly update your contact list for critical vendors. During a crisis, you want to avoid discovering that a key contact left their position six months ago.
4. Regulatory requirements: Ensure your plan aligns with your industry’s new or updated regulatory requirements.

You can build confidence in handling security incidents by consistently testing and updating your incident response plan. This proactive approach helps you minimize the impact of potential incidents and demonstrates your commitment to maintaining a robust security posture

Best Practices for the Incident Response Plan

Common Incident Scenarios

To prepare for the unexpected, you need to understand the most common incident scenarios your organization might face. Among the most likely threats you should be ready to tackle are phishing, malware, ransomware, network scanning, business email compromise, etc.

Proven Best Practices

To further strengthen our incident response capabilities, you should consider these additional best practices:

1. Create a “Jump Bag”: This centralized digital document contains critical information like contact lists, escalation policies, and technical documentation.
2. Develop Runbooks: These guide steps in specific scenarios, allowing teams to respond faster and build a shared knowledge base.
3. Implement Chaos Engineering: This involves intentionally injecting failure into systems to understand how they can be built more robustly.
4. Centralize Alert Management: By aggregating alerts through a single tool, you can better filter noise and focus on critical issues.
5. Enhance Alert Information: To speed up the remediation process, pair alerts with technical details of why they were triggered.
6. Monitor Your Monitoring Tools: Ensure that your systems and the tools monitoring them are continually checked for health.
7. Focus on Containment: In the heat of an incident, prioritize short-term actions that stabilize the situation and limit the scope of the incident.
8. Foster Team Collaboration: Move away from “hero culture” and nurture the team’s capabilities.
9. Be Transparent: Have an incident communication plan to build trust with customers and other organizations during service disruptions.
10. Conduct Regular Reviews: Review our incident response plan at least annually to ensure it remains effective and aligned with best practices.

Implementing these best practices can significantly improve your ability to respond to and mitigate cybersecurity incidents effectively.

How to Get a Robust Incident Response Plan

When you focus on critical components like preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident activities, you can build a strong defense against cyber threats. Regular testing and updating the incident response plan ensure you’re always ready to face the unexpected.

Statistics show systemic efforts to strengthen information security are paying off, reducing the economic consequences of significant cyber incidents. If you need help enhancing your organization’s cybersecurity posture, contact DashDevs for expert consulting and incident response planning services.