Incident Response Planning: 7 Steps for a Cybersecurity Crisis in 2024
Do you know? 6.41 million data records were leaked globally just in the first quarter of 2023.
Hackers are constantly on a hunt for restricted data and classified information, which have become precious currency nowadays. It won’t take them long to invade your security and have all the aces up their sleeve.
Having a robust incident response plan can help you to mitigate security breaches. So, without further ado, let’s explore the seven key steps in dealing with a cyber crisis.
1. Preparation for Potential Incidents
First things first, this part of the incident response plan occurs before the incident or data breach occurs.
Organizations should use frameworks like the NIST cybersecurity framework or SANS incident response guidelines to help them assess their risks and develop their incident response plan.
This phase focuses on establishing communication channels and risk assessment, which includes determining which assets are most vulnerable to attack and what the company will do if an attack occurs.
2. Identification and Analysis
One crucial stage in responding to a cyber incident is identifying and confirming its existence. This is where the identification phase is useful.
The impact of cybersecurity incidents on organizations can be significantly reduced by:
- Putting in place clear regulations
- Installing monitoring systems
- Training staff to stay aware and report suspicious activities.
It is essential to identify the exact time of the incident to efficiently respond and minimize any potential damage.
3. Containment of Effects
The next stage after discovering an issue is to control its effects and stop it from propagating to other parts of the company network. Organizations can reduce losses and avoid the risk of repercussions by employing containment measures promptly.
A balanced approach must be maintained during the containment phase of the incident response procedure to mitigate damage while keeping evidence for later stages.
4. Investigation and Eradication
Investigate thoroughly to determine the source, extent, and nature of the incident. This includes:
- Obtaining information
- Performing forensic tests
- Reviewing records
- Identifying the compromised access point
- Figuring out vulnerabilities
The goal is to gather information that could help prevent similar circumstances in the future.
5. Recovery and Restoration of Operations
The next step is recovery or restoration when the virus has been removed, and the vulnerabilities have been fixed. Restarting the systems is the primary goal of this stage.
Ensuring that the systems are adequately patched and monitored is essential to restoring regular operations.
6. Lessons Learned
Reflection is one of the most important components of any incident response plan. During this stage of incident response, you can examine the occurrence and how it was handled in the past.
You can determine whether the response plans were sufficient and whether all important decision-makers and stakeholders acted quickly and precisely.
7. Ongoing Test and Assessment
Continuous testing and assessment are necessary to make sure an incident response plan is up-to-date and functional in the face of constantly changing cyber threats.
Organizations can find and fix flaws in their incident response strategy through routine testing and assessment, which strengthens their overall safety measures.
Tabletop exercises, parallel testing, and tool testing are some of the methods and resources used to test incident response plans.
Conclusion
In conclusion, by applying the 7-step approach we shared above, your business can not only reduce the impact of a cyber crisis but can also stay safe from similar threats in the future.
Do let us know about your feedback on our 7-step approach for the incident response plan, and don’t hesitate to add anything if you want to.
