What Is Incident Response? [Updated 2024]

09 October, 2023
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Cybersecurity Incident Response is very necessary for better recovery from unwanted cyberattacks that occur due to low-level security measures. Cyberattacks put a lot of pressure on data management teams to recover data and systems in time.

Moreover, companies work on these skills to protect themselves from heavy losses during cyber incidents. That’s because companies have to confront the loss of trust from clients, and users due to safety concerns. What are we waiting for? Let’s start!

What Is an Incident Response Plan (IRP)?

An organization’s response to cybersecurity problems should be outlined in an incident response plan (IRP), which is a written approach. In order to lessen the impact of incidents on the operations and data of the business, it offers an organized approach to incident detection, analysis, containment, mitigation, and recovery.

Event

An event is a particular occurrence or observable behavior that, in the context of a problem Response Plan (IRP), may signal a potential security problem and call for additional investigation to ascertain its type and severity.

Alert

In the context of an Incident Response Plan (IRP), an alert is a notice or signal sent by a security monitoring system or tool that denotes a potential security incident that needs the incident response team’s urgent attention and investigation.

Incident

A security breach or policy violation that necessitates a coordinated response to investigate, contain, mitigate, and recover from the consequences of the breach is referred to as an incident in the context of an incident response plan (IRP).

8 Types of Security Incidents

S.No.	Security Incidents	What?
1.	Unauthorized Attempts to Access Systems or Data	Unlawful individuals or entities who seek to acquire unlawful access to computer systems, networks, or sensitive data within an organization—often with malice in mind—are referred to as “unauthorized attempts to access systems or data” in security incidents.
2.	Privilege Escalation Attack	In security incidents, a privilege escalation attack occurs when an attacker acquires illegal access to higher levels of privileges or access rights than those first allowed, usually to exert more control over or further damage a system.
3.	Insider Threat	When it comes to security issues, the term “insider threat” describes the danger posed by employees who, often intentionally but occasionally unintentionally, breach security by abusing their access and privileges.
4.	Phishing Attack	The term “phishing attack” refers to a deceptive technique used by cybercriminals to send phony emails or messages to recipients in an effort to coerce them into disclosing sensitive information or doing destructive activities, such as clicking on bogus links or downloading malware.
5.	Malware Attack	When a security event occurs, malware is deployed into the computer or network of the victim with the goal of disrupting, damaging, or gaining unauthorized access to a) Resources, b) Networks, c) Data, or d) Systems.
6.	Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attack	When an attacker floods a target system or network with excessive traffic or requests, making it unavailable to authorized users, the attack is known as a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.
7.	Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attack	In security events, a Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) assault takes place when an attacker secretly intercepts and maybe modifies communications between two parties, frequently to eavesdrop on confidential information or manipulate the communication.
8.	Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)	In security events, an advanced persistent threat (APT) is a protracted and highly complex cyberattack launched by a knowledgeable and determined adversary, frequently with ties to nation-states or organized crime, with the intention of stealing data or retaining permanent access to a targeted system or network.

6 Phases of the Incident Response Lifecycle

Preparation of Systems and Procedures

It entails setting up the appropriate frameworks, processes, and tools for efficient incident response, including

Developing Incident Response Plans,
Assembling an Incident Response Team, and
Setting up Monitoring and Detection Mechanisms.

Identification of Incidents

By examining warnings, events, or anomalies to determine whether they actually represent security breaches or possible threats, it entails identifying and verifying security occurrences.

Containment of Attackers and Incident Activity

It focuses on taking quick action to isolate compromised systems, stop more unauthorized access, and stop attacker activities in order to reduce the size and effect of a security incident.

Eradication of Attackers and Re-entry Options

It includes locating and removing the source of the security incident, deleting vulnerabilities, and putting in place countermeasures to stop attackers from coming back or making use of the same vulnerabilities.

Recovery from Incidents, including Restoration of Systems

It emphasizes applying lessons learned from the incident while restoring impacted systems and services to normal operation, minimizing downtime, and guaranteeing that the organization can continue regular business operations.

Lessons Learned and Application of Feedback to the Next Round of Preparation

It includes carrying out post-event reviews to pinpoint areas that may be improved, revising incident response plans and processes, and putting lessons learned from earlier incidents to use to strengthen the organization’s overall security posture.

Incident Response Frameworks

Preparation

It entails putting in place the fundamental components needed for a successful incident response, such as defining roles and duties, developing incident response plans, and assuring the availability of tools and resources.

Detection and Analysis

It entails keeping an eye out for indications of potential security incidents, examining data collected to confirm occurrences, and evaluating the impact and breadth of those incidents.

Containment, Eradication, and Recovery

It emphasizes taking quick action to lessen the impact of the incident, eliminating the underlying issue, and resuming normal operations for the affected systems and services.

Post-Incident Activity

It entails evaluating the incident response process, recording the lessons learned, and changing policies, procedures, and security measures in light of the incident’s learnings.

What Does an Incident Response Team Do?

A critical component of managing and minimizing cybersecurity problems is an incident response team. Ten essential duties and tasks of an incident response team are listed below:

S.No.	Tasks	What?
1.	Detection	Maintain a constant eye on system and network activity to spot any strange or suspicious activity that might point to a security incident.
2.	Analysis	To ascertain the breadth of the breach and its potential effects, investigate and assess the nature and scope of security incidents.
3.	Containment	Take urgent action to stop the incident’s spread, avert more harm, and shut down any compromised systems or networks.
4.	Eradication	To avoid such incidents in the future, locate and eradicate the incident’s primary cause, including any vulnerabilities or compromised assets.
5.	Recovery	Reduce downtime and business interruption by working to bring affected systems and services back online.
6.	Documentation	Keep thorough records of the incident, the steps taken, and the evidence gathered for a) Future Legal, b) Regulatory, and c) Administrative Reference.
7.	Communication	To keep important stakeholders updated on the incident’s status and effects, establish clear and timely contact with them. This includes a) Executives, b) Legal Teams, c) Law Enforcement (if necessary), and d) Affected Parties.
8.	Lessons Learned	To identify lessons learned and areas for advancement in incident response practices, security precautions, and general preparation, conduct post-event reviews.
9.	Legal and Regulatory Compliance	Make sure the incident response procedure complies with all legal and regulatory requirements, including the necessity to notify the public of data breaches.
10.	Training and Preparedness	To stay prepared for upcoming crises, continuously improve incident response capabilities by offering training, holding tabletop exercises, and revising incident response plans.

Conclusion

If you want to learn about how to respond to incidents you need to learn cyber security techniques and uses of cyber security measures. Moreover, if you get in contact with Craw Security, you will be able to get the best training and certification course which is the Industrial Oriented Innovative Cyber Security Course in Singapore.

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Frequently Asked Questions

About the What Is Incident Response?

What is Cyber Incident Response?

A planned method for dealing with and lessening the effects of cybersecurity incidents, such as data breaches or cyberattacks, is known as cyber incident response.

It entails locating, eliminating, and recovering from the occurrence while keeping track of any evidence for an inquiry and enhancing future security precautions.

What Does an Incident Response Team Do?

Effectively managing and minimizing cybersecurity issues inside a company is the responsibility of an incident response team. An incident response team typically performs the following tasks: