What is Incident Response? 6 steps of Incident Response explained

Introduction to Incident Response

You’ve been hacked! 

What will be your reaction to this? Panic, clueless, or helpless?

That’s not the way to react to a cyberattack, and organizations who face these must have a properly configured Incident Response plan to counteract the attack. With around 26,000 cyberattacks every day, and 18 every minute, the threat is more imminent and dangerous. 

Hence, organizations must protect systems and thwart any cyberattacks that are bound to occur, and an Incident Response plan is where you can place your bets to protect your systems.

What is an Incident Response?

In the cybersecurity industry, Incident Response is a term used to describe the methods an organization uses to identify, maintain, and eliminate cyberattacks. The primary objective of Incident Response is to eradicate the attacks and prevent future attacks from occurring in the same way.

What is an Incident Response plan?

It is a set of standard procedures to be followed in every step of Incident Response. An effective Incident Response plan will have a crystal clear communication plan, guidelines terming the roles and responsibilities of each individual/ organization, and protocols that have to be adhered to at every step.

Steps Involved in Incident Response: Incident Response Flow

There are six primary steps involved in Incident Response. Every time a cyberattack/ incident occurs, the below-mentioned 6 steps are performed in a sequence either manually or automatically.

1. Taking precautions and securing the systems beforehand
2. Identifying the incident/breach
3. Containing the cyberattack/ breach activity
4. Terminating the threat and any options to re-enter the system
5. Recovering and restoring the systems
6. Application of feedback and preparing for any future attacks

Now, let’s get into details about these steps to give you an overview of what these statements refer to.

1. Preparation and precautions

Reviewing the existing remedial and preventive measures are the first step, which involves performing a risk assessment that can determine the vulnerabilities in the system. The data obtained from this assessment are utilized to reconfigure the systems to eliminate any vulnerabilities and focus on securing the assets.

The two outcomes of the first step in Incident Response are:

• Policies and configurations can be re-written to counteract the latest types of attacks in the industry. 
• Processes and tools required to face any attack are determined.

2. Threat/Breach Identification

The earlier the threats are detected, the lesser the damage to the system. The process and tools determined in the first stage help teams/professionals to detect and identify any suspicious activity or a breach in the system. Once the attack is detected, the cybersecurity team must identify the following:

• Type of attack
• Source of the cyberattack
• The motive of the attacker

The above attributes are determined by accessing the error messages, log files, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. The data obtained can be stored for analysis that can help to block any impending attacks.

An effective practice that must be followed after a cyberattack:

Once the threat is identified and a complete overview of the breach is determined, the details are communicated with the security team, authorities, stakeholders, legal team, and the users of the website. 

3. Threat/Breach Containment

As per the Incident Response process, once the threat is identified, the containment and remedial measures must be immediately enacted. The Incident Response system must be set up in such a way that this step is attained as soon as possible once the threat is detected to minimize the damage caused. 

Threat containment can be categorized into two phases:

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4. Threat Elimination

This step entails removing the threat and restoring the affected systems to their previous optimal conditions. Proper steps must be taken to eliminate all the traces of the attack. The systems undergo quarantine and are made free from any malicious content.

5. Recovery and Restoration

The systems are brought back online with the latest patch and reconfigured codes. If you’ve made it a point to backup your systems periodically, then recovery and restore would be a walk-in-the-park for you. The cybersecurity team must ensure that the restored version of the software is the cleanest version backed up before the attack. 

The systems are tested, monitored, and validated before being made live after the attack. This is to ensure that:

• The reconfigured codes have been implemented properly
• Monitoring any abnormal activity
• Hackers don’t return for round two

6. Feedback consideration and refinement

This is the concluding phase of Incident Response. The details accumulated and insights received from the attack are reviewed in this step. This step allows organizations to figure out whether their existing Incident Response plan went well, or if it needs reconfigurations if the plan didn’t work. 

The incident must be documented for future references and can be used as training and improvisation material. 

Why is the Incident Response so important?

Incident Response Plans are like firefighters. They are the first responders to any attack inflicted on our systems. Just like how firefighters extinguish the fire and restore normalcy,  an Incident Response Plan also does the same. The faster the Incident Response post the attack, the lesser the damage to the systems. 

What if I want to become trained as a cybersecurity professional?

Cybersecurity is an exciting domain. But, it is not as easy as it sounds, and one has to possess extensive knowledge and skills about cyberattacks and how to thwart them away to keep the systems safe from hackers. If you’re pondering over how to attain the crucial skills required to excel in the domain, Advanced Cyber Security Program can provide you with the right platform to learn and progress.