1. Preparation & Readiness
- Establish an Incident Response Team (IRT) with clear roles (IT, legal, PR, compliance, and management).
- Conduct regular cybersecurity training and drills (e.g., tabletop exercises).
- Implement security policies and playbooks for different cyberattack scenarios.
- Ensure legal and regulatory compliance with incident response standards (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, NIST, ISO 27001).
2. Incident Identification & Detection
- Deploy real-time monitoring tools (SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR) to detect anomalies.
- Define clear criteria for classifying incidents (low, medium, high severity).
- Establish a centralized reporting system for employees and stakeholders.
- Ensure 24/7 monitoring for critical infrastructure.
3. Containment Strategy
- Implement immediate containment measures (e.g., isolating compromised systems, disabling accounts).
- Follow a short-term and long-term containment plan to prevent reinfection.
- Apply network segmentation to limit the attack’s spread.
- Work with third-party security providers if needed for incident containment.
4. Eradication & Threat Removal
- Identify and remove malicious files, backdoors, and unauthorized access points.
- Patch vulnerabilities and apply security updates to prevent re-entry.
- Scan all systems for malware persistence mechanisms (e.g., rootkits, hidden processes).
- Verify the removal of threats through penetration testing and scanning tools.
5. Evidence Collection & Digital Forensics
- Preserve all logs and forensic data (system logs, network traffic, emails, user activity).
- Follow chain-of-custody procedures to maintain evidence integrity.
- Capture memory dumps, disk images, and volatile data for forensic analysis.
- Work with certified forensic investigators to collect admissible evidence.
6. Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
- Determine the attack vector (phishing, zero-day exploit, insider threat, malware).
- Identify compromised credentials, weak security controls, and exploited vulnerabilities.
- Use forensic tools (e.g., EnCase, Autopsy, Wireshark, FTK) to analyze the incident.
- Develop a timeline of events to understand the attack’s progression.
7. Incident Reporting & Legal Compliance
- Report the breach to regulatory authorities (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, SEC) within required timeframes.
- Notify affected customers, employees, and stakeholders as per compliance laws.
- Prepare a legal report detailing the incident, impact, and response actions.
- Consult cyber insurance providers to assess coverage and claims processing.
8. Communication & Public Relations Strategy
- Implement a crisis communication plan to control public messaging.
- Work with legal and PR teams to issue official statements.
- Provide clear guidance to customers on protective measures if data is compromised.
- Avoid admitting fault prematurely to minimize liability risks.
9. System Recovery & Business Continuity
- Restore affected systems using clean backups.
- Test system integrity and security measures before resuming normal operations.
- Implement enhanced security measures to prevent similar attacks.
- Evaluate business continuity impacts and adjust operational strategies accordingly.
10. Post-Incident Review & Policy Improvement
- Conduct a post-mortem analysis with all key stakeholders.
- Identify gaps in security policies, response time, and forensic investigation.
- Update incident response plans based on lessons learned.
- Implement continuous monitoring and AI-driven security analytics to detect future threats.