How to Build a Resilient Cyber Incident Response Plan: Challenges & Best Practices
When asked what was their organization’s targeted optimum recovery time objectives (RTO) to minimize business impact in the event of a cyber attack or incident, 98% of respondents said their target was within one day. However, in that same survey, only 2% said they could recover data and restore business processes within this period.
This discrepancy highlights the importance of having a resilient incident response plan in place. Whether you are an organization or a service provider working with multiple clients, the ability to react swiftly and effectively to incidents can mitigate damages and ensure continuity.
This guide explores how to develop a robust cyber security incident response plan, offering best practices, a breakdown of common challenges, and specific insights into how organizations can strengthen their response capabilities.
What is a cyber incident response plan?
A cyber incident response plan (CIRP) is a structured approach that helps organizations detect, contain, and recover from cyber attacks against their information systems, including a denial of service attack, virus, worm, and Trojan horse. CIRPs include predefined processes, roles, and responsibilities, ensuring that all key personnel know how to act in the event of an incident. The purpose of such a plan is to minimize the damage caused by cyber incidents and ensure a swift recovery.
When it comes to service providers managing client infrastructure, having an effective CIRP is equally vital. Providers need a clear roadmap that not only addresses internal threats but also ensures seamless communication and remediation across all their client environments. In this case, a CIRP might need to account for different levels of client readiness, including variations in technology stacks, data protection policies, and compliance requirements.
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The benefits of a cyber incident response plan
Here are some key benefits of having a cyber incident response plan:
- Minimizes downtime: Having a CIRP helps organizations and service providers reduce the time it takes to detect and respond to an attack, minimizing disruption to critical operations.
- Limits financial losses: A well-executed response plan can help contain threats quickly, reducing the financial damage from lost productivity, ransom payments, or recovery costs.
- Prevents data loss: With a CIRP in place, organizations can limit data exposure, either by isolating affected systems or by backing up critical information during an incident.
- Meets compliance requirements: Many regulatory frameworks, such as GDPR and CMMC, require organizations to have a cyber security incident response plan in place. Being proactive about incident response helps meet these requirements and avoid fines.
- Boosts stakeholder confidence: Organizations that have a robust CIRP are better positioned to maintain the trust of customers, partners, and stakeholders in the aftermath of an attack.
- Improves communication: A CIRP can help ensure that internal teams and external stakeholders (such as clients or law enforcement) receive timely updates and clear guidance throughout the incident.
- Enables post-incident learning: CIRPs that incorporate a post-incident review process enable personnel to learn from each attack and improve future readiness.
Despite these benefits, formal incident response plans are not widespread. For example, according to a study by the UK Government, only 22% of businesses have them. To increase this percentage, we want to simplify the process of creating a cyber incident response plan as much as possible. So we’ll break down each component of a cyber incident response plan below.
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Cyber incident response plan example
In this section, we’ll look at an example of a cyber incident response plan to understand what sections of a comprehensive CIRP might include. We’ll also provide a brief explanation of the purpose of each section to help when reviewing a plan or building your own.
Introduction
A CIRP typically begins with an introduction, in which the purpose and scope are defined. This section defines what the CIRP covers, such as the types of incidents addressed (e.g., data breaches, ransomware attacks, DDoS), and sets expectations. It also clarifies the scope of the plan, explicitly stating which systems, data, networks, people, and devices that the plan applies to.
Incident response roles and responsibilities
Next, a cyber security incident response plan typically lists the roles and responsibilities of individuals on the incident response team. It details who needs to be contacted and when, ensuring that all relevant personnel, from legal advisors to IT professionals, know their role.
Incident response process
Next, the plan should outline the incident response process based on the lifecycle framework or model that suits them best.
For example, an earlier version of NIST 800-61 laid out a four-part lifecycle:
- Preparation
- Detection and Analysis
- Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
- Post-Incident Recovery
However, the latest draft of NIST 800-61 Revision 3 says this model is outdated and that the NIST CSF 2.0 functions better reflect the current state of incident response.
Regardless of the framework they choose, this section of the incident response plan will typically document processes and procedures spanning at least four categories:
Prepare
Outlines preparation activities that enable the organization to respond to an incident. This section focuses on identifying technology assets and cybersecurity risks, training employees, obtaining tools, and gathering resources while working towards preventing incidents through risk assessments.
Detect
Outlines how incidents are detected and reported. This section includes procedures for identifying unusual behavior and logging incidents, as well as guidelines for initial triage.
Respond
Provides detailed instructions on isolating affected systems to prevent further spread of the incident, while still maintaining essential business operations.
Recover
Explains how to remove the threat from the affected systems and restore them to normal operation. This section also includes the timeline and method for restoring systems from backups if necessary.
Communication plans
Details how and when internal and external stakeholders, such as clients, regulators, and media, will be informed. It also highlights how to keep clients updated without overwhelming them with technical details.
Post-incident review
This section outlines processes and procedures for lessons learned and improving the CIRP based on past incidents. This may involve a root cause analysis and documentation of improvements for future response efforts.
Cyber incident response plan template
A cyber incident response plan is a comprehensive framework that helps organizations respond to cybersecurity incidents quickly and effectively. It outlines key steps such as incident detection, roles and responsibilities, communication protocols, and recovery actions, ensuring a coordinated and efficient approach to managing cyber incidents.
Download the template below to create a comprehensive cyber incident response plan that helps minimize damage, reduce downtime, meet regulatory requirements, and protect sensitive data, enabling faster recovery and ensuring business continuity during a cyber crisis.
Cyber incident response plan template
Here’s a simple template you can use to start developing your CIRP.
Cyber incident response plan best practices
Below are best practices that can enhance your cyber incident response plan:
- Create an incident response policy: Create an incident response policy prior to making an incident response plan. This may include definitions of a cyber security incident and related terms, guidelines for prioritizing incidents, and performance measures.
- Develop a clear incident classification system: Not all incidents are created equal. defining the severity levels of incidents and setting response protocols accordingly will help streamline decision-making.
- Conduct regular incident response drills: Testing your CIRP through simulated attacks can identify weaknesses and prepare the team for real-world scenarios.
- Keep your plan updated: The cyber threat landscape is constantly evolving. regularly update your CIRP to account for new threats and changes in technology or regulations.
- Involve all departments: Cyber incidents are not just an “IT issue.” Ensure that legal, compliance, public relations, and other relevant departments are part of the incident response team and that communication is seamless.
- Tailor your response plan: It’s important to tailor your response plan to your specific needs and technological setup, ensuring that all actions align with your compliance requirements. It’s important to do the same for clients if you're a service provider.
- Post-incident review and continuous improvement: Post-incident review activities are one of the most important parts of the incident response lifecycle, but often neglected. It’s essential that your plan outlines processes and procedures for conducting a detailed post-mortem after an incident to identify what worked and what didn’t and using these findings to update the CIRP and improve future response capabilities.
- Clear communication channels: Ensure that there is a streamlined process for notifying key stakeholders, including internal communications within the team and external communications with clients, regulators, and even the public if necessary.
- Leverage automation tools: Incorporating automation into your response plan reduces human error, accelerates response times, and ensures that your team focuses on high-priority tasks.
Let’s dive into the benefits of leveraging automation in your cyber incident response process in the next section.
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How automation can solve cyber incident response challenges
Even with a solid cyber incident response plan in place, organizations and service providers face several common challenges in executing an incident response effectively, including lack of visibility, poor coordination between teams, and manual processes and inadequate training that delay response times.
Automation is a key tool in overcoming the challenges faced by incident response teams. Here’s how Secureframe’s automation can help enhance your cyber incident response plan:
- Automated tests: Secureframe ensures your security controls and remediation and incident response steps align with compliance frameworks like SOC 2 and the specific resources you are utilizing within your environment. For example, if you set up an integration with AWS, you’ll receive tests and remediation guidance related to security best practices against the resources you are using within your AWS account.
- Continuous monitoring: Automated systems continuously monitor your infrastructure for cybersecurity issues and anomalies. This proactive approach reduces the likelihood of missed incidents and enables quicker responses, ensuring minimal damage to operations.
- Automated remediation: Over time, changes in your environment or organization may result in cloud misconfigurations or other issues. Comply AI for Remediation automatically generates fixes, allowing users to effortlessly implement these solutions in their cloud environments. This not only makes the response and recovery process more efficient, it also can help enhance your organization’s overall cybersecurity posture.
- Centralized risk management: Secureframe offers centralized risk management, enabling organizations to effectively assess risks, prioritize remediation efforts, and continuously manage risks throughout the year. This aligns with best practices for frameworks such as SOC 2 and ISO 27001, ensuring that incident response aligns with overall compliance efforts.
- Automated mapping to frameworks: If you have an incident response plan in place and incident response plans or incident response is in scope of the framework you’re trying to comply with, then we’ll automatically have it mapped to the applicable framework requirements. That means you won’t have to complete anything again or duplicate work to comply.
- Enhanced communication and accountability: With Secureframe, owners of particular assets may receive alerts about detected misconfigurations directly in the platform or via Slack. Owners can also be assigned to certain tasks with due dates, and Secureframe will create corresponding tickets within your ticketing tool, such as Jira, ClickUp, Linear, and ServiceNow. When these tickets are completed, the tasks automatically resolve in Secureframe, and the linked ticket can also be found in the test in-platform, ensuring prompt resolution of misconfigurations so you avoid falling out of compliance.
- Customizable notifications: With Secureframe, you can set up notifications for required regular tasks that are key to your cybersecurity and compliance posture throughout the year, including vulnerability scanning and penetration testing. You can also set up reminders for personnel to complete security awareness training. This helps ensure that critical security and compliance-related tasks are consistently completed, preventing lapses that could lead to incidents.
- Automated asset inventory for improved visibility: Compiling and maintaining an inventory of assets manually in a spreadsheet is tedious and difficult to keep up-to-date. Secureframe automatically compiles and maintains an up-to-date asset inventory, offering improved visibility into the infrastructure and ensuring that all components are properly monitored during an incident.
In a UserEvidence Survey, 89% of Secureframe users said they improved visibility into their security and compliance posture by 25% or more. To see how you can achieve similar results, request a demo today.
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FAQs
What should be the frequency of testing a cyber incident response plan?
Testing your cyber incident response plan should be done regularly, at least once a year, to ensure the plan is up-to-date and effective. However, testing frequency may increase based on the size and complexity of your organization or if there have been significant changes in technology, personnel, or the threat landscape. Service providers, especially those with multiple clients, may benefit from quarterly testing to ensure that protocols work seamlessly across different environments.
How can small organizations or service providers with limited resources effectively implement a cyber incident response plan?
Small organizations or service providers can start with a basic incident response plan and build on it over time. Here are some tips to help maximize your resources:
- Prioritize key components like incident identification, containment, and communication.
- Automate as many steps as possible with cost-effective tools.
- Train employees to recognize and report potential incidents.
- Consider outsourcing certain aspects of the response, like forensic analysis or recovery.
How does a cyber incident response plan differ for service providers managing multiple clients?
For service providers, a CIRP must not only cover internal incidents but also be flexible enough to handle diverse client environments. This means creating client-specific response protocols that consider each client's unique compliance requirements, technology infrastructure, and business operations. Communication becomes more complex, requiring a clear, coordinated approach to keep all clients informed without overwhelming them. Service providers may also leverage scalable automation tools to ensure consistent and swift responses across all client environments.
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