Cybersecurity incidents can compromise data, impact operations and lead to legal consequences. Quick and effective incident response is imperative to maintaining business operations and corporate governance.
Read our new whitepaper, co-authored with our Incident Response partner Charles River Associates, to learn:
What are the Incident Response preventions, plans, policies and procedures? Everything from a stolen laptop to cyberespionage is considered an “incident” that requires an agreed upon procedure. The most successful organizations are the ones who have a plan for anything and everything. All plans should be customized to your unique requirements and should specify the resources and management support necessary to execute it. Plans must be reviewed annually or more often and include:
- Mission, strategies and goals
- Senior management approval
- Organizational approach to incident response
- How the team will communicate with the rest of the organization and with other organizations
- Metrics for measuring incident response capability and its effectiveness
- Road map for maturing incident response capability
- How the program fits into the overall organization
How do I select an incident response provider? There are many services an Incident Response provider can offer, and you need to know which of them your organization will require. It’s important to remember that incidents aren’t fully over once the threat actor is eradicated. This means there should be follow up services well after the incident lifespan.
For example, your Incident Response provider may be able to assist with managing the legal fallout of an incident, including assisting your legal counsel with expert testimony. Asking about what qualifies the provider to meet your unique needs is crucial in finding the appropriate incident response plan.
5 Common mistakes that hamper the Incident Response Process
Having incomplete preventative measures in place – Incomplete implementations of tools and allowing exceptions
Thinking an incident won’t happen – the unfortunate reality is that it’s unavoidable
Moving too slowly – Not having an Incident Response provider on retainer
Not knowing your regulatory and contractual obligations – Automatically or incorrectly labeling an incident as a “breach”
Mishandling evidence – Destroying the evidence or blocking access to evidence
MDR and Incident Response are very specialized areas of expertise. As a result, many small- to medium-sized organizations turn to third parties for assistance and round-the-clock service. For both domains, which do overlap somewhat, it is crucial to have capabilities in place proactively because time is an important factor when a cybersecurity incident does inevitably occur.
You can learn more on cybersecurity strategies, learn about the difference between real threat RESPONSE and legacy security approaches disguised as Managed Detection and Response (MDR) here.
