There are a number of threats to today's complex information systems. An internal employee can download a single instance of ransomware and can have a significant impact on an organization. More complex attacks such as a network exploitation attempt or targeted data breach increases the chaos that a security incident causes. Technical personnel will have their hands full, attempting to determine what systems have been impacted and how they are being manipulated. They will also have to possibly contend with addressing the possible loss of data through compromised systems. Adding to this chaotic situation is senior managers haranguing them for updates and an answer to the central questions of how did this happen? and how bad is it?
Having the ability to properly respond to security incidents in an orderly and efficient manner allows organizations to both limit the damage of a potential cyber attack, but also recover from the associated damage that is caused. To facilitate this orderly response, organizations of all sizes have looked at adding an incident response capability to their existing policies and procedures.
In order to build this capability within the organization, several key components must be addressed. First, organizations need to have a working knowledge of the incident response process. This process outlines the general flow of an incident and the general actions that are taken at each stage. Second, organizations need to have access to personnel who form the nucleus of any incident response capability. Once a team is organized, a formalized plan and associated processes need to be created. This written plan and processes form the orderly structure that an organization can follow during an incident. Finally, with this framework in place, the plan has to be continually evaluated, tested, and improved as new threats immerge. Utilizing this framework will position organizations to be prepared for the unfortunate reality that many organizations have already faced, an incident that compromises their security.