Cyber threats continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, and therefore accurate decision-making during a cybersecurity incident is of utmost importance. A swift and well-coordinated response can mean the difference between mitigating the impact of an attack and facing severe consequences.
This article will explore ten considerations to make for an incident response plan, which is an extract taken from 'The Executive's Cybersecurity Incident Response Playbook'.
10 Considerations for an Incident Response Plan
- Define the Incident Response Team - Ensure that an incident response team is established. This includes the core and extended teams. Empower the teams to make decisions that have been pre-authorized, such as initial containment and eradication. Strategic decisions may have long-term implications and should be left to the CISO.
- Communication Plan - Establish clear communication channels within the organization and outside entities, being mindful of guidance from inside and external legal counsels. Remember to speak the language when interfacing with business executives and ensuring transparency to maintain trust.
- Incident Declaration – The CISO should be empowered with the authority to declare a formal incident when triggers reach the thresholds defined in the plan.
- Budget Planning Resource Allocation - Allocate necessary resources, including personnel and budget, to handle the incident effectively. This may include retainers for digital forensics, experts, and partners. Reevaluate the organization's strategic approach to support continual improvements.
- Third-Party Engagement - Determine if or when to involve external third parties, such as cybersecurity firms or legal counsel. Soliciting assistance from third parties helps establish trust, but also inspires confidence in the response process. Third-party engagement should be sought through the guidance of internal and external legal counsels to establish and maintain attorney-client privilege.
- Ensure Legal and Regulatory Compliance – Engage regulatory bodies, such as data protection agencies or law enforcement, and meet reporting requirement deadlines.
- Recovery - Authorize recovery measures. Understand the potential business impact of each action taken and make informed decisions.
- Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity & Crisis Management - Work with stakeholders to assess the impact on business operations and make decisions when to invoke business continuity and disaster recovery plans and crisis management, if it rises to the occasion of a crisis. Ties and triggers should be clearly outlined in the incident response plan.
- Postmortem Activities & “Lessons Learned” – Conduct a post-incident review to ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future cybersecurity strategies.
- Board of Directors, Shareholders, and “other” Stakeholders - Understand how the board of directors would want to receive updates (ask this question early on to plan for updates). Inside and external counsel typically assist and can provide direction. Consider other stakeholders, such as external groups that have a vested interest, such as customers, environmental, etc.
This article explored ten essential considerations extracted from 'The Executive's Cybersecurity Incident Response Playbook.' From empowering incident response teams to transparent communication and compliance, these guidelines serve as a critical roadmap for organizations.
