Ways to Improve Existing Incident Response Plan

Introduction

Incident Response Plan (IRP) is a set of documented guidelines for identifying, responding to, and minimizing the effects of an information security event.

A variety of potential scenarios, such as data breaches, distributed denial of service attacks, firewall breaches, virus or malware outbreaks, or insider threats are addressed in incident response plans. Without an incident response strategy in place, organizations risk failing to contain the danger and recover from it when a breach is discovered or failing to detect the attack in the first place. If we talk about the industry, the NIST Incident Response Process and the SANS Incident Response Process are two frameworks that have been used by the industry.

NIST Incident Response Process:

Preparation
Detection and analysis
Containment, eradication, and recovery
Post-incident activity

SANS Incident Response Process:

Preparation
Identification
Containment
Eradication
Recovery
Lessons learned

Importance of Incident Response Plan

The following are the key reasons why an organization needs an effective incident response plan:

IRP Prepares an organization against emergencies because security issues frequently occur without prior notice.
Teams are unable to respond in a repeatable manner or prioritize their time in the absence of an incident response strategy.
Incident response mechanisms keep everyone informed during a crisis in large organizations.
IRP reveals any gaps in the security process that can be fixed before a crisis arises.
IRP makes sure that essential information and the best procedures for handling a crisis are not lost over time.
A well-documented incident response strategy lowers an organization's liability and enables them to show compliance auditors or authorities what steps were taken to stop the breach.

Ways to improve existing Incident Response Plan

Create a recurring incident responsible plan communication channel: When a cybersecurity incident occurs, you'll be trying to figure out what is being damaged or stolen, halt the threat actors and keep your organization's regular operations going while also dealing with a data breach or ransomware assault. However, starting from scratch can make the damage worse. Everyone involved must be aware of exactly what to do when it is time to implement or begin the plan.
Don does not underestimate the benefits of an incident response plan book: An effective incident response strategy must include a plan book for incident response customized to threats. This does not have to be officially published, however, it ought to at least include a document that is available for easy access and can offer instructions amid the confusion of incident response. Groups that are aware of their responsibilities during cyberattacks and other incidents frequently struggle with carrying them out. The plan book ought to offer instructions on how to handle particular circumstances.
Create a schedule for conducting security hygiene reviews: A sound incident response strategy promotes positive behaviors. The reaction will be more effective and the chance of incidents happening will be reduced with regular security hygiene reviews. Changing passwords, upgrading and/or rotating keys, examining access levels, and looking for unused employee accounts or accounts set up by threat actors should all be part of these reviews.
Adapt your incident response strategy: The establishment of an Incident Response Plan should not be left unattended; instead, it should undergo frequent evaluation and audit. In the current environment, where technology and related information systems are quickly developing and changing, this is extremely crucial.
Evaluate your incident response plan proactively: A proactive evaluation of your incident response plan is essential. Exercises like incident response, penetration testing, etc. are examples of proactive measures. The plan review should include input from each important stakeholder.
Give priority to training for incident response: All organizations should prioritize incident response training to prevent threats. Training needs to be considered in the incident response plan and budgeted appropriately. To ensure that everyone on the incident response team is aware of their responsibilities, this should involve going over various scenarios and rehearsing appropriate responses.

Conclusion:

The organization's crisis response must be fast and effective because there is so much at risk. While the chances of a security event are high, having a strong and improved incident response plan that includes training, education, and testing will ensure that the organization and its team are capable of rising to the occasion and successfully leading the organization through the issue.