1.0 - Introduction
When a cybersecurity incident strikes, having a solid incident response plan can make all the difference between a minor hiccup and a full-blown crisis.
HighGround helps you to help your clients prepare their Cyber Incident Response capabilities by offering:
Free Incident Response Plans and Procedures to help get you started, or to let your client build their own plan without leaning too heavily on you.
Tracking of your last Incident Response Review and notifying you when the next review is due, using a rad/amber/green (rag) system and email notifications.
A Cyber Incident Response Review feature for performing these reviews within HighGround, in accordance with best practices.
Tip: To download our free Incident Response Plan and Procedure Templates, please read our Free Resources in HighGround article.
2.0 - Key Components of an Effective Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP)
Preparation: Establish policies, assign roles and responsibilities, and ensure incident response tools are in place.
Identification & Reporting: Monitor systems to detect potential incidents and analyse alerts to confirm their legitimacy, and encourage users to report anomalous or suspicious activity.
Triage: Investigating all reported incidents, whether its automated IT systems or reported from users., to determine if they are real incidents or a false alarm.
Notification: Alerting key stakeholders in the organisation, and keeping them updated periodically, enables them to perform their duties in orchestrating the broader organisations response.
Containment: Isolate affected systems to prevent further spread of the threat.
Evidence Gathering: Capturing key evidence is fundamental to identifying the cause of the incident, which is critical for learning from and preventing future incidents.
Eradication: Identify the root cause of the incident and eliminate it from the environment.
Recovery: Restore and validate systems to ensure they are fully operational and secure.
Post-Incident Review: Analyse the incident response process to identify improvements and update the CIRP as needed.
Incident Reporting: Official documentation of the entire incident lifecycle from initial incident reporting through to post incident analysis - an incident report pulls it all together, and can be shared with stakeholders and key clients.
3.0 - Best Practices for Maintaining a Strong Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP)
Regular Testing: Conduct tabletop exercises and simulations to validate the effectiveness of the plan.
Employee Training: Ensure all staff are aware of their roles in the event of an incident, including being aware of how to report a suspected or actual cyber incident.
Continuous Improvement: Incorporate lessons learned from past incidents and industry trends into your CIRP.
4.0 - Uploading a Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP)
When you open the Incident Response Plan tile in HighGround, you’ll see three key sections at the top:
Incident Response Vision & Mission
Incident Response Plan
Incident Response Procedure
Each section comes with a free, customizable template provided by HighGround to get you started quickly and efficiently.
How to Upload a Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP)
To upload your Incident Response Plan to any of the sections above, follow these simple steps:
Select ‘Upload’ next to the specific policy where you want to add your plan.
Enter the Approver & Author Names to ensure clear accountability and traceability.
Fill in the Review and Update Dates to keep your documentation accurate and up to date.
Press ‘Upload’ to finalize the process.
Your plan will now be securely stored within HighGround, ready for reference and compliance needs.
Note: Plans must be uploaded with either a link or a file, as these serve as crucial forms of evidence during audits or assessments.
5.0 - Completing an Incident Response Review
Regularly completing incident response reviews is the cornerstone of a robust cybersecurity strategy. Here's why it's essential:
1. Identify and Address Weaknesses: Incident reviews provide valuable insights into what went wrong during simulated incidents. By analysing these events, you can uncover vulnerabilities in your systems, processes, or security controls and implement targeted improvements to prevent future issues.
2. Enhance Incident Response Processes: Reviewing how your incident response plan performed in real-world scenarios allows you to refine and optimize your procedures. This ensures a faster, more efficient response when the next incident arises.
3. Promote Continuous Improvement: A structured review process fosters a culture of ongoing improvement. Lessons learned can lead to updates in policies, procedures, and technologies, strengthening your organization’s overall security posture.
These are just a few reasons why incident response reviews are critical. Because of their importance, HighGround has made the review process as straightforward as possible.
How to Complete an Incident Response Review
To complete an Incident Response Review in HighGround, follow these steps:
Click ‘Complete IR Review’ to start the review process.
Fill Out the Review Sections: The review consists of 8 sections, each containing a series of targeted questions. Answer these to the best of your ability, providing as much detail as possible.
Press ‘Complete’ to finalize the review.
Your completed review will now appear in your Incident Response Reviews list, ready for future reference, printing, or deletion.
Tip: When answering questions, you’ll find an option at the bottom of each section to add your own custom questions, allowing you to tailor the review to your organization’s specific needs.