Incident Response
The organised approach to addressing and managing the aftermath of a security breach or cyberattack, with the goal of limiting damage, reducing recovery time, and preventing future incidents.
In-Depth Explanation
Incident response (IR) is the systematic process of detecting, analysing, containing, eradicating, and recovering from cybersecurity incidents. A well-prepared incident response plan minimises damage and speeds recovery when security events occur.
Incident response phases (NIST framework):
- Preparation: Building IR capability before incidents occur
- Detection and Analysis: Identifying that an incident has occurred and determining its scope
- Containment: Limiting the incident's spread and impact
- Eradication: Removing the threat from the environment
- Recovery: Restoring affected systems to normal operation
- Lessons Learned: Post-incident review and improvement
Incident response plan components:
- Incident classification and severity levels
- Roles and responsibilities (IR team members)
- Communication protocols (internal and external)
- Escalation procedures
- Evidence preservation guidelines
- Containment and eradication procedures
- Recovery procedures and priorities
- Legal and regulatory notification requirements
- Post-incident review process
Incident categories:
- Malware: Ransomware, trojans, viruses
- Phishing: Successful social engineering attacks
- Data breach: Unauthorised access to sensitive data
- Account compromise: Stolen or compromised credentials
- DDoS: Distributed denial of service attacks
- Insider threat: Malicious or accidental internal action
- System compromise: Unauthorised access to servers or systems
Australian incident response requirements:
- Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme: Mandatory notification within 30 days
- OAIC notification for eligible data breaches
- ACSC reporting for significant cyber incidents
- APRA notification requirements for regulated entities
- Potential requirement to notify affected individuals
Business Context
Organisations with a tested incident response plan reduce the average cost of a data breach by $2.66 million compared to those without one. Preparation is significantly cheaper than reactive response.
How Clever Ops Uses This
Clever Ops develops incident response plans for Australian businesses, defining procedures for detection, containment, and recovery. We ensure plans meet Notifiable Data Breaches scheme requirements, conduct tabletop exercises to test preparedness, and help businesses build the capability to respond effectively to cyber incidents.
Example Use Case
"An Australian business discovers a ransomware infection at 9am. Their tested incident response plan activates: affected systems are isolated within 30 minutes, clean backups are identified, systems are restored by 3pm, and OAIC notification is prepared within 24 hours."