The risk of not having an incident response plan
Currently, cyberattacks and security incidents are a reality that no company can be immune to, but what determines the impact on an organization is how it responds to them. Having a response process and following it is not only the responsibility of the IT or cybersecurity team, but of the entire organization.
Beyond the consequences, the question that every company must ask itself is: Are we really prepared to face a cyber attack?
In accordance with best practices, following a structured process allows you to mitigate risks and minimize the impact of cyber attacks. Its implementation is not only a technical issue, but also a business strategy to protect the company's most important assets. The steps to follow are described below:
1. Preparation: The basis of success
The first step to an effective response is preparation. Does your organization have a detailed plan to respond to a cybersecurity incident? At this stage, companies should ensure that everyone involved knows how to act in the event of an attack. This includes having the right tools, constant training, and running regular simulations to identify weak points.
Best practices:
- Implement ongoing training and security awareness for employees.
- Develop and implement backup policies, such as the 3 -2 -1 strategy: 3 copies of data on 2 different types of storage, and 1 copy outside the company.
- Regular attack simulations through penetration testing and vulnerability detection.
2. Identification: Do you know when you are under attack?
Quickly detecting an incident is essential to minimize the impact. Here, Network visibility and real-time monitoring they play a crucial role. Companies must have detection tools that allow them to quickly identify anomalies.
Suggestion: Use advanced threat monitoring and analysis platforms to improve response capacity and reduce detection time.
3. Containment: Minimizes damage immediately
Once the incident is identified, the next step is to contain it. Containment prevents the attack from spreading and causing further damage. Here, it is vital that decisions are made quickly and based on clear facts, to limit the impact.
Best practices:
- Implement network segmentation to isolate the affected parts.
- Use principles of Zero Trust, ensuring that only verified users and devices have access to critical resources.
4. Eradication: Eliminate the threat completely
After containing the incident, it is necessary completely eliminate the root cause of the attack. This involves sanitizing compromised systems, ensuring there are no backdoors, and fixing any exploited vulnerabilities.
Important tip: Before reintegrating systems, it is crucial to validate that all vulnerabilities have been fixed. Otherwise, attackers could exploit the same flaw again.
5. Recovery: Return to trading with confidence
Recovery focuses on restoring systems to normal operation. Before reintegrating any system, it is essential to verify that backups are not compromised and ensure that additional security measures have been implemented to prevent future incidents.
Best practices:
- Verify that backups are not infected before restoring them.
- Be sure to implement Zero Trust measures before bringing systems back up and running.
6. Lessons learned: Continuous improvement to avoid future incidents
Finally, each incident should serve as a learning opportunity. Evaluating what worked and what didn't can improve the response plan and reduce the risk of future attacks.
Advice: Updates plans and training based on lessons learned.
What happens if you don't have an adequate process?
The cost of not having an effective incident response process can be devastating. From loss of critical data to regulatory sanctions, loss of customer trust and prolonged disruption to operations, the risks are high.
Is your company willing to take those risks??
Security beyond technology
It's not just about tools and processes, but about creating a culture of security within the organization. It is essential to promote awareness and continuous training on cybersecurity issues among all employees. Remember: Your company's first line of defense is its employees.
Don't face the challenge alone
Implementing an effective incident response plan is not a task that should be taken lightly. If your organization does not yet have a plan or needs to improve the one it already has, lean on experts. At Honne we can help you design, implement and perfect a plan that minimizes risks and guarantees business continuity in the face of any cyber attack.
Are you ready to take the next step towards securing your organization?
Josué Garnica has more than 25 years of experience in ICT product development, digital transformation, project management and service portfolios. Currently, he leads digital transformation and cybersecurity solutions at Honne Services, driving innovation and security in business environments.