• From data breaches to malware infections, cyber threats are numerous and ever-evolving.
• Having a robust incident response workflow is your shield against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats.
• Live patching can be a valuable tool in your cybersecurity strategy by enabling faster response to vulnerabilities without requiring a system reboot.

Cyber threats are growing in sophistication and frequency across all industries. While prevention is essential, even the most secure organizations can face successful attacks. An incident response workflow is a critical component of cybersecurity that helps organizations respond promptly and effectively to security incidents. Without a well-defined incident response plan, the time to identify and contain a breach can be lengthy, leading to significant financial losses.

On average, it takes 277 days to identify and contain a breach: 207 days for identification and 70 days for containment. Organizations with a well-defined incident response plan experience significant cost savings. In fact, companies with an IR team and a regularly tested plan saved an average of USD 2.66 million per breach compared to those without. IR teams rank among the top three cost-saving measures, alongside security platforms that leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and a DevSecOps approach. (IBM)

This article will guide you through creating an effective incident response workflow, ensuring your business is prepared to handle any cybersecurity challenge that comes its way.

What is Incident Response Workflow?

It is a structured approach to managing and addressing security incidents. This involves predefined procedures and actions to detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats promptly and efficiently. By establishing a clear workflow, businesses can minimize damage, reduce recovery time, and protect their assets and reputation.

Two popular examples of incident response frameworks are those developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the SysAdmin, Audit, Network and Security Institute (SANS).

NIST Framework

This framework outlines a four-phase process for incident response:

• Preparation: Establish procedures and resources for handling incidents.
• Detection and Analysis: Identify and assess potential security breaches.
• Containment, Eradication, and Recovery: Limit damage, remove the threat, and restore systems.
• Post-Incident Activity: Learn from the experience to improve future response efforts.

SANS Framework

The SANS framework offers a six-step approach:

• Preparation: Similar to NIST, this phase focuses on pre-incident planning and resource allocation.
• Identification: Detect and confirm a security incident.
• Containment: Isolate the affected systems to prevent further spread.
• Eradication: Eliminate the root cause of the incident.
• Recovery: Restore affected systems and data to normal operation.
• Lessons Learned: Analyze the incident and revise response procedures for future events.

As you can see, both frameworks share core principles but differ slightly in structure and terminology. The main difference lies in how they approach containment, eradication, and recovery (Steps 3 & 4). NIST encourages a more simultaneous approach, suggesting you can begin eradication efforts while containment is still ongoing.  SANS, on the other hand, treats these steps as more sequential.

Both NIST and SANS offer comprehensive checklists to guide your incident response workflow. The choice between NIST and SANS depends on your organization’s specific needs and resources.

Here, we will dive deeper into the six steps of the SANS Framework, explaining their implications for your incident response plan.

The SANS Framework: 6 Steps to Effective Incident Response Workflow

Step 1: Preparation

Preparation is the foundation of an effective incident response workflow. In this phase, you will set up the necessary tools, policies, and teams to handle potential incidents. Key activities include:

Developing an Incident Response Plan: Outline the procedures and responsibilities for handling incidents. This plan should include communication protocols, escalation paths, and documentation requirements.

Building a Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT): Form a team of skilled professionals, including IT staff, legal advisors, and public relations experts, to manage incidents. Ensure all CSIRT members understand their roles and responsibilities.

Invest in Tools and Technologies: Equip your team with the right tools, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), security information and event management (SIEM) systems, and forensic tools.

Conduct Training and Simulations: Regularly train your team on the latest threats and how to identify and report suspicious activity. Simulate incidents to test the effectiveness of your plan and identify areas for improvement. 

The first step primarily focuses on getting your organization ready to respond to an incident effectively. Having a plan, team, and tools in place allows for a structured and efficient response during an actual incident.

Step 2: Identification

This phase involves detecting and understanding security incidents. Quick identification is crucial to minimize damage. Key actions include:

Monitoring Systems: Continuously monitor network traffic and log data for suspicious activities, such as unauthorized access attempts, malware signatures, or unusual data transfers.

Establishing Alerting Mechanisms: Set up automated alerts for potential incidents, prioritizing them based on severity and potential impact. Investigate these alerts and determine if they indicate a real incident.

Conducting Initial Triage: When an alert is triggered, perform an initial assessment to determine the severity, scope, and potential impact of the incident.

Step 3: Containment

The goal of containment is to stop the incident from spreading and causing further damage. This might involve:

Short-term Containment: Implement immediate measures to isolate affected systems and prevent the incident from spreading. This could involve disconnecting compromised systems from the network, changing passwords on potentially compromised accounts, or disabling compromised user accounts.

Long-term Containment: Apply more comprehensive measures to address the root cause of the incident and prevent future occurrences. This could involve deploying security patches, reconfiguring firewalls, enhancing security controls, and conducting a forensic investigation. 

Step 4: Eradication

The Eradication phase involves removing the root cause of the incident and ensuring it does not happen again. Key actions include:

Identifying Root Cause: Conduct a thorough investigation to determine how the incident occurred and what vulnerabilities were exploited.

Removing Malware: Use antivirus and anti-malware tools to clean infected systems. Remove any malicious software installed by the attacker.

Patching Vulnerabilities: Apply security patches to address any vulnerabilities exploited in the attack.

Enhance Security Measures: Implement additional security controls to prevent future incidents, such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) and network segmentation. 

For Linux-based systems, consider using Live Patching to apply critical kernel updates without downtime, ensuring systems remain secure and operational. TuxCare’s KernelCare Enterprise offers live patching for all popular enterprise Linux distributions without needing a reboot or scheduled maintenance windows.

Step 5: Recovery

Recovery focuses on restoring affected systems and data to normal operations. This might involve:

Prioritizing System Recovery: Focus on restoring critical systems first to minimize downtime and ensure business continuity.

Restoring Backups: Recover affected systems and data from backups created before the incident.

Testing Systems: Recovered systems and data are thoroughly tested to verify that they are free of threats and function properly.

Step 6: Lessons Learned 

The final phase in the incident response workflow, Lessons Learned, involves analyzing the incident and the response process to improve future preparedness. Key actions include:

Reviewing the Incident Response: Review the incident, response actions, outcomes, and communication protocols. Analyze the effectiveness of alerting systems, containment measures, and overall response strategy.

Identifying Areas for Improvement: Revise the response plan based on lessons learned to address any identified weaknesses or gaps in communication, detection, containment, eradication, or recovery procedures.

Updating the Incident Response Plan: The plan is updated based on the lessons learned from the incident.

Train and Educate Staff: Share key findings with the broader organization to enhance overall security awareness and preparedness. Conduct training sessions based on the lessons learned, such as improving phishing attack recognition skills.

Implementing Live Patching in Your Incident Response Workflow

During a security incident, every minute counts. Live patching is a valuable tool that allows you to apply security updates to your systems without needing to restart them. This minimizes downtime and ensures your systems remain protected even during critical operations.

Live patching can address vulnerabilities identified during containment and eradication efforts. Unlike traditional patching methods, security updates are applied without requiring a system reboot. This is especially beneficial in situations where maintaining uptime is critical. 

TuxCare’s KernelCare Enterprise offers automated live patching for all major Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, RHEL, AlmaLinux, Amazon Linux, Oracle Linux, CloudLinux, and more. 

Discover how live patching works with KernelCare Enterprise. 

Final Thoughts

Cybersecurity threats like data breaches, ransomware attacks, and malware infections are a constant concern for businesses of all sizes. Having a well-defined incident response workflow is your shield against these threats. It’s a clear roadmap that helps your business respond swiftly and effectively to security incidents, protecting sensitive data and maintaining customer trust. By implementing the above strategies, you will be well-equipped to handle security incidents and safeguard your business.

The post 6 Steps to Build an Incident Response Workflow for Your Business appeared first on TuxCare.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from TuxCare authored by Rohan Timalsina. Read the original post at: https://tuxcare.com/blog/6-steps-to-build-an-incident-response-workflow-for-your-business/