Cloud Security Incident Response Plan

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction

 1.1 Purpose

 1.2 Scope

 1.3 Objectives

2. Incident Response Team

 2.1 Team Members

 2.2 Roles and Responsibilities

 2.3 Contact Information

3. Incident Classification and Escalation

 3.1 Incident Categories

 3.2 Severity Levels

 3.3 Escalation Procedures

4. Detection and Analysis

 4.1 Detection Tools and Mechanisms

 4.2 Initial Analysis Steps

 4.3 Documentation of Findings

5. Incident Containment and Eradication

 5.1 Isolation Procedures

 5.2 Eradication Procedures

 5.3 Communication During Containment

6. Evidence Collection

 6.1 Collection Tools and Procedures

 6.2 Chain of Custody

7. Communication Plan

 7.1 Internal Communication

 7.2 External Communication

 7.3 Communication Templates

8. Legal and Regulatory Compliance

 8.1 Reporting Requirements

 8.2 Legal Support Contacts

 8.3 Preservation of Evidence

9. Resolution and Recovery

 9.1 System Recovery Procedures

 9.2 Post-Incident Review

 9.3 Lessons Learned

10. Training and Awareness

 10.1 Continuous Training

 10.2 Awareness Programs

11. Documentation and Reporting

 11.1 Incident Report Template

 11.2 Post-Incident Review Report Template

12. Appendix A: Incident Response Flowchart

 A visual flowchart outlining the incident response process.

Introduction
1.1 Purpose
The purpose of this document is to establish guidelines and procedures for responding to
security incidents in our cloud environment. The primary objectives are to protect sensitive
data, ensure business continuity, and minimize the impact of security incidents on our
organization.

1.2 Scope
This plan applies to all personnel responsible for managing and securing the organization's
cloud infrastructure, including but not limited to IT Cloud administrators, security
professionals, and relevant third-party service providers.

1.3 Objectives
 Detect and Respond Promptly: Implement measures to detect security incidents in a
timely manner and respond swiftly to mitigate potential damage.

 Minimize Impact: Minimize the impact of security incidents on business operations,

customer trust, and the organization's reputation.

 Ensure Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and industry
standards pertaining to data protection and incident reporting.

2. Incident Response Team

2.1 Team Members
 Incident Response Coordinator: Balaji K S

 Cloud Security Architect/Analyst: Rakesh Sharma

 Legal Advisor: Rachel Daily

 Communications Officer: Ganesh Srinivasan

2.2 Roles and Responsibilities

 Incident Response Coordinator: Coordinates the overall incident response efforts,
communicates with executive management, and ensures that all team members
perform their duties effectively.

 Cloud Security Architect/Analyst: Investigates and analyses security incidents,

identifies the root cause, and implements necessary measures for containment and
eradication.
  Legal Advisor: Provides legal guidance, ensures compliance with regulations, and
assists in preserving evidence for potential legal actions.

 Communications Officer: Manages internal and external communications during and

after a security incident, keeping stakeholders informed and addressing public
relations concerns.

2.3 Contact Information

 Incident Response Coordinator: Balaji K S - balaji.ks@volantetech.com, +91 959 906
6672

 Cloud Security Architect/Analyst: Rakesh Sharma -

rakesh.sharma@volantetech.com, +91 909 441 1994

 Legal Advisor: Rachel Daily - rachel.daily@volantetech.com, +44 (0)7977 158 299

 Communications Officer: Vinay Prabakar - ganesh@volantetech.com, (908) 331 2396

3. Incident Classification and Escalation

3.1 Incident Categories
 Unauthorized Access: Any attempt or successful unauthorized access to cloud
resources.

 Data Breach: Unauthorized access, disclosure, or compromise of sensitive data

stored in the cloud.

3.2 Severity Levels

Severity levels are classified based on the potential impact on the organization:

 Critical: Immediate action required, severe impact on business operations, potential

data loss.

 High: Significant impact on business operations, sensitive data at risk.

 Medium: Limited impact, potential for escalation if not addressed promptly.

 Low: Minimal impact, easily containable.

3.3 Escalation Procedures

 Critical Incidents: Immediately notify the Incident Response Coordinator and
executive management. Initiate the incident response process without delay.

 High Incidents: Notify the Incident Response Coordinator within 1 hour. Prepare a
preliminary incident report.
  Medium and Low Incidents: Notify the Incident Response Coordinator within 24
hours. Provide initial details and observations.

4. Detection and Analysis

4.1 Detection Tools and Mechanisms
We employ a combination of tools and mechanisms for detecting security incidents in our
cloud environment. This includes:

 CSPM/CNAPP: Microsoft Defender for Cloud is a unified cloud-native application

protection platform that helps strengthening security posture, enables protection
against modern threats, and helps reduce risk throughout the cloud application
lifecycle. One of Microsoft Defender for Cloud's main pillars is cloud security posture
management (CSPM). CSPM provides detailed visibility into the security state of
assets and workloads and provides hardening guidance to help teams to improve
security posture efficiently and effectively.

 Intrusion Detection/prevention System (IDS/IPS): FortiGate firewall configured to

monitors network traffic for DDOS activity, malicious/suspicious activity and alerts
the SOC team.

 Endpoint Security: Protect and empower cloud workforce with an integrated

security framework that protects every endpoint. Trellix Endpoint Security (ENS)
solutions apply proactive threat intelligence and defence across the entire attack
lifecycle.

 Security Information and Event Management (SIEM): Splunk aggregates and

analyses log data from various cloud services to identify potential security incidents.
Includes authentication logs (sign-in logs) and a targeted set of operations for all
users, as well as another set of operations for all users of interest. we collect cloud
service plane logs as well as any relevant data plane logs, VPC/VNet flow logs, and
any relevant specialty logs (function-as-a-service invocation logs), Application load
balancer, Network load balancer, WAF logs, Firewall logs etc

4.2 Initial Analysis Steps

Upon detection of a security incident, the Cloud Security Analyst will perform the following
initial analysis steps:

1. Isolation: Isolate affected systems or resources to prevent further compromise.

2. Logs and Artifacts: Collect relevant logs and artifacts for further analysis.
 3. Notification: Notify the Incident Response Coordinator and other relevant team
members.

4.3 Documentation of Findings

The Cloud Security Analyst will document findings in a centralized incident tracking system,
including details such as:

 Date and time of detection.

 Initial analysis results.

 Identified vulnerabilities or attack vectors.

 Recommended actions for containment and eradication.

5. Incident Containment and Eradication

5.1 Isolation Procedures
In the event of a security incident, the following isolation procedures will be implemented:

 IAM Access Restriction: Containing an incident in cloud infrastructure includes

identifying all security principals compromised and/or added by the adversary,
including users, compromised roles (such as via federated sessions or compromised
identity stores), and service accounts. In many cases, the cloud provider supports
more than one credential source for a security principal, allowing an adversary to
impersonate a user or service account without interfering with the original,
authorized purpose for that account — thereby hindering detection. All these must
be carefully tracked and eliminated while ensuring adequate monitoring to detect
any attempts by the adversary to reestablish persistence.
Examples: Multiple API keys in addition to a password for a user, multiple credential sources
for a service account, and multiple MFA devices for a single user.

 Code and Automation Restriction: Automation and deployment frameworks in the

cloud platforms, and any user-defined code which can act as a security principal,
including functions-as-a-service, containers, and hosts, can be used by the adversary
to re-establish persistence in the environment. A comprehensive review of all
possible pivot points, persistence mechanisms, and outliers in configured access is
required to ensure thorough containment and subsequent ejection.

 Network Isolation: Network backdoors including rogue VPC peering points and
simple modification to network security group rules can expose resources to
continued adversary control. And cloud-based infrastructure with excessive
 outbound permissions, with policies such as allowing access to all IP ranges
belonging to a trusted cloud provider, can be abused by adversaries to blend in with
authorized traffic to that cloud provider. A comprehensive review of all possible
pivot points, persistence mechanisms, and outliers in configured access is required
to ensure thorough containment and subsequent ejection.

5.2 Eradication Procedures

Once the incident is contained, the Cloud Security Analyst will proceed with eradication
procedures:

 System Patching: Apply patches to eliminate vulnerabilities exploited during the

incident.

 Malware Removal: Identify and remove any malware present in the cloud
environment.

5.3 Communication During Containment

Regular updates will be provided to the Incident Response Coordinator and Communication
Officer regarding the status of incident containment. Communication to other stakeholders
will follow the communication plan outlined in Section 7.

6. Evidence Collection
6.1 Collection Tools and Procedures
The Cloud Security Analyst will use forensics tools and follow established procedures for
evidence collection:

 Disk Imaging: Create forensic images of affected systems for offline analysis.

 Memory Forensics: Analyse system memory for evidence of malicious activity.

6.2 Chain of Custody

A detailed chain of custody log will be maintained, documenting each person who handles
the evidence, the date and time of transfer, and the purpose of the transfer. This ensures
the admissibility of evidence in legal proceedings.

7. Communication Plan
7.1 Internal Communication
Internal communication will be coordinated through the Incident Response Coordinator.
Regular updates will be provided to the SOC team, IT Cloud, IT, and executive management.

7.2 External Communication

External communication will be managed by the Communications Officer. Depending on the
severity of the incident, communication may be directed to customers, regulatory bodies,
and the public. Communication will be transparent, providing necessary information
without compromising security.

7.3 Communication Templates

Prepared communication templates will be used to ensure consistency and accuracy in
messaging. These templates will be adapted based on the nature and severity of the
incident.

8. Legal and Regulatory Compliance

8.1 Reporting Requirements
In the event of a security incident, we are obligated to report certain incidents to regulatory
bodies and authorities. For instance:

 Data Breach Notification: In compliance with [applicable data protection laws], we

will report any data breaches involving sensitive customer information to the
[relevant data protection authority] within 72 hours of discovery.

8.2 Legal Support Contacts

We have identified legal support contacts who specialize in cybersecurity and data
protection. The Legal Advisor will coordinate with external legal counsel, to ensure that the
organization follows legal protocols during and after a security incident.

8.3 Preservation of Evidence

The legal and technical teams will collaborate to ensure the proper preservation of
evidence. This includes:

 Chain of Custody: Maintaining a detailed chain of custody log for all collected
evidence.

 Documentation: Keeping records of the incident response process to demonstrate

compliance with legal requirements.

9. Resolution and Recovery

9.1 System Recovery Procedures
Upon successful eradication of the incident, the organization will follow a systematic
process for system recovery, including:

 Data Restoration: Restoring data from backup systems.

  System Testing: Thoroughly testing systems to ensure they are free from
vulnerabilities.

9.2 Post-Incident Review

A post-incident review will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the incident
response process. This review will involve:

 Lessons Learned: Identifying strengths and areas for improvement in the incident
response plan.

 Process Optimization: Updating procedures based on the review to enhance future

incident response efforts.

9.3 Lessons Learned

Example: From a recent incident, it was identified that the organization's system patching
process needed improvement. As a result, a new procedure was implemented to ensure
timely application of security patches.

10. Training and Awareness

10.1 Continuous Training
Regular training sessions will be conducted for the incident response team to enhance their
skills and knowledge. This includes:

 Simulation Exercises: Simulating realistic scenarios to test the team's response and
decision-making capabilities.

 Security Awareness Training: Providing ongoing training to all employees on

recognizing and reporting security incidents.

10.2 Awareness Programs

The organization will run awareness campaigns to keep employees informed about the
latest cybersecurity threats and best practices. This may include distributing informational
materials, conducting workshops, and promoting a culture of security awareness.

11. Documentation and Reporting

11.1 Incident Report Template
The incident response team will use a standardized incident report template that includes:

 Incident Details: Date, time, and nature of the incident.

 Response Actions: Steps taken to contain, eradicate, and recover from the incident.

 Recommendations: Suggestions for preventing similar incidents in the future.

11.2 Post-Incident Review Report Template
The post-incident review report will follow a template that includes:

 Summary of Incident: Brief overview of the incident, including severity and impact.

 Key Findings: Lessons learned, areas for improvement, and successful elements of
the incident response.

 Recommendations: Proposed changes to incident response procedures based on the

review.
12. Appendix
A: Incident Response Flowchart