Incident Handling Guide
Introduction
This guide outlines the key steps and procedures for responding to cybersecurity incidents
within our organization, based on the recommendations from NIST Special Publication 800-61
Revision 2. These guidelines will help us efficiently manage and mitigate the impact of
cybersecurity incidents, ensuring our organization remains secure and operational.
Steps for Incident Response
1. Preparation
Explanation: Preparation involves establishing and maintaining an incident response capability
so that the organization is ready to respond to incidents when they occur.
Key Actions:
Develop and implement an incident response policy.
Establish an incident response team with defined roles and responsibilities.
Provide training and awareness programs for employees.
Set up tools and resources needed for incident response, such as detection systems and
communication tools.
Significance: Being prepared ensures that the organization can quickly and effectively respond
to incidents, minimizing damage and recovery time.
2. Detection and Analysis
Explanation: This step involves identifying and analyzing potential security incidents to
determine their nature and scope.
Key Actions:
Monitor networks and systems continuously for unusual activity.
Use automated tools to detect possible incidents.
Analyze alerts to determine if they represent actual incidents.
Collect and preserve evidence for further investigation.
Significance: Quick and accurate detection helps in understanding the incident's impact and
scope, allowing for a faster response to contain and mitigate the issue.
3. Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
Explanation: Once an incident is confirmed, the next step is to contain the threat, eliminate it,
and restore normal operations.
Key Actions:
Containment: Isolate affected systems to prevent the spread of the incident.
Eradication: Remove the cause of the incident, such as malware or unauthorized access.
Recovery: Restore and validate system functionality to ensure normal operations resume
safely.
Significance: Proper containment prevents the incident from spreading, while eradication and
recovery ensure the threat is completely removed and systems are restored without further
vulnerabilities.
4. Post-Incident Activity
Explanation: After the incident is resolved, it is important to review and analyze the response to
improve future incident handling.
Key Actions:
Conduct a post-incident review meeting with the response team.
Document the incident, actions taken, and lessons learned.
Update incident response plans and procedures based on findings.
Provide additional training if needed based on new insights.
Significance: Reviewing and learning from incidents helps improve the incident response
process, reducing the likelihood of future incidents and enhancing the organization's overall
security posture.
Importance of Incident Documentation and
Communication
Documentation
Documenting each step of the incident response process is crucial. Detailed records of actions
taken, decisions made, and evidence collected provide valuable insights for future reference.
Proper documentation helps in:
Understanding the incident's impact and scope.
Facilitating communication and coordination among the response team.
Providing evidence for legal or regulatory purposes.
Improving incident response procedures through lessons learned.
Communication
Effective communication is essential throughout the incident response lifecycle. Clear and
timely communication ensures that:
All relevant stakeholders are informed about the incident and response actions.
The response team collaborates efficiently.
External parties, such as customers and partners, are updated as necessary.
Leadership is kept informed to make strategic decisions.
Conclusion
Following the NIST recommendations for incident response helps our organization
systematically and effectively handle cybersecurity incidents. By being prepared, detecting and
analyzing incidents promptly, containing and eradicating threats, and reviewing our response,
we can minimize the impact of incidents and continuously improve our security measures.
Proper documentation and communication further enhance our ability to respond to incidents
efficiently and transparently.
