2.2 Explain the steps to be included in a cyber security incident response

An Incident Response Plan (IRP) is like a detailed action plan that helps a company's IT team deal with emergencies involving their computer network's security. Imagine it's like a drill routine for a sports team, where everyone knows their position, moves, and what to do when the game changes unexpectedly. Here's what a basic IRP includes:

Key Contacts

This is like having a phone list of everyone you might need to call during an emergency, including the incident response team, IT staff, the bosses, and even the PR team to manage how the incident looks to the outside world. It's important to have more than one way to contact each person and to know who's available at all times, just like knowing who can play in a game at any moment.

Escalation Criteria

This part is like deciding when to move from a regular play to a special tactic because the opposing team made a surprising move. It's about knowing when a problem is big enough that it needs to be kicked up to the higher-ups for a decision, like whether to pull a player off the field. This could be represented by a traffic light system (green for minor issues, red for major ones) and includes a plan on how quickly and to whom the issue needs to be reported.

Basic Flowchart, Checklist, or Process

Think of this as the playbook for the team, covering everything from warm-up (preparation) to game time (detection and analysis, response) and post-game review (recovery and follow-up). It guides the team through each phase of dealing with an incident.

Legal or Regulatory Requirements

This is like knowing the rules of the game and what the referees (regulatory authorities) expect when something goes wrong. It includes when and how to report incidents to authorities and how to handle evidence properly so it can be used later if needed.

The IRP also includes tools to help during an emergency, like:

Checklists: Simple to-do lists for each step of the process, so nothing gets missed during the stress of dealing with an incident.
Forms: Paperwork for writing down what happened, tracking the response, and analyzing it afterward to see what can be learned.
Technical Guidance: More detailed instructions for the IT team on how to stop the problem, figure out what happened, fix any damage, and get everything back to normal.
Specific Incident Responses: Advice on how to handle particular types of incidents, because not all problems are the same.
Continuity Plans: Strategies for keeping the company running during and after an incident, ensuring that critical services stay up and running.

In short, an Incident Response Plan is a critical playbook for a company to handle unexpected security issues efficiently, minimize damage, and bounce back quickly, much like a sports team navigating through a tough game with strategy, coordination, and preparation.