Incident Response Procedure
Last updated
Last updated
In a Security Operations Center (SOC), incident response must follow a structured and systematic approach to ensure consistent handling of security incidents. This minimizes errors, enhances accuracy, and strengthens the organization's overall security posture.
Objective: Detect suspicious activities.
Key Steps:
Log Collection: Security tools like EDR, IDS, IPS, and WAF continuously collect logs.
SIEM Correlation: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools analyze and correlate log data.
Alert Creation: SIEM generates alerts when predefined rules detect anomalous activities.
Outcome: Potential threats are flagged for analysis.
Objective: Determine whether an alert is valid or a false positive.
Key Steps:
Initial Review:
Tier 1 analysts review the alert and related log entries.
Use dashboards and queries to understand the context.
False Positive Elimination:
Verify whether the activity is benign (e.g., expected system behavior).
Documentation:
Record findings, including reasons for classifying the alert as a true positive or false positive.
Outcome: Alerts are filtered, with true positives passed for further investigation.
Objective: Gain a deeper understanding of the incident.
Key Steps:
Verify the Alert: Confirm the incident by correlating data across systems (logs, endpoints, network traffic).
Trace the Attack:
Identify the source of the attack (e.g., IP, compromised account).
Map the attacker’s progress (e.g., lateral movement, privilege escalation).
Outcome: A clearer picture of the incident’s scope and nature is developed.
Objective: Determine the extent of the damage or compromise.
Key Steps:
Identify Affected Systems: Pinpoint compromised devices, servers, or databases.
Evaluate Data Impact:
Determine if sensitive data was accessed, modified, or exfiltrated.
For ransomware attacks, assess the extent of encrypted files.
Document the Impact: Prepare an impact report summarizing affected assets and data.
Outcome: Provides a basis for prioritizing response and recovery actions.
Objective: Prevent further spread of the attack.
Key Steps:
System Isolation: Disconnect compromised systems from the network to contain the threat.
Immediate Countermeasures:
Block malicious IPs.
Disable compromised accounts.
Prevent Lateral Movement: Ensure that attackers cannot move further within the network.
Outcome: Limits the attack’s scope and impact.
Objective: Eliminate the threat and restore systems to normal operations.
Key Steps:
Root Cause Analysis: Identify and remediate the root cause of the attack (e.g., patch vulnerabilities, remove malware).
System Restoration:
Rebuild compromised systems using clean backups.
Revalidate configurations and access controls.
Verification: Ensure systems are secure and operational before reconnecting to the network.
Outcome: The environment is restored with enhanced security measures.
Objective: Learn from the incident to improve future response efforts.
Key Steps:
Follow-up Report: Document the entire incident lifecycle, including:
Detection.
Response actions.
Lessons learned.
Review Findings: Analyze what worked well and what needs improvement.
Update Protocols: Refine response procedures and playbooks based on insights.
Outcome: The SOC’s readiness and effectiveness are enhanced for future incidents.
Consistency: Ensures all incidents are handled uniformly, fostering predictability and reliability.
Accuracy: Reduces errors and false positives through systematic checks and validations.
Preparedness: Strengthens the SOC’s ability to respond quickly and efficiently to various threat scenarios.
Continuous Improvement: Lessons learned from each incident contribute to refining tools, processes, and procedures.
By adhering to this structured workflow, SOC teams can effectively detect, investigate, contain, and recover from security incidents, minimizing business impact and reinforcing organizational security.
