Phases of an incident response playbook

Previously, we discussed how SIEM tools are used to help protect an organization's critical assets and data. In this video, we'll introduce another important tool for maintaining an organization's security, known as a playbook.

A playbook is a manual that provides details about any operational action. Playbooks also clarify what tools should be used in response to a security incident. In the security field, playbooks are essential.

Urgency, efficiency, and accuracy are necessary to quickly identify and mitigate a security threat to reduce potential risk. Playbooks ensure that people follow a consistent list of actions in a prescribed way, regardless of who is working on the case.

Different types of playbooks are used. These include playbooks for incident response, security alerts, teams-specific, and product-specific purposes.

Here, we'll focus on a playbook that's commonly used in cybersecurity, called an incident response playbook. Incident response is an organization's quick attempt to identify an attack, contain the damage, and correct the effects of a security breach. An incident response playbook is a guide with six phases used to help mitigate and manage security incidents from beginning to end. Let's discuss each phase.

The first phase is preparation. Organizations must prepare to mitigate the likelihood, risk, and impact of a security incident by documenting procedures, establishing staffing plans, and educating users. Preparation sets the foundation for successful incident response. For example, organizations can create incident response plans and procedures that outline the roles and responsibilities of each security team member.

The second phase is detection and analysis. The objective of this phase is to detect and analyze events using defined processes and technology. Using appropriate tools and strategies during this phase helps security analysts determine whether a breach has occurred and analyze its possible magnitude.

The third phase is containment. The goal of containment is to prevent further damage and reduce the immediate impact of a security incident. During this phase, security professionals take actions to contain an incident and minimize damage. Containment is a high priority for organizations because it helps prevent ongoing risks to critical assets and data.

The fourth phase in an incident response playbook is eradication and recovery. This phase involves the complete removal of an incident's artifacts so that an organization can return to normal operations. During this phase, security professionals eliminate artifacts of the incident by removing malicious code and mitigating vulnerabilities. Once they've exercised due diligence, they can begin to restore the affected environment to a secure state. This is also known as IT restoration.

The fifth phase is post-incident activity. This phase includes documenting the incident, informing organizational leadership, and applying lessons learned to ensure that an organization is better prepared to handle future incidents. Depending on the severity of the incident, organizations can conduct a full-scale incident analysis to determine the root cause of the incident and implement various updates or improvements to enhance its overall security posture.

The sixth and final phase in an incident response playbook is coordination. Coordination involves reporting incidents and sharing information, throughout the incident response process, based on the organization's established standards. Coordination is important for many reasons. It ensures that organizations meet compliance requirements and it allows for coordinated response and resolution.

There are many ways security professionals may be alerted to an incident. You recently learned about SIEM tools and how they collect and analyze data. They use this data to detect threats and generate alerts, which can inform the security team of a potential incident. Then, when a security analyst receives a SIEM alert, they can use the appropriate playbook to guide the response process. SIEM tools and playbooks work together to provide a structured and efficient way of responding to potential security incidents.

Throughout the program, you'll have opportunities to continue to build your understanding of these important concepts.