This week's article is covering the Respond principle which is the fourth principle in the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) guidelines.
The Response element of the NIST CSF focuses on the activities an organization undertakes to manage and mitigate the consequences of a cybersecurity incident. This phase is critical, as it ensures that an organization is prepared to handle incidents swiftly and effectively, minimizing damage and restoring operations.
In 2017 Equifax, one of the largest credit reporting agencies in the U.S., suffered a massive data breach that exposed sensitive PII (Personally Identifiable Information) of approximately 147 million individuals including full names, addresses, dates of birth, SSNs, and ID Numbers. Equifax was notified by the department of Homeland Security on March 8 of a critical vulnerability in Apache Struts, and Equifax’s information security department conducted a scan 7 days later but did not locate the vulnerability. The vulnerability went unnoticed for 4 months until they detected the breach. Once the breach was detected, Equifax struggled with its incident response. Their response plan was not adequately tested or updated, leading to confusion about roles and responsibilities during the crisis.
Is your team aligned with these key steps of incident response?
Response Planning: This involves developing and maintaining an incident response plan that outlines the steps to take in the event of a cybersecurity incident. It should detail roles, responsibilities, and procedures to ensure a coordinated effort.
Communications: Effective communication is vital during a cybersecurity incident. This includes internal communications among staff, as well as external communications with stakeholders, customers, and possibly the media.
Analysis: After an incident occurs, analyzing the event is essential. This involves determining the nature of the incident, the extent of the damage, and identifying the vulnerabilities that were exploited.
Mitigation: Once the incident has been analyzed, organizations must take steps to mitigate the impact. This can involve isolating affected systems, eradicating malware, and implementing patches or updates to prevent recurrence.
Improvement: Post-incident, organizations should review their response efforts and identify lessons learned. This feedback loop is crucial for continuously improving incident response capabilities and adapting to emerging threats.
The Respond principle is integral to an organization's resilience. A well-prepared response can significantly reduce the financial and reputational impacts of a cybersecurity incident. By having a robust incident response plan and trained personnel, organizations can react promptly and effectively, minimizing disruption and enhancing trust with stakeholders. Investing in a Response function today means being better equipped to face the challenges of tomorrow.
Next week, we’ll discuss the fifth principle in the NIST CSF: Recover. While you wait, head over to our solutions page to see how CyberZek’s team can help you detect and respond to threats in your network.