In an environment of ever increasing and more targeted cyber threats, every organization is at risk. Sophos provides guidance on how to proactively plan for security incident response.
It's the middle of the night and you're awakened by the news that your company has been attacked by ransomware. Response time is important – the decisions you make in the seconds, minutes and hours that follow have long-term operational and regulatory ramifications that fundamentally impact business operations and, in turn, your business reputation.
security incidents: Hardly time to react
This isn't a hypothetical scenario—it's an increasingly commonplace reality for organizations as cyberattacks—including ransomware—become more common and complex. In response, many organizations are embracing Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CSaaS), a security model in which external specialists provide organizations with much-needed expertise, defenses, and on-demand interventions. By outsourcing all security operations or augmenting existing teams, organizations can ensure XNUMX/XNUMX threat hunting, detection and response. This is made possible by Managed Detection and Response (MDR), a core CSaaS offering.
But MDR is only half the battle. Organizations also need detailed incident response plans to take full advantage of CSaaS models. Strategic preparations enable quick action in times of crisis and optimize collaboration with Managed Service Providers (MSPs) and MDR partners. With MDR and holistic response planning, organizations can build a full-fledged security operation that is prepared to face ever-evolving threats.
MDR is the cornerstone of incident response planning
Active cyberattacks can quickly become overwhelming for those responsible in companies. When the sirens blare, figuratively speaking, it can be complicated and stressful to manage and leverage multiple vendors, stakeholders, and delivery tools effectively. Without the help of an incident response plan, it is difficult for those responsible to assess the severity of an attack and align all roles and responsibilities throughout the recovery process.
A lack of internal alignment and planning significantly increases the response time, since management first has to clarify processes and determine who has decision-making authority in which area. Without an incident response plan, it can even be unclear who to notify in the event of an attack. In contrast, the proactive development of response plans allows various activity protocols to be evaluated through mock scenarios and exercises. This practice helps organizations strengthen their “reaction muscles” to a cyber attack and identify problems with existing processes.
Incident response plan as a lifeline
An incident response plan also gives stakeholders the opportunity to build internal alignment and prepare for the integration of outsourced MDR services. Powered by human-led threat hunting conducted at scale, MDR ensures incidents are discovered faster, making them less likely to occur in the first place. In the worst-case scenario, when incidents do occur, on-demand intervention from MDR partners reduces the severity of the impact.
Throughout the incident response process—from initial threat detection, containment, and mitigation to removing attackers from the network—internal decision makers, MSPs, and MDR partners must work together to weigh the business impact and determine next steps . This is the essence of a holistic cyber incident response plan – it ensures that all stakeholders understand their roles throughout the recovery lifecycle. This approach also allows for a more streamlined relationship between the parties, ultimately leading to faster threat neutralization.
5 steps to thorough cyber incident response planning
Businesses shouldn't wait until after a cyberattack to invest in holistic incident response planning. With ransomware attacks on the rise and highly collaborative attack models on the rise, every organization is a target. The Sophos Incident Response Team recommends the following five steps to ensure solid internal alignment and optimized collaboration with external experts:
1. Stay agile
Remember that some aspects of your incident response plan require a flexible approach. Even with solid planning in place, they should be prepared to adapt to new threat developments - and adjust their incident response plan accordingly, if necessary.
2. Prioritize cross-team collaboration
Cyber attacks affect all aspects of your business. Ensure all teams - including finance, legal, marketing and IT - are involved in decision making and risk assessment.
3. Ensure good hygiene of the IT environment
Sound IT environment hygiene minimizes the likelihood of incidents – so routinely review your security controls and fix unpatched vulnerabilities such as open RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) ports as soon as possible.
4. Always keep a physical copy of your incident response plan
If your organization is affected by ransomware, digital copies of the instructions could be among the encrypted files.
5. Use MDR specialists with experience in incident response
Even experienced internal security teams benefit from MDR operations teams with deep industry knowledge. These vendors are intimately familiar with the specific threats they face and know how to respond quickly and effectively.
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About Sophos More than 100 million users in 150 countries trust Sophos. We offer the best protection against complex IT threats and data loss. Our comprehensive security solutions are easy to deploy, use and manage. They offer the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry. Sophos offers award-winning encryption solutions, security solutions for endpoints, networks, mobile devices, email and the web. In addition, there is support from SophosLabs, our worldwide network of our own analysis centers. The Sophos headquarters are in Boston, USA and Oxford, UK.