Incident Response (IR) Controls

The Incident Response (IR) family of controls is designed to ensure that organizations have the capabilities, processes, and tools to effectively detect, respond to, and recover from security incidents. These controls are critical for maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data when an incident occurs.

IR-1: Incident Response Policy and Procedures

Control Overview
 IR-1 requires organizations to establish and maintain incident response policies and procedures that clearly define the approach to handling security incidents. These policies must cover everything from identifying incidents to post-incident reporting.

Example:
 A cloud provider works with a federal agency to create an incident response policy that includes detailed steps for identifying and reporting incidents, escalating issues, and ensuring timely recovery. The policy outlines the roles and responsibilities of the incident response team, as well as how communication will be handled internally and with stakeholders.

IR-2: Incident Response Training

Control Overview
 IR-2 ensures that the personnel responsible for incident response are well-trained and prepared to handle various types of incidents. Regular training ensures that the team is ready to act swiftly and efficiently when an incident occurs.

Example:
 The cloud provider schedules quarterly incident response tabletop exercises, where the security team simulates different attack scenarios (like a ransomware attack or DDoS) to practice their response strategies. Each exercise involves reviewing the incident response steps and refining their procedures based on lessons learned.

IR-3: Incident Response Testing

Control Overview
 IR-3 requires regular testing of the incident response process to ensure that it functions as intended under real-world conditions. This includes performing mock incident response drills and assessments.

Example:
 The CSP conducts biannual red team exercises, where a team of ethical hackers attempts to breach the cloud environment. After each exercise, the incident response team reviews the findings, assesses the effectiveness of their response, and updates their procedures to address any gaps.

IR-4: Incident Handling

Control Overview
 IR-4 covers the actual handling of incidents, from detection through containment, eradication, and recovery. The control emphasizes a well-coordinated response that minimizes the impact of the incident on system operations and data integrity.

Example:
 After detecting an attempted data exfiltration, the cloud provider’s security team immediately isolates the affected systems to prevent further unauthorized access. They then eradicate the threat by removing any malware and recover the system using the most recent backup. Throughout the process, they communicate with the agency’s security team to ensure alignment with incident handling protocols.

IR-5: Incident Monitoring

Control Overview
 IR-5 ensures that incidents are actively monitored throughout their lifecycle. This includes tracking incidents from detection through resolution to ensure they are fully addressed.

Example:
During an active incident, the CSP needs to ensure that all activities associated with the incident are documented and the incident is actively monitored. This could be using either manual or automated methods as long as the system continuously tracks the actions of the threat and updates the team on the progress of the efforts.

IR-6: Incident Reporting

Control Overview
 IR-6 requires that incidents are reported to appropriate stakeholders promptly. This includes internal teams, external regulatory bodies, and affected parties, depending on the nature of the incident.

Example:
After a breach involving a cloud service, the provider notifies the affected agency, providing a detailed report of the breach, what data was exposed, and the actions taken to mitigate the issue. The report also includes recommendations for preventing future incidents and complies with all regulatory reporting requirements. Depending on the contract, sometimes initial notification must be conducted within a certain period once an incident occurs such as 24 hours.

Security Joke Break:
 What’s an incident responder’s favorite board game?
 Clue, because they always want to know who did it and how!

IR-7: Incident Response Assistance

Control Overview
 IR-7 focuses on ensuring that external resources or expert assistance are available if needed during an incident. This includes leveraging third-party security vendors, law enforcement, or forensics experts.

Example:
During a ransomware attack, the CSP engages with a forensics team to analyze the attack’s origin and gather evidence for law enforcement. The response team works with external specialists to decrypt files and investigate the scope of the breach. Notification to CISA may be required.

IR-8: Incident Response Metrics

Control Overview
 IR-8 focuses on collecting and analyzing incident response metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the response and identify areas for improvement.

Example:
 After a security incident, the CSP analyzes key metrics such as the time to detect the incident, the time to contain it, and the time to recover. These metrics are used to improve future responses and refine training for the incident response team.

IR-9: Information System Recovery and Reconstitution

Control Overview
 IR-9 ensures that systems are fully restored after an incident and that they are returned to a known, secure state. This includes verifying the integrity of data and systems after recovery.

Example:
 Following a cyberattack, the CSP uses a clean, verified backup to restore the affected system. After reconstitution, they perform extensive testing to ensure the system is functioning properly and that no traces of the attack remain.

Security Joke Break:
 What do you call an incident response team that loves music?
 A recovery band—they always know how to get things back in tune!

By following a structured, tested, and comprehensive incident response process, organizations can quickly mitigate the effects of attacks and minimize downtime. It is vital to continually review the processes to ensure they are aligned with the current needs of the organization.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Understanding Protection (SC)

Understanding Protection (SC) These controls focus on protecting system boundaries, communications, and preventing unauthorized data exposure. Let's break down the key SC controls with examples. SC-1: Policy and Procedures This foundational control requires documented policies and procedures for system and communications protection. Example: SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS PROTECTION POLICY Version: 2.1 Last Updated: 2025-01-02 1. PURPOSE This policy establishes requirements for protecting the organization’s cloud infrastructure and communications. 2. SCOPE Applies to all cloud systems within the authorization boundary. 3. POLICIES 3.1 Encryption Requirements - All data in transit must use TLS 1.2 or higher - All data at rest must use FIPS 140-2 validated encryption - Key rotation required every 365 days 3.2 Network Security - All external connections must traverse a DMZ - Firewall rules follow deny-by-default principle - Monthly review of access control lists 4. PROCEDURES 4.1 Firewall ...
Read more

FedRAMP Moderate Rev 5 SI Controls

  In this post, I'll break down each SI control in FedRAMP Moderate Rev 5 and provide tips.   SI-1: System and Information Integrity Policy and Procedures The key to a strong base is well-documented policies and procedures.  For SI-1, organizations must: - Develop and maintain system and information integrity policies that address purpose, scope, roles, and responsibilities - Define procedures for implementing security controls - Review and update these documents at least annually Example:  Create a System and Information Integrity Policy document that includes: - Malware protection requirements with procedures - System monitoring procedures - Software and firmware update processes - Security alert handling processes and procedures - Error handling protocols  SI-2: Flaw Remediation Flaw remediation is key for maintaining system security.  Organizations must: - Identify, report, and correct system flaws promptly - Test software updates before deployment...
Read more

Security Assessment (SA) Controls

The Security Assessment (SA) family of controls, derived from NIST 800-53 Revision 5, plays a pivotal role in keeping systems secure over time. What Are the Security Assessment (SA) Controls? The SA family of controls focuses on ensuring that security controls are assessed for their effectiveness and are continuously monitored throughout the life of the system. This means checking whether the security measures in place are not only effective but remain effective and up-to-date as time progresses. For FedRAMP Moderate, these controls are crucial because: They ensure security controls are evaluated regularly. They support continuous monitoring for vulnerabilities or weaknesses. They establish corrective actions when necessary. SA-1: Security Assessment and Authorization Policies and Procedures Control Overview SA-1 requires the development of security assessment and authorization (A&A) policies and procedures. These procedures outline the process for conducting security assessm...
Read more