Computer security incident management

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In the fields of computer security and information technology, computer security incident management involves the monitoring and detection of security events on a computer or computer network, and the execution of proper responses to those events. Computer security incident management is a specialized form of incident management, the primary purpose of which is the development of a well understood and predictable response to damaging events and computer intrusions.[1]

Incident management requires a process and a response team which follows this process. In the United States, This definition of computer security incident management follows the standards and definitions described in the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The incident coordinator manages the response to an emergency security incident. In a Natural Disaster or other event requiring response from Emergency services, the incident coordinator would act as a liaison to the emergency services incident manager.[2]

## Incident response plans

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An incident response plan (IRP) is a group of policies that dictate an organizations reaction to a cyber attack. Once a security breach has been identified, for example by network intrusion detection system (NIDS) or host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) (if configured to do so), the plan is initiated.[3] It is important to note that there can be legal implications to a data breach. Knowing local and federal laws is critical.[4] Every plan is unique to the needs of the organization, and it can involve skill sets that are not part of an IT team.[5] For example, a lawyer may be included in the response plan to help navigate legal implications to a data breach.[citation needed]

As mentioned above every plan is unique but most plans will include the following:[6]

### Preparation

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Good preparation includes the development of an incident response team (IRT).[7] Skills need to be used by this team would be, penetration testing, computer forensics, network security, etc.[8] This team should also keep track of trends in cybersecurity and modern attack strategies.[9] A training program for end users is important as well as most modern attack strategies target users on the network.[6]

As part of the preparation phase in incident response plan should be developed and address the following:

* Roles and Responsibilities
* Lists the incident response team (IRT) members and their duties
* Communication protocols
* Training and awareness
* Logging policies and configurations
* Event status definitions and thresholds
* Playbooks and runbooks for common incident types
* Legal and compliance considerations[10]

### Identification

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This part of the incident response plan identifies if there was a security event.[11] When an end user reports information or an admin notices irregularities, an investigation is launched. An incident log is a crucial part of this step.[citation needed] All of the members of the team should be updating this log to ensure that information flows as fast as possible.[12] If it has been identified that a security breach has occurred the next step should be activated.[13]

### Containment

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In this phase, the IRT works to isolate the areas that the breach took place to limit the scope of the security event.[14] During this phase it is important to preserve information forensically so it can be analyzed later in the process.[15] Containment could be as simple as physically containing a server room or as complex as segmenting a network to not allow the spread of a virus.[16]

### Eradication

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This is where the threat that was identified is removed from the affected systems.[17] This could include deleting malicious files, terminating compromised accounts, or deleting other components.[18][19] Some events do not require this step, however it is important to fully understand the event before moving to this step.[20] This will help to ensure that the threat is completely removed.[16]

### Recovery

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This stage is where the systems are restored back to original operation.[21] This stage could include the recovery of data, changing user access information, or updating firewall rules or policies to prevent a breach in the future.[22][23] Without executing this step, the system could still be vulnerable to future security threats.[16]

### Lessons learned

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In this step information that has been gathered during this process is used to make future decisions on security.[24] This step is crucial to the ensure that future events are prevented. Using this information to further train admins is critical to the process.[25] This step can also be used to process information that is distributed from other entities who have experienced a security event.[26]

## See also

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* Computer emergency response team
* Proactive cyber defence
* Cyber attribution

## References

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1. ^ "ISO 17799|ISO/IEC 17799:2005(E)". Information technology - Security techniques - Code of practice for information security management. ISO copyright office. 2005-06-15. pp. 90–94.
2. ^ "NIMS - The Incident Command System". National Incident Management System. Department of Homeland Security. 2004-03-01. Archived from the original on 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2007-04-08.
3. ^ Fowler, Kevvie (2016), "Developing a Computer Security Incident Response Plan", Data Breach Preparation and Response, Elsevier, pp. 49–77, doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-803451-4.00003-4, ISBN 978-0-12-803451-4, retrieved 2021-06-05
4. ^ Bisogni, Fabio (2016). "Proving Limits of State Data Breach Notification Laws: Is a Federal Law the Most Adequate Solution?". Journal of Information Policy. 6: 154–205\. doi:10.5325/jinfopoli.6.2016.0154. JSTOR 10.5325/jinfopoli.6.2016.0154.
5. ^ "Understanding Plan for Every Part", Turbo Flow, Productivity Press, pp. 21–30, 2017-07-27, doi:10.1201/b10336-5, ISBN 978-0-429-24603-6, retrieved 2021-06-05
6. ^ a b Wills, Leonard (27 February 2019). "A Brief Guide to Handling a Cyber Incident". American Bar Association.
7. ^ Johnson, Leighton R. (2014), "Part 1. Incident Response Team", Computer Incident Response and Forensics Team Management, Elsevier, pp. 17–19, doi:10.1016/b978-1-59749-996-5.00038-8, ISBN 978-1-59749-996-5, retrieved 2021-06-05
8. ^ "Computer Incident Response and Forensics Team Management". Network Security. 2014 (2): 4. February 2014. doi:10.1016/s1353-4858(14)70018-2. ISSN 1353-4858.
9. ^ "Cybersecurity Threat Landscape and Future Trends", Cybersecurity, Routledge, pp. 304–343, 2015-04-16, doi:10.1201/b18335-12, ISBN 978-0-429-25639-4, retrieved 2021-06-05
10. ^ Cichonski, Paul; Millar, Thomas; Grance, Tim; Scarfone, Karen (2012-08-06). Computer Security Incident Handling Guide (Report). National Institute of Standards and Technology.
11. ^ Information technology. Security techniques. Information security incident management, BSI British Standards, doi:10.3403/30268878u, retrieved 2021-06-05
12. ^ Turner, Tim (2011-09-07), "Our Beginning: Team Members Who Began the Success Story", One Team on All Levels, Productivity Press, pp. 9–36, doi:10.4324/9781466500020-2, ISBN 978-0-429-25314-0, retrieved 2021-06-05
13. ^ Erlanger, Leon (2002). Defensive Strategies. PC Magazine. p. 70.
14. ^ "of Belgrade's main street. The event took place in absolute", Radical Street Performance, Routledge, pp. 81–83, 2013-11-05, doi:10.4324/9781315005140-28, ISBN 978-1-315-00514-0, retrieved 2021-06-05
15. ^ White, Mark D. (2013). "Why Choice Matters So Much and What Can be Done to Preserve It". The Manipulation of Choice. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 127–150\. doi:10.1057/9781137313577_7. ISBN 978-1-137-31357-7.
16. ^ a b c "Computer Security Incident Handling Guide" (PDF). Nist.gov. 2012.
17. ^ Borgström, Pernilla; Strengbom, Joachim; Viketoft, Maria; Bommarco, Riccardo (4 April 2016). "Table S3: Results from linear-mixed models where non-signficant [sic] parameters have not been removed". PeerJ. 4: e1867. doi:10.7717/peerj.1867/supp-3.
18. ^ Penfold, David (2000), "Selecting, Copying, Moving and Deleting Files and Directories", ECDL Module 2: Using the Computer and Managing Files, London: Springer London, pp. 86–94, doi:10.1007/978-1-4471-0491-9_6 (inactive 11 July 2025), ISBN 978-1-85233-443-7`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of July 2025 (link)
19. ^ Gumus, Onur (2018). ASP. NET Core 2 Fundamentals : Build Cross-Platform Apps and Dynamic Web Services with This Server-side Web Application Framework. Packt Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78953-355-2. OCLC 1051139482.
20. ^ "Do the Students Understand What They Are Learning?", Trouble-shooting Your Teaching, Routledge, pp. 36–40, 2005-02-25, doi:10.4324/9780203416907-8, ISBN 978-0-203-41690-7, retrieved 2021-06-05
21. ^ Enticknap, Leo (2013), "Where Are Films Restored, Where Do They Come From and Who Restores Them?", Film Restoration, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 45–70, doi:10.1057/9781137328724_3, ISBN 978-1-137-32872-4
22. ^ Liao, Qi; Li, Zhen; Striegel, Aaron (2011-01-24). "Could firewall rules be public - a game theoretical perspective". Security and Communication Networks. 5 (2): 197–210\. doi:10.1002/sec.307. ISSN 1939-0114.
23. ^ Boeckman, Philip; Greenwald, David J.; Von Bismarck, Nilufer (2013). Twelfth annual institute on securities regulation in Europe : overcoming deal-making challenges in the current markets. Practising Law Institute. ISBN 978-1-4024-1932-4. OCLC 825824220.
24. ^ "Figure 1.8. Spending of social security has been growing, while self-financing has been falling". doi:10.1787/888932459242. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
25. ^ "Information Governance: The Crucial First Step", Safeguarding Critical E-Documents, Hoboken, NJ, US: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., pp. 13–24, 2015-09-19, doi:10.1002/9781119204909.ch2, ISBN 978-1-119-20490-9, retrieved 2021-06-05
26. ^ He, Ying (December 1, 2017). "Challenges of Information Security Incident Learning: An Industrial Case Study in a Chinese Healthcare Organization" (PDF). Informatics for Health and Social Care. 42 (4): 394–395\. doi:10.1080/17538157.2016.1255629. PMID 28068150. S2CID 20139345.

## Further reading

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* Handbook for Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) http://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/abstracts/reports/03hb002.cfm