INTRODUCTION TO NETWORK SECURITY

2 THREATS AND VULNURABILITIES

NETWORK SECURITY DEVICES AND TECHNOLOGIES

NETWORK TRAFFIC ANALYSIS

CRYPTOGRAPHY AND NETWORK SECURITY

NETWORK SECURITY ANALYSIS AND FORENSIC

SECURING WIRELESS NETWORKS

ADVANCED TOPICS IN NETWORK SECURITY

Incident handling and response lifecycle

INCIDENT RESPONSE AND HANDLING 

Incident handling and response (IH&R) refers to the structured and systematic process of identifying, analyzing, responding to, and recovering from cybersecurity incidents. These incidents can include data breaches, malware attacks, unauthorized access, or other threats to information security.

The primary goals of IH&R are to:

  • Minimize damage and operational disruption.
  • Mitigate vulnerabilities and reduce risk.
  • Restore normal operations quickly.
  • Ensure compliance with legal and organizational policies.

 

Incident Response Life Cycle

The NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) framework outlines six key phases of the incident response life cycle:

1. Preparation

  • Develop policies, procedures, and tools to handle incidents.
  • Conduct training and awareness programs.
  • Establish an incident response team (IRT) and ensure roles are clearly defined.
  • Implement preventative measures such as firewalls, antivirus, and intrusion detection systems.

2. Detection and Analysis

  • Monitor systems to identify potential security events or incidents.
  • Analyze and classify events to determine their scope and impact.
  • Use logs, alerts, and other forensic data for investigation.
  • Categorize the incident based on its severity and urgency.

3. Containment

  • Implement short-term actions to limit the spread or impact of the incident.
  • Choose a containment strategy (e.g., disconnecting affected systems or restricting access).
  • Preserve evidence for later forensic analysis.

4. Eradication

  • Eliminate the root cause of the incident (e.g., removing malware, fixing vulnerabilities).
  • Validate that the threat has been neutralized.
  • Conduct a thorough analysis to ensure no remnants of the threat remain.

5. Recovery

  • Restore affected systems and services to normal operation.
  • Test systems to confirm they are secure and operational.
  • Monitor systems for any recurrence of the incident.

6. Post-Incident Activity

  • Document all findings, actions, and lessons learned.
  • Conduct a post-mortem review with the incident response team.
  • Update incident response plans and security measures to prevent similar incidents.
  • Communicate with stakeholders and regulatory bodies if required.