It is important to know what is incident response plan is and why it is important. Risks, threats, and attacks are all but business interruptions that can cause you millions and unnecessary downtime.
This article will let us know more about the importance of an incident response plan by its benefits. Also, we will list down the key personnel that the plan should concern about.
What is Incident Response Plan?
The incident response plan is a document that dictates the actions of the IT team to deal with a cyber-attack. It is vital to update the response plan regularly for your business.
Why Do We Need an Incident Response Plan?
An incident response plan is to guide your employees. Perhaps in case a cybercriminal, hacker, or even a cyber-terrorist will attack your system.
The plan will provide you with the following:
1. Detailed instructions on how to respond to a security breach or attack.
2. An analysis of the potential risks and threats that may affect your business.
3. A list of possible countermeasures that you can implement if an incident occurs.
Who Should You Involve in Creating an Incident Response Plan?
1. Information Technology (IT) team
An incident response plan will require you to work closely with your IT team. They will need to know how to configure and administer the network and its security software.
2. Security Team
The security team is responsible for defending your network against attacks. They will also need to review the plan and ensure that it is up to their standards.
3. Crisis Management Team
This team is responsible for communicating with the public. Especially if the security breach is serious and is already in the public knowledge.
4. Legal Counsel
During an attack, you may need to take legal action against the attacker. A cyber attack is also a criminal offense in some countries. For instance, countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, United States of America, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, and other countries in Europe and the Asia Pacific regions.
5. PR Staff
The PR department will also be responsible for handling media inquiries about the attack or security breach at your business.
6. Management Team
Your management team will play a key role in creating the incident response policies for your business. They will also need to provide any additional resources that are important during an incident response situation.
7. Customers/End Users
Your customers may have questions about what happened during an incident response situation. Or why there are certain changes to the way they have access to your network or your website(s), for instance.
8. Legal Advisor/Legal Team
As mentioned above regarding legal consequences of a cyber-attack in some countries, if needed you might need legal advice before executing countermeasures taken by your business following a cyber-attack or security breach.
9. Senior Management
Senior management needs to be informed about any cyber incidents that could have implications for their business or brand (e.g., hacking of customer data). Thus, this information should be included in the draft of the response plan.
10. Public Relations
The PR department should be included in drafting plans for responding to both internal and external communications following an attack; they should also be involved when planning crisis communications strategies.’
11. Technology Services Providers (TSPs)
These are vendors that provide technology services for businesses. For example, like firewalls or antivirus software etc.
Wrapping Up: Incident Response Plan
The incident response plan is a crucial document that could help you not only to maintain your business’s security but to grow the bottom line.
Lastly, in creating your incident response plan, it is vital to include key people in your business. Including the customers, staff, and third-party suppliers.
