There is no exact one-size-fits-all solution for the incident response plan steps. However, by being systematic in developing one, you can make the best that suits your organization’s needs.
In this article, we will be discussing the most common and generic incident response plan steps. Hoping this can help you create your system and drive a plan that works for you.
Most Common Incident Response Plan Steps
1. Preparation for Incidents
The first thing to do is to prepare for incidents. This step involves how to prevent, detect, and recover from incidents. It helps you to keep the organization informed of the plan and prepares them on what to do in case of incidents.
2. Detection & Identification of Incidents
The second step is the detection and identification of incidents. This step covers how to detect and identify incidents that may impact the organization. It also covers the preparation for potential threats, computer security threats, and more.
3. Containment & Eradication
The third step is containment and eradication. This step covers how to contain the incident until it’s eradicated. It covers the different ways of containing an incident such as controlling access, disabling accounts, quarantine systems, etc.
4. Recovery & Restoration
The fourth step is recovery & restoration. This step covers how to restore systems to normal operations after an incident. It also covers how to rebuild systems after an incident. It also involves restoring data that was lost during an incident.
5. Post-Incident Activity & Evaluation
The fifth step is post-incident activity & evaluation. This involves how to evaluate an incident and what can be done to prevent it from happening again in the future. It involves determining what went well during an incident and what can be improved to better recover from future incidents in the organization. It also involves evaluating whether or not the plan was effective during an incident or not.
These are some basic steps that can help you come up with your plan for your organization’s needs when it comes to dealing with incidents in your organization.
What to Avoid in Developing an Incident Response Plan
Also make sure that in creating or developing your incident response plan, avoid the wrong practices that will likely cause you a failure. So here are the wrong practices in incident response plan writing:
Lacking knowledge of Incidents
Most organizations are not aware of the importance of creating an incident response plan. They are not aware of the effects that incidents can have on their organization. They see it as a waste of time.
No Prior Planning
Some organizations develop incident response plans without prior planning. Most incident response plans are developed in a week or even a day before an incident happens. This makes it harder to come up with a well-thought-of plan that will be effective during an incident.
Non-Disclosure and Lack of Communication and Coordination
Most organizations don’t communicate and coordinate with other departments and end-users during incidents. This causes the problem to get worse and may even cause more damage to the organization.
Unclear Roles & Responsibilities between Different Department Members and Team Members
It’s essential to make sure that everyone has clear roles and responsibilities during incidents. It’s also essential to make sure that everyone is aware of their roles and responsibilities during an incident, especially when it comes to coordinating with other departments and team members during an incident.
Lack of Continuity Planning or Backups
Most organizations don’t prepare for continuity planning or backups for their systems in case an incident occurs that will lead to data loss or system unavailability for days, weeks, or months at a time. This leads the organization to lose information, making it hard for them to recover from such losses even if they recover from such losses in a few days, weeks, or months later on after such losses occur.
