Purpose

The purpose of this Incident Response Plan (IRP) is to define the procedures for identifying, classifying, and managing cybersecurity incidents.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and third-party vendors who have access to, or are responsible for, organizational assets.

Definitions

Incident: An event that may compromise the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of company assets.
Assets: All software, hardware, data, and information resources owned or managed by the company.

Policy Components

Identification & Classification

Initial Detection: Monitoring tools, user reports, or automated alerts.
Incident Classification: Classification into Low, Medium, or High severity based on impact and urgency.

Reporting

Internal Reporting: Incident should be immediately reported to the Incident Response Team (IRT).
External Reporting: Regulatory bodies, law enforcement, and affected third parties will be notified as per legal obligations.

Incident Response Team (IRT)

Composition: CISO, IT Managers, Legal Advisor, and Communications Manager.
Roles & Responsibilities: Defined per the Incident Response Matrix.

Response Procedures

Initial Assessment: Determine the scope and impact.
Containment: Short-term and long-term measures to prevent further damage.
Eradication: Identify root causes and remove affected elements.
Recovery: Restore and validate system functionality.
Lessons Learned: Post-incident analysis to identify preventive measures.

Communication Plan

Internal: Regular updates to executive management and staff.
External: Official statements to customers, partners, and the public.

Documentation

Incident Report: A detailed account of the incident, response actions, and lessons learned.
Evidence Preservation: Logs, screenshots, and other digital evidence must be securely stored for investigation and legal proceedings.

Testing & Drills

Conduct bi-annual incident response drills to test the plan's effectiveness.

Training & Awareness

Annual training sessions and periodic updates to keep all employees aware of the procedures.

Responsibilities

Incident Response Team (IRT): Overall responsibility for incident management.
IT Department: Technical actions such as containment and eradication.
Legal Department: Ensuring compliance with reporting requirements.
HR Department: Employee training and disciplinary actions related to incidents.

Policy Review & Amendments

This IRP will be reviewed annually or after any significant incident.
Amendments may be made with the approval of the CISO and executive management

Incident Response Matrix

Categories of Incidents

Data Breach
Unauthorized Access
Malware Infection
Denial of Service (DoS)
Insider Threat

Roles in Incident Response Team (IRT)

CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)
IT Manager
Legal Advisor
Communications Manager
HR Representative

Matrix

Role	Data Breach	Unauthorized Access	Malware Infection	Denial of Service	Insider Threat

Role	Data Breach	Unauthorized Access	Malware Infection	Denial of Service	Insider Threat
CISO	Lead investigation	Oversee containment	Assess impact	Coordinate mitigation	Investigate & recommend
IT Manager	Contain breach	Revoke access	Remove malware	Monitor traffic	Audit internal logs
Legal Advisor	Advise on legal obligations	Counsel on liability	Review contracts	Advise on legal action	Assist in investigation
Communications	Prepare public statement	Internal notification	Alert staff	External notification	Crisis communication
HR	Employee notifications	Review employee roles	Training	Staff awareness	Employee sanctions

Key Actions

Lead investigation: Oversee all investigation efforts and ensure effective collaboration between departments.
Contain breach: Implement immediate measures to isolate and contain the breach.
Revoke access: Immediately terminate unauthorized access to prevent further intrusion.
Remove malware: Identify and remove malware from affected systems.
Monitor traffic: Closely monitor network traffic to detect abnormal patterns indicative of a DoS attack.
Audit internal logs: Conduct an in-depth review of logs to identify suspicious internal activities.
Advise on legal obligations: Provide advice on compliance with data protection laws and potential legal repercussions.
Internal/External notification: Inform relevant internal or external stakeholders as required.
Training/Staff awareness: Enhance staff training to prevent similar incidents in the future.

This Incident Response Plan offers a comprehensive framework for effectively managing cybersecurity incidents to protect organizational assets. Compliance with this plan is mandatory for all relevant parties.

Universal Docs

Incident Response Plan (IRP)