Lessons learned from Part 1 of our cyber incident response webinar series

Setting the stage for cyber chaos

In the first part of our two-part webinar series, Nuspire’s VP of Cybersecurity Consulting, Mike Pedrick, and Chief Strategy Executive & Evangelist, Chris Roberts, took attendees on a journey through a simulated real-world cyber incident. The duo set the stage with a realistic ransomware attack scenario – an employee’s PC is behaving strangely and displaying a dialog box stating that their files have been encrypted and data exfiltrated. The user is unable to access any files, suggesting that a serious incident is unfolding.

“This is triage,” Mike explained. “You take the bleeding, gushing artery to the medical tent first.”

As the first few minutes ticked by, Mike and Chris emphasized the importance of having a clear process to validate the incident, contain it, eliminate the source, and proceed to recovery. Visibility into your environment is key to identifying which systems are impacted and prioritizing containment efforts.

The critical first 72 hours

Chris stressed how critical the first 12 to 24 hours are as the incident response team is working flat out to keep the business afloat while simultaneously figuring out what happened. In the meantime, senior management is impatiently waiting for answers on what happened, what was lost, and how to communicate it. Proper communication with validated information is essential. After 72 hours, regulatory and fiduciary obligations come into play.

Many states’ privacy laws require that interested parties be notified of the incident within that time frame. Speakers warned that attempting to cover up the incident would only make the situation worse.

“There’s blood in the water… someone is ready to file a class action lawsuit against your organization,” Mike warned.

Key insights for effective incident response

During the webinar, Mike and Chris shared key insights on how to handle a cyber incident:

• Have a clear, documented process for validating an incident, containing it, remediating the source, and recovering. Ad hoc responses waste valuable time.
• Know your environment and resources to quickly identify affected systems and prioritize containment efforts. You can’t stop the bleeding if you don’t know where the damage is.
• Create a single source of truth with validated information to communicate effectively with management and external parties. Inconsistent messaging undermines trust.
• Within 72 hours, engage legal counsel, public relations, management, and possibly law enforcement to meet regulatory requirements and maintain control of the situation.
• Regularly practice your incident response plan with key stakeholders in simulation games. If you wait until an actual incident occurs, it will be too late to figure out the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved.
• Consider bringing in outside experts to test your incident response skills and guide you through the complexities of a major cyber incident.

By implementing these principles, organizations can bring order to the chaos of a cyberattack and emerge stronger. But preparation is key – now is the time to build cyber resilience before chaos ensues.

Watch the recording of the webinar

Practice makes perfect

A well-rehearsed crisis response plan is crucial. Simulations ensure that everyone knows their role and can respond effectively in the event of an incident.

“When the building is burning, it is not the time to pick up the alphabet book and leaf through it to see which of your friends you can call,” Chris summed it up vividly.

Don’t be caught unprepared when cyber chaos erupts. Nuspire’s Incident Response Readiness Service can help you proactively prepare. Our team of experts will work with you to develop a customized simulation exercise to test your ability to respond to a major cyber incident.

Are you ready to build your cyber resilience?

Learn more about our Incident Response Readiness Service.

The post “Lessons from Part 1 of our Cyber ​​Incident Response Webinar Series” first appeared on Nuspire.

***This is a Nuspire blog syndicated by the Security Bloggers Network, written by Team Nuspire. Read the original post at: https://www.nuspire.com/blog/lessons-learned-from-part-1-of-our-cyber-incident-response-webinar-series/