PLANS & Procedures
Incident Response Plans
Challenges
- Cyber attackers work around the clock to identify and take advantage of unprotected organizations
- To achieve true cyber resilience, organizations should have strong cyber security policies and procedures that not only strive to prevent incidents, but also to prioritize response and recovery capabilities
- Organizations without formally trained incident responders rarely have the expertise to develop effective cyber security Incident Response Plans
- Organizations should build their Incident Response Plans around industry-standard Incident Response guidance to be better prepared to react when incidents occur and to minimize associated damages
Solution
The Incident Response Plan (IRP) Development begins with an assessment of the organization’s current Incident Response policy, plans, procedures, tools, and staffing to ascertain the effectiveness of the current plans. The assessor engages in discussions with the security team and key stakeholders to explore enhancement opportunities. The goal is to establish a disciplined and repeatable process that prioritizes incident prevention. Subsequently, this process aids the organization in promptly detecting, containing, eradicating, and recovering from any incidents that arise. Throughout the development, staff and key stakeholders actively participate, and comprehensive training ensures their complete alignment with the new requirements and procedures.
Vulnerability Management Procedures
Challenges
- Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in software and hardware configurations that are discovered daily, and provide attackers with new opportunities to take control of IT systems
- Effective Vulnerability Management policy and procedures are required to minimize cyber security risks and help to prevent incidents
- Organizations without formally trained Vulnerability Management staff rarely have the expertise to develop effective Vulnerability Management policy and procedures
- Organizations should build their Vulnerability Management Plans around industry standard best-practices to reduce cyber risk across the IT environment
Solution
The Vulnerability Management Procedure (VMP) Development begins with an assessment of the organization’s current vulnerability management policy, plans, procedures, tools, and staffing to ascertain the effectiveness of the current program. The assessor then discusses opportunities for improvement with the security team and key stakeholders to develop disciplined and repeatable processes which seek first to limit the introduction of new vulnerabilities, and then helps the organization quickly identify and mitigate those that are discovered. The staff and key stakeholders are involved at every step of the development and training is provided to ensure that all stakeholders have been fully oriented to the new requirements and process.
Incident Response Playbooks
Challenges
- Incident Response Plans provide a generalized strategy that can be used for any type of cyber incident, but they often lack the detailed procedures to execute the major steps referenced in the plan.
- Different types of cyber incidents may require extra emphases on some response steps and less on others, requiring more specific incident-related instructions.
Solution
Incident Response Playbooks supplement Incident Response Plans by offering detailed procedures that complement the broader and more generalized Incident Response Plan. These playbooks provide not only finer granularity and specificity but also customized guidance to help organizations effectively address various incident types. For instance, an organization’s response priorities and procedures can significantly differ when dealing with a Denial-of-Service attack compared to a Ransomware outbreak. This is where distinct incident type playbooks prove invaluable.
Policies
Security Policies
Challenges
- Effective Security Programs must be driven by guidance from senior leaders dictating how the program must be implemented to effectively support the business objectives.
- This policy guidance should require adherence established compliance requirements and security frameworks to be most effective.
- One-size-fits-all policies work for some organizations, but not those where decentralized system management is a business imperative. g In these environments, security policies must be tailored to the individual lines of business and different risk profiles, while staying aligned with the overarching security requirements of the enterprise.
Solution
At SmartApproach, our advisors collaborate with your senior leadership team to tailor policies that align with your organization’s needs. We begin by understanding your specific requirements and then create policies that adhere to industry best practices. For organizations with decentralized system management, we provide comprehensive guidance and business-specific policies that address unique risks. The outcome is a flexible policy framework that accommodates diverse risk profiles while aligning seamlessly with the organization’s overall risk strategy.