# Incident Response Procedures

This document provides procedures for responding to security incidents at TechFlow Solutions.

## Incident Classification

### Severity Levels

| Level             | Description                            | Examples                                      | Response Time        |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| **Critical (P1)** | Active breach, data loss, service down | Ransomware, data exfiltration, DDoS           | Immediate (< 1 hour) |
| **High (P2)**     | Potential breach, significant risk     | Phishing with credentials, malware detection  | 4 hours              |
| **Medium (P3)**   | Suspicious activity, policy violation  | Unauthorized access attempt, policy violation | 24 hours             |
| **Low (P4)**      | Informational, minimal impact          | Failed login, minor policy violation          | 72 hours             |

### Incident Types

| Type                   | Description                       | Examples                              |
| ---------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Malware**            | Malicious software infection      | Ransomware, trojan, virus             |
| **Phishing**           | Social engineering attacks        | Email fraud, credential harvesting    |
| **Data Breach**        | Unauthorized data access          | Data exfiltration, insider threat     |
| **DDoS**               | Service disruption attacks        | Traffic flooding, application attacks |
| **Insider Threat**     | Internal actor malicious activity | Data theft, sabotage                  |
| **Account Compromise** | Unauthorized account access       | Stolen credentials, session hijacking |
| **Infrastructure**     | System or network issues          | Server compromise, network intrusion  |

## Response Procedures

### Phase 1: Detection and Analysis

#### Step 1: Recognize Potential Incident

**Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)**:

- Unexpected system behavior or performance issues
- Unusual network traffic patterns
- Failed login attempts from unknown locations
- Unknown processes or connections
- Modified files without authorization
- Antivirus/EDR alerts
- Reports from users or customers
- Dark web monitoring alerts

#### Step 2: Initial Triage

**Assessment Questions**:

1. What systems are affected?
2. What data is potentially compromised?
3. How did the incident occur (if known)?
4. Is the incident ongoing?
5. What is the potential business impact?
6. Are there regulatory implications?

**Classification Decision**:

- Classify severity (P1-P4)
- Assign incident lead
- Determine if external escalation needed

#### Step 3: Containment Decision

| Severity | Containment Approach                        |
| -------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Critical | Immediate isolation, executive notification |
| High     | Urgent containment, notify leadership       |
| Medium   | Planned containment, notify stakeholders    |
| Low      | Standard process, document for review       |

### Phase 2: Containment

#### Immediate Containment Actions

**Network Isolation**:

- Isolate affected systems from network
- Block suspicious IP addresses
- Disable compromised accounts
- Implement additional access controls

**Endpoint Actions**:

- Disable compromised accounts
- Preserve system state (don't power off)
- Capture memory dumps if possible
- Document all actions taken

**Data Protection**:

- Stop data synchronization if applicable
- Backup affected systems before changes
- Secure backup from potential compromise
- Identify and protect unaffected data

### Phase 3: Eradication

**Root Cause Analysis**:

- Identify attack vector
- Find all affected systems
- Determine extent of compromise
- Document timeline of events

**Removal Actions**:

- Remove malware or malicious code
- Close vulnerability exploited
- Reset compromised credentials
- Patch or remediate vulnerabilities

### Phase 4: Recovery

**Restoration Process**:

1. Restore from clean backups if available
2. Verify system integrity before restoration
3. Implement enhanced monitoring
4. Validate no residual compromise
5. Gradually restore normal operations

**Validation Steps**:

- Confirm malware removal
- Verify system functionality
- Test security controls
- Monitor for IOC recurrence
- Confirm data integrity

### Phase 5: Post-Incident

**Documentation Requirements**:

- Complete incident timeline
- Document all actions taken
- Record evidence preserved
- Note lessons learned

**Review Activities**:

- Conduct incident review meeting
- Identify improvement areas
- Update procedures and controls
- Brief relevant stakeholders

## Communication Templates

### Internal Communication

#### Executive Brief (Critical Incidents)

```
Subject: SECURITY INCIDENT - [Brief Description]

Classification: [PUBLIC / INTERNAL / CONFIDENTIAL]

Incident Summary:
- Type: [Malware/Phishing/Data Breach/etc.]
- Severity: [P1/P2/P3/P4]
- Systems Affected: [List]
- Potential Impact: [Description]
- Current Status: [Containment/Eradication/Recovery]

Actions Taken:
- [List key actions]

Immediate Needs:
- [List required decisions/actions]

Timeline:
- Detection: [Time/Date]
- Containment: [Time/Date]
- Next Update: [Time/Date]

Contact: [Incident Lead]
```

#### All-Hands Notification (If Required)

```
Subject: Important Security Update

We are currently responding to a security incident affecting our systems.

What you need to know:
- [Brief, factual description]
- [Impact on employees, if any]
- [Required actions, if any]

Please:
- Report any suspicious activity to security@company.com
- Do not share details externally
- Follow any additional guidance from IT

For questions, contact: [Contact]

We will provide updates as available.
```

### External Communication

#### Customer Notification (If Required)

```
Subject: Security Incident Notification - [Company Name]

Dear [Customer],

We are writing to inform you of a security incident that may have affected your data.

What Happened:
[Brief description of incident, without sensitive details]

When It Happened:
[Date range of incident]

What Information Was Involved:
[Types of data potentially affected]

What We Are Doing:
[Description of response actions]

What You Can Do:
[Recommended protective actions]

For More Information:
[Contact information]
[Support resources]
```

#### Regulatory Notification (If Required)

```
Subject: [Type] Security Incident Report

To: [Regulatory Body]

In accordance with [Regulation], we are reporting a security incident.

Incident Date: [Date]
Detection Date: [Date]
Notification Date: [Date]

Incident Type: [Description]
Affected Systems: [List]
Affected Individuals: [Number, if known]
Data Types: [Categories]

Preliminary Impact Assessment:
[Description]

Remediation Actions:
[Description]

Contact: [Name, Title, Contact]
```

## Escalation Matrix

| Incident Type      | Level 1          | Level 2     | Level 3          |
| ------------------ | ---------------- | ----------- | ---------------- |
| Malware            | DevOps Lead      | CTO         | CEO              |
| Phishing           | DevOps Lead      | CTO         | CEO              |
| Data Breach        | DevOps Lead      | CTO + Legal | CEO + Legal + PR |
| DDoS               | DevOps Lead      | CTO         | CEO              |
| Insider Threat     | HR + DevOps Lead | CTO + HR    | CEO + Legal      |
| Account Compromise | DevOps Lead      | CTO         | CEO              |
| Infrastructure     | DevOps Lead      | CTO         | CEO              |

## Contact Information

### Internal Contacts

| Role                   | Primary        | Secondary            |
| ---------------------- | -------------- | -------------------- |
| Security Incident Lead | Alex (DevOps)  | Jordan (Engineering) |
| Executive On-Call      | CTO            | CEO                  |
| Legal Counsel          | External       | N/A                  |
| HR                     | Morgan         | N/A                  |
| Communications         | Marketing Lead | N/A                  |

### External Contacts

| Organization             | Contact       | Purpose              |
| ------------------------ | ------------- | -------------------- |
| Cyber Insurance          | [Broker Name] | Claim filing         |
| Law Enforcement          | FBI IC3       | Cybercrime reporting |
| 外部 Security Consultant | Casey         | Expert assistance    |
| AWS Support              | Enterprise    | Technical assistance |
| PR Firm                  | TBD           | Media handling       |

## Documentation Checklist

### During Incident

- [ ] Initial detection time
- [ ] Initial assessment findings
- [ ] All systems affected
- [ ] Evidence preserved
- [ ] Containment actions taken
- [ ] Communication sent
- [ ] External parties notified

### After Incident

- [ ] Complete timeline
- [ ] Root cause analysis
- [ ] Remediation steps
- [ ] Lessons learned
- [ ] Control improvements
- [ ] Policy updates needed
- [ ] Training recommendations

## Testing and Training

### Tabletop Exercises

| Frequency   | Scenario                 | Participants     |
| ----------- | ------------------------ | ---------------- |
| Quarterly   | Phishing response        | All staff        |
| Bi-annually | Data breach              | Leadership + IT  |
| Annually    | Full incident simulation | All stakeholders |

### Training Requirements

| Role       | Training           | Frequency   |
| ---------- | ------------------ | ----------- |
| All Staff  | Security awareness | Annual      |
| Developers | Secure coding      | Quarterly   |
| IT Staff   | Incident response  | Semi-annual |
| Leadership | Crisis management  | Annual      |

## Resources

### Tools and References

- NIST Incident Response Framework
- SANS Incident Response Process
- AWS Security Incident Response Guide
- CISA Cyber Incident Response Guide

### Documentation Templates

- Incident Response Plan Template
- Post-Incident Review Template
- Evidence Collection Checklist
- Communication Templates (above)
