In the second part of this series, we’re taking a closer look at the nuts and bolts of a Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP). If you’re serious about shoring up your organization’s defenses against cyber threats, understanding the practical structure of a CIRP is your playbook for the digital battlefield.

1. Building a Resilient Team: The Incident Response Team (IRT)

Forget the heroic narratives; let’s discuss the basics. This section is all about structuring your Incident Response Team (IRT) for real-world effectiveness. We break down the nitty-gritty of defining roles and providing ongoing training to ensure your team is not just prepared but proactive in responding to cyber incidents.

2. Incident Identification and Categorization

No need for cyber jargon here. An effective CIRP should lay out the methods and strategies for identifying cyber incidents early and sorting them by severity and type. This is the practical guide to streamlining your incident response efforts – no frills, just the essentials to keep your organization one step ahead of potential threats.

3. Containment and Eradication Strategies

From isolation procedures to communication protocols, the CIRP should lay out the step-by-step process of containing and eradicating threats. We all heard of organizations hit by ransomware, come back from backups, without sanitizing their environment and then they were hit again. The Henry Schein ransomware crisis is the perfect example to the hazards of skipping this part of countering the incident (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/healthcare-giant-henry-schein-hit-twice-by-blackcat-ransomware/) . Containment and eradication procedures are your toolkit for eliminating threats at their source and ensuring they don’t come back to haunt you.

Understanding the structure of a Cyber Incident Response Plan is not a luxury—it’s a must. By the end of the process of crafting a CIRP, you won’t just get the gist of each element; you’ll see how they all fit together. Join us CIPTeam lays down the practical aspects of cyber resilience, giving your organization the tools it needs to navigate the digital landscape with confidence.

Stay tuned for the third part of the series on Cyber Incident Response planning, where we dig into the Recovery and Lessons Learned phases of the Cyber Incident Response Plan. Because in the world of cybersecurity, being ready is being in control.