Cyber threats are increasingly targeting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). A well-crafted incident Response Plan (IRP) is essential to mitigate risks, ensure business continuity, and protect sensitive data. 

This blog post guides you through the process of creating an effective IRP. We will discuss data breaches and cyber attacks. We will also give advice on what to include in your incident response plans for each type of incident.

Understanding Different Types of Data Breaches and Incidents

Data breaches are unauthorized exposures of sensitive, protected, or confidential data. They can lead to significant financial, reputation, and legal repercussions for businesses. 

Small and medium-sized businesses should be aware of various types of data breaches and incidents. This knowledge will help you safeguard your information with cybersecurity measures. It is also important for them to have response plans in place. 

These are the primary types of data breaches that SMBs can encounter:

1. Hacking and Cyber Attacks

Hacking involves the use of malicious techniques to gain unauthorized access to computer systems or networks. This category includes various methods such as email phishing, malware and other viruses, and brute-force attacks.

• Phishing: Cybercriminals use deceptive emails or websites to trick individuals into providing sensitive information like login credentials or financial details.
• Malware: Malicious software, such as viruses, worms, or ransomware can infiltrate and damage systems or steal data.
• Brute-force Attacks: Attackers use automated tools to guess passwords by systematically trying various combinations until they succeed.

Example: In 2017, the Equifax data breach exposed personal information of 147 million individuals due to a vulnerability in the company’s website software​ (Source)​​​.

2. Insider Threats

Insider threats occur when individuals within an organization, such as employees or contractors, intentionally or unintentionally cause a data breach.

• Malicious Insiders: Individuals with authorized access who intentionally misuse their access to steal or expose data.
• Negligent Insiders: Employees who accidentally expose sensitive information through careless actions like sending emails to the wrong recipients or mishandling data.

Example: In 2019, a former employee of the financial services company Capital One accessed and stole data affecting over 100 million customers due to insufficient access controls​ (Source)​.

3. Social Engineering

Social engineering exploits human psychology to manipulate individuals into divulging confidential information. Techniques include pretexting, baiting, and tailgating.

• Pretexting: Attackers create a fabricated scenario to trick individuals into providing sensitive information.
• Baiting: Attackers lure victims with promises of rewards to obtain their personal information.
• Tailgating: Unauthorized individuals follow authorized personnel into restricted areas.

Example: One common type of social engineering is when someone makes a fake phone call. The caller pretends to be from a real company. They do this to trick the victim into giving them private information.

4. Physical Theft

Physical theft involves the stealing of devices such as laptops, smartphones, or hard drives that contain sensitive information.

Example: If someone steals an employee’s laptop without encryption, they can compromise personal data. This can lead to a data breach if the thief gains access to the information.

5. Unintentional Data Exposure

This type of breach occurs when sensitive data is accidentally made accessible to unauthorized individuals, often due to misconfigurations or human error.

• Misconfigured Databases: Data stored in databases that are not properly secured can be accessed by unauthorized users.
• Accidental Data Sharing: Employees might inadvertently share sensitive information with unauthorized parties through emails or cloud services.

Example: In 2018, the accidental exposure of a publicly accessible database containing personal information of 198 million U.S. voters was due to misconfigured security settings​ (Source)​​​.

Response steps to follow for each incident type

Data Breaches

• Description: Unauthorized access to confidential data.

• Response Steps:
  1. Identify and Contain: Determine the source and scope of the breach. Limit further data loss by isolating affected systems.
  2. Eradicate and Recover: Remove the cause of the breach and restore systems from clean backups. Change passwords and implement stricter access controls. 
  3. Notify and Review: Inform affected parties and review the incident to improve future defenses.

Ransomware Attacks

• • Description: Malicious software that encrypts data, demanding payment for decryption.

• Response Steps:

• 1. Isolation: Disconnect infected systems to prevent spread.
  2. Analysis: Determine ransomware strain and possible decryption tools.
  3. Notification and Decision: Inform law enforcement, your insurance company and decide on paying the ransom (usually not recommended).
  4. Lessons Learned: Review and improve preventative measures like backup and anti-malware solutions. 

Phishing Attacks

• • Description: Fraudulent attempts to obtain sensitive information by disguising as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.

• Response Steps:

• 1. Detection: Monitor and analyze email traffic for suspicious activity. Recognize the phishing attempt and report to IT.
  2. Containment: Immediate Isolate content and restore affected systems. 
  3. Recovery: Change passwords and implement stricter access controls. 
  4. Lessons learned: Reiterate security training among staff to prevent future incidents.

Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks

• • Description: Attempts to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users. Not a data breach but more of an inability to access your servers or an attack that can overwhelm your servers denying access for your customers. 

• Response Steps:

• 1. Mitigation: Use anti-DoS services and configure network hardware to handle unexpected traffic loads.
  2. Recovery and Assessment: Restore services and assess any damage or data loss.

Insider Threats

• • Description: Security threats from people within the organization who have inside information concerning its security practices.

• Response Steps:

• 1. Detection and Monitoring: Utilize security monitoring tools to detect unusual activity.
  2. Investigation: Conduct a thorough investigation to determine intent and extent of exposure.
  3. Resolution and Legal Action: Apply disciplinary measures as necessary and involve law enforcement if criminal activity is detected.

 

Creating an Incident Response Plan

1. Preparation

Assemble an Incident Response Team: Assign roles and responsibilities, ensuring that all team members are trained and understand their duties. 

• Define Incident Types and Responses: Create detailed descriptions of potential incidents like the incidents mentioned above and create corresponding response procedures.
• Inventory Assets: Maintain an updated list of all critical systems and data.

2. Identification

• Detect Incidents: Implement automated monitoring tools to detect potential security incidents.
• Report Incidents: Establish a clear process for employees to report suspected incidents.

3. Containment

• Short-term Containment: Implement immediate measures to prevent the spread of the incident.
• Long-term Containment: Apply more robust solutions to ensure the issue is fully controlled.

4. Eradication

• Remove Threats: Identify and eliminate the root cause of the incident.
• System Clean-up: Ensure all affected systems are thoroughly cleaned and patched.

5. Recovery

• Restore Operations: Gradually bring systems back online, ensuring they are secure.
• Monitor Systems: Continue to monitor for any signs of lingering issues.

6. Lessons Learned

• Conduct a Post-Incident Review: Analyze the incident response to identify strengths and weaknesses.
• Update the IRP: Revise the incident response plan based on the lessons learned.

Incident Response Plan Template

Here’s an outline your use to create your own Incident Response Plan: 

[Your Company Name] Incident Response Plan

1. Purpose and Scope

• Define the purpose of the IRP and its scope within the organization.

2. Incident Response Team

• List key roles and responsibilities, including contact information for team members.

3. Incident Identification

• Identify how you will detect and report on each incident.

4. Response Procedures

• Detailed steps for responding to specific types of incidents (e.g., data breaches, ransomware attacks).

5. Communication Plan

• Internal and external communication protocols, including notification of affected parties and regulatory bodies.

6. Recovery Procedures

• What steps will you take to restore operations and ensure systems are secure.

7. Post-Incident Analysis

• Guidelines for conducting a review and updating the IRP based on lessons learned.

8. Regular Review and Updates

• Schedule for regular reviews and updates of the IRP.

Conclusions

Having a robust incident response plan is essential for SMBs to manage and mitigate the impacts of data breaches and cyber threats effectively. By understanding the types of incidents and their corresponding response steps, businesses can better prepare and protect their critical assets. Implementing the provided sample IR template and utilizing the flowchart will further streamline their response efforts, ensuring a swift and coordinated action against cyber threats.

In summary, while the threat landscape continues to evolve, so too should the strategies of SMBs in combating these risks. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning in cybersecurity, businesses can enhance their resilience against inevitable cyber challenges.

How Horn IT can help

Managed Security Services provide the monitoring and response of a SOC team, for a fraction of the cost of in-house resources.

As we all rely more and more on technology for operations, every business is at risk of being targeted by increasingly sophisticated cybercrime threats. Not every business has the ability to mitigate risk and respond to breaches with their in-house team. Horn IT can manage the day-to-day defense you need with 24/7 monitoring of all of your systems.

With real-time 24/7 threat detection, robust encryption protocols, and continuous security updates, we protect your data against evolving cyber threats. Invest in peace of mind as we empower you with the tools and expertise needed to thwart ransomware attacks.

Contact us today