Chapter 2 - Implement an Incident Response Process
Reporting Security Incidents
Once a potential security incident has been identified, it is critical to have a clear and consistent process for reporting the incident to the appropriate parties. This ensures that incidents are promptly addressed and that all relevant stakeholders are informed and involved in the response process.
Incident communication process
The individual who identifies the potential security incident, whether an employee or an external stakeholder, reports the incident through the designated reporting channel.
The report is received by the designated incident response team or security personnel, who perform an initial assessment to determine the validity and severity of the incident.
If the incident is deemed valid, the incident response team opens a formal incident ticket and assigns it to the appropriate personnel for investigation and resolution.
The incident ticket is categorized and prioritized based on the severity and potential impact of the incident, as defined in the organization's incident classification matrix.
The incident response team communicates the receipt and status of the incident to the reporter and any other relevant stakeholders, as determined by the incident communication plan.
Best Practices
Ensure that all employees and external stakeholders are aware of the incident reporting process and their responsibilities for reporting potential security incidents.
Provide clear instructions and templates for incident reporting, including the necessary information to be included, such as a description of the incident, the date and time it was discovered, and any relevant system or user details.
Establish service level agreements (SLAs) for incident response times, based on the severity and priority of the incident, and communicate these SLAs to all stakeholders.
Maintain confidentiality and security of incident reports, and limit access to sensitive information on a need-to-know basis.
