In the realm of cybersecurity, responding to incidents promptly and effectively is crucial. This detailed guide covers best practices in incident response, focusing on identification, containment, and eradication.
Failure to Take Complete Notes: The most common error incident handlers make is failing to take comprehensive notes. Detailed documentation is essential for understanding the incident and for legal purposes.
Forensics Imaging:
Critical Importance: A good forensic image is crucial. Without it, you risk the data's integrity and admissibility in court.
System Backups: Often, systems haven't been backed up in years, making forensic imaging vital for preserving irreplaceable data.
Tools: Use tools like dd for bit-by-bit imaging on UNIX and Windows. Tools like Google Rekall and Volatility Framework are excellent for memory analysis.
Cryptographic Hashes: These validate that the evidence remains unchanged since collection.
Write Blockers:
Usage: Prevent write operations to disks, preserving the state of evidence. Available in hardware and software forms.
Practicality: Not always feasible, especially for live systems.
Drive Duplicators:
Advantages: Faster imaging and on-the-fly hash calculation. Ideal for frequent imaging tasks.
Disk Size Consideration:
Storage Needs: The storage drive should be at least 10% larger than the original to account for file system overhead and metadata.
Short-term Containment
Goals:
Stop Attack Progress: Prevent further damage without altering the impacted system.
Keep Drive Image Intact: Until a backup is made.
Methods:
Network Isolation: Disconnect network access or power to the impacted system.
Switch Port Isolation: Control switch infrastructure to isolate the impacted machine.
VLAN Isolation: Place the system on an isolated VLAN for continued communication without infection spread.
DNS Alteration:*********************Important and useful method***************************
Redirect Traffic: Change DNS records to point to a secure machine, mitigating attack based on IP address.
Long-term Containment
Actions:
Patching: Apply patches to the system and neighboring systems.
Intrusion Prevention: Insert IPS or in-line Snort/Suricata.
Routing Changes: Null routing and firewall rules.
Account Management: Remove attacker accounts and shut down backdoors.
Eradication Preparation:
Temporary Solutions: Implement solutions to maintain production while preparing for eradication.
Eradication
Protection Techniques:
Firewall/Router Filters: Apply appropriate filters.
System Relocation: Move the system to a new name/IP address.******Very useful**********
DNS Changes: Change DNS names to avoid further attacks.******Very useful**********
Vulnerability Analysis:
System and Network Analysis: Perform detailed vulnerability assessments.
Port Scanning: Use tools like Nmap for network scanning.
Vulnerability Scanners: Tools like Nessus, OpenVAS, Rapid7 NeXpose, and Qualys help identify vulnerabilities.
Attack Patterns:
Multiple Machines: Attackers often exploit multiple machines using the same methods. Search for related vulnerabilities across the environment.
Conclusion
Effective incident response involves strategic containment, and thorough eradication. By adhering to these best practices, organizations can significantly enhance their resilience against cyber threats and ensure a swift recovery from incidents.
Akash Patel
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