Rethinking Incident Response: From PICERL to DAIR

Incident Response (IR) is a critical component in the cybersecurity landscape, often abbreviated as PICERL, which stands for Preparation, Identification, Containment, Eradication, Recovery, and Lessons Learned. However, while this framework is theoretically sound, many organizations struggle with its execution.

The Limitations of PICERL

Preparation Preparation is foundational, but many organizations fail at basic security measures, often referred to as "Security 101" practices. Common failures include:

• Poor implementation of least privilege principles and strong passwords.

• Lack of network monitoring and log aggregation.

• Insufficient threat intelligence utilization.

Identification A major issue in identification is organizations often limit their focus to known compromised systems, neglecting to scan the entire network for other potential threats.

Containment Containment is frequently skipped or poorly executed. Killing attacker processes without collecting vital evidence can hinder a thorough understanding of the incident. Improper scoping leads to incomplete containment and allowing threat actors to persist in the environment.

Eradication Incomplete eradication is a common issue. Without a comprehensive investigation, multiple footholds left by threat actors may go unnoticed. For instance, if a threat actor uses a VPN to gain access and installs remote access tools across several hosts, failing to identify all points of compromise can lead to re-infection.

Recovery Recovery tends to be more thorough as business operations are directly impacted.

Lessons Learned During the lessons learned phase, organizations often fail to identify and fix all root causes. For example,  if weak RDP credentials led to an incident, it's crucial to understand why such weaknesses were allowed and address the underlying policy and enforcement issues to prevent recurrence.

Why We Need a Dynamic Approach

The static, linear nature of PICERL is one of its biggest limitations. Incident response is not a one-size-fits-all process. Multiple events can occur simultaneously, and a rigid approach can lead to oversights. This calls for a more flexible and dynamic approach, like the DAIR model.

Introducing the DAIR Model

The Dynamic Approach to Incident Response (DAIR) shifts from a linear to a more fluid and outcome-focused model. Instead of viewing incident response as a series of steps, DAIR breaks it down into waypoints, outcomes, and activities.

Waypoints and Activities

• Preparation, Detection, Verification, and Triage: Detection is an ongoing activity, and verifying an incident is just one part of the process.

• Detection to Verification and Triage: Once an incident is detected, the next step is to verify and perform initial triage. Initial actions, differing significantly depending on the type of incident (e.g., ransomware vs. internal threats).

• Ongoing Activities: Incident response is continuous. Activities such as data collection, system hunting, and vigilance are ongoing to achieve desired outcomes. Scoping, for instance, involves identifying compromised systems through evidence collection and network scanning.

Outcomes

• Scoping: Identifying compromised systems, which might require various activities like evidence collection and network scanning.

• Containment: Ensuring the threat is confined to prevent further spread.

• Eradication: Removing the threat completely from the environment.

• Recovery: Restoring business operations to normal.

• Remediation: Addressing root causes to prevent recurrence.

Practical Steps to Apply DAIR

1. Prepare: Establish robust security practices and ensure network monitoring and threat intelligence are in place.

2. Detect: Implement continuous monitoring to detect incidents promptly.

3. Verify and Triage: Quickly verify detected incidents and perform initial triage to guide response efforts.

4. Scope, Contain, Eradicate, Recover, and Remediate: Follow response steps while continuously communicating with decision-makers.

5. Learn and Improve: Analyze each incident to identify root causes and improve security measures to prevent future incidents.

Conclusion

Transitioning from PICERL to DAIR offers a more dynamic and adaptable incident response model. By focusing on waypoints, outcomes, and continuous activities, organizations can better manage the complexities of modern cybersecurity threats. Incident response is an ongoing process, and vigilance is key to maintaining a secure environment.

Akash Patel