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Security Incident Response Plan

Overview

This document outlines the procedures for responding to security incidents in the eventually consistent, highly scalable system. The plan ensures rapid detection, containment, eradication, and recovery from security threats.

Incident Classification

Severity Levels

Critical (P0)

  • Response Time: Immediate (< 15 minutes)
  • Examples:
    • Active data breach or unauthorized access to sensitive data
    • Complete system compromise
    • Ransomware or destructive malware
    • Authentication system compromise
    • Critical infrastructure failure affecting security

High (P1)

  • Response Time: < 1 hour
  • Examples:
    • Suspected data breach
    • Privilege escalation attacks
    • DDoS attacks affecting availability
    • Malware detection
    • Unauthorized access attempts

Medium (P2)

  • Response Time: < 4 hours
  • Examples:
    • Failed authentication attempts above threshold
    • Suspicious network activity
    • Policy violations
    • Non-critical security tool failures

Low (P3)

  • Response Time: < 24 hours
  • Examples:
    • Security configuration drift
    • Expired certificates
    • Minor policy violations
    • Security awareness issues

Incident Response Team

Core Team Members

Incident Commander (IC)

  • Primary: Security Team Lead
  • Backup: DevOps Lead
  • Responsibilities:
    • Overall incident coordination
    • Decision making authority
    • External communication
    • Resource allocation

Security Analyst

  • Primary: Security Engineer
  • Backup: Senior Developer
  • Responsibilities:
    • Threat analysis and investigation
    • Evidence collection
    • Security tool management
    • Forensic analysis

Technical Lead

  • Primary: System Architect
  • Backup: Senior DevOps Engineer
  • Responsibilities:
    • System isolation and containment
    • Technical remediation
    • System recovery
    • Infrastructure changes

Communications Lead

  • Primary: Product Manager
  • Backup: Engineering Manager
  • Responsibilities:
    • Stakeholder communication
    • Customer notifications
    • Media relations
    • Documentation

Extended Team (On-Call)

  • Database Administrator
  • Network Administrator
  • Legal Counsel
  • Compliance Officer
  • External Security Consultant

Incident Response Process

Phase 1: Detection and Analysis (0-30 minutes)

Immediate Actions

  1. Alert Triage

    # Check system status
./scripts/production-health-check.sh

# Run security scan
./scripts/security-scan.sh

# Check monitoring dashboards
# - Grafana: http://localhost:3000
# - Prometheus: http://localhost:9090
# - Jaeger: http://localhost:16686

  2. Initial Assessment

    • Determine incident severity
    • Identify affected systems
    • Assess potential impact
    • Activate appropriate response team

  3. Evidence Preservation

    # Capture system state
docker ps > incident-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)-containers.log
docker logs $(docker ps -q) > incident-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)-logs.log

# Network capture (if applicable)
tcpdump -i any -w incident-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)-network.pcap

Detection Sources

  • Automated Monitoring

    • Prometheus alerts
    • Grafana dashboards
    • Jaeger tracing anomalies
    • Log analysis (ELK stack)

  • Security Tools

    • Intrusion detection systems
    • Vulnerability scanners
    • Security information and event management (SIEM)
    • Endpoint detection and response (EDR)

  • Manual Reports

    • User reports
    • Security team observations
    • Third-party notifications
    • Vendor security advisories

Phase 2: Containment (30 minutes - 2 hours)

Short-term Containment

  1. Isolate Affected Systems

    # Stop compromised containers
docker stop <container_id>

# Isolate network segments
# Update firewall rules
# Disable compromised accounts

  2. Preserve Evidence

    # Create forensic images
docker commit <container_id> forensic-image-$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Backup logs and configurations
./scripts/backup-restore.sh backup

  3. Implement Temporary Fixes

    • Block malicious IP addresses
    • Disable compromised user accounts
    • Apply emergency patches
    • Increase monitoring sensitivity

Long-term Containment

  1. System Hardening

    # Update security configurations
./scripts/secrets-manager.sh rotate

# Apply security patches
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

  2. Enhanced Monitoring

    • Deploy additional monitoring tools
    • Increase log retention
    • Enable detailed auditing
    • Set up honeypots if applicable

Phase 3: Eradication (2-8 hours)

Root Cause Analysis

  1. Forensic Investigation

    • Analyze system logs
    • Review network traffic
    • Examine file system changes
    • Interview relevant personnel

  2. Vulnerability Assessment

    # Run comprehensive security scan
./scripts/security-scan.sh vulnerabilities

# Check for additional compromises
./scripts/security-scan.sh

Threat Removal

  1. Remove Malicious Components

    • Delete malware
    • Remove backdoors
    • Clean infected files
    • Revoke compromised certificates

  2. Patch Vulnerabilities

    • Apply security updates
    • Fix configuration issues
    • Update security policies
    • Strengthen access controls

Phase 4: Recovery (4-24 hours)

System Restoration

  1. Gradual Service Restoration

    # Start with non-critical services
docker compose up -d redis postgres

# Verify security before proceeding
./scripts/security-scan.sh

# Restore remaining services
docker compose up -d

  2. Validation Testing

    • Functional testing
    • Security testing
    • Performance testing
    • User acceptance testing

Monitoring Enhancement

  1. Increased Surveillance

    • Enhanced logging
    • Real-time monitoring
    • Behavioral analysis
    • Threat hunting

  2. Backup Verification

    # Test backup integrity
./scripts/backup-restore.sh verify

# Test recovery procedures
./scripts/backup-restore.sh test-restore

Phase 5: Post-Incident Activities (24-72 hours)

Documentation

  1. Incident Report

    • Timeline of events
    • Actions taken
    • Lessons learned
    • Recommendations

  2. Evidence Documentation

    • Forensic findings
    • System changes
    • Communication logs
    • Financial impact

Process Improvement

  1. Security Enhancements

    • Update security policies
    • Improve monitoring
    • Enhance training
    • Strengthen controls

  2. Procedure Updates

    • Revise incident response plan
    • Update contact information
    • Improve automation
    • Enhance communication

Communication Procedures

Internal Communication

Immediate Notification (< 15 minutes)

  • Incident Commander
  • Security Team
  • On-call Engineer
  • Management (for P0/P1)

Regular Updates

  • P0: Every 30 minutes
  • P1: Every hour
  • P2: Every 4 hours
  • P3: Daily

Communication Channels

  • Primary: Slack #security-incidents
  • Secondary: Email distribution list
  • Emergency: Phone/SMS alerts

External Communication

Customer Notification

  • Criteria: Data breach, service disruption, privacy impact
  • Timeline: Within 24 hours of confirmation
  • Method: Email, website notice, direct contact

Regulatory Notification

  • GDPR: Within 72 hours
  • Other regulations: As required
  • Legal review: Required before submission

Media Relations

  • Spokesperson: Communications Lead
  • Approval: Legal and Executive team
  • Messaging: Coordinated and consistent

Tools and Resources

Security Tools

  • Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger
  • Logging: ELK Stack (if deployed)
  • Scanning: Custom security scan script
  • Forensics: Docker forensic tools

Communication Tools

  • Chat: Slack
  • Video: Zoom/Teams
  • Documentation: Confluence/Wiki
  • Ticketing: Jira/GitHub Issues

External Resources

  • Security Vendors: Contact information
  • Law Enforcement: Cybercrime units
  • Legal Counsel: External security lawyers
  • Insurance: Cyber insurance provider

Training and Exercises

Regular Training

  • Frequency: Quarterly
  • Audience: All team members
  • Topics:
    • Incident response procedures
    • Security awareness
    • Tool usage
    • Communication protocols

Tabletop Exercises

  • Frequency: Bi-annually
  • Scenarios:
    • Data breach
    • Ransomware attack
    • DDoS attack
    • Insider threat

Technical Drills

  • Frequency: Monthly
  • Activities:
    • System isolation procedures
    • Backup and recovery
    • Communication tests
    • Tool functionality

Metrics and KPIs

Response Metrics

  • Mean Time to Detection (MTTD)
  • Mean Time to Containment (MTTC)
  • Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR)
  • False Positive Rate

Quality Metrics

  • Incident Escalation Rate
  • Customer Impact Score
  • Compliance Adherence
  • Training Completion Rate

Appendices

Appendix A: Contact Information

Incident Commander: [Name] - [Phone] - [Email]
Security Team: security@company.com
Legal: legal@company.com
PR/Communications: pr@company.com

Appendix B: System Architecture

  • Network diagrams
  • Service dependencies
  • Data flow diagrams
  • Security boundaries

Appendix C: Playbooks

  • Specific incident type procedures
  • Tool-specific instructions
  • Vendor contact procedures
  • Escalation matrices

Appendix D: Legal and Compliance

  • Regulatory requirements
  • Notification templates
  • Evidence handling procedures
  • Chain of custody forms