Incident Response Playbook: Preparing for Cyber Attacks

A well-prepared incident response capability is the difference between a minor disruption and a catastrophic breach.

IR Program Components

IR Team Structure

• Incident Commander
• Technical Lead
• Communications Lead
• Legal Counsel
• HR Representative
• External IR Firm (on retainer)

Incident Classification

• P1 - Critical: Active breach, data exfiltration
• P2 - High: Malware infection, compromised accounts
• P3 - Medium: Suspicious activity, policy violations
• P4 - Low: Minor security events

Playbook Examples

Ransomware Playbook

1. Isolate affected systems (don't power off)
2. Preserve forensic evidence
3. Assess backup integrity
4. Engage IR team and legal
5. Determine scope and containment
6. Recovery or negotiation decision

Data Breach Playbook

1. Confirm and scope breach
2. Contain and stop data loss
3. Preserve evidence
4. Assess notification requirements
5. Regulatory notifications (72 hours)
6. Customer communication

Testing and Improvement

• Quarterly tabletop exercises
• Annual full simulation
• Post-incident reviews
• Plan updates
• Team training

Key Success Factors

• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Updated contact lists
• Pre-approved communications
• Tested procedures
• External relationships

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