Every organization should be prepared for a potential cyber-incident. The question is not if it will happen, but when. The answer to 'what should an Incident response plan include' shouldn't be ambiguous or vague. A well-crafted Incident response plan helps to mitigate the impact, reduce downtime, and speed up the recovery after a security breach. This blog post will guide you on what to include for maximum effectiveness in your Incident response plan.

Let's start by understanding the concept of an Incident response plan. An Incident response plan is a set of instructions that help IT staff detect, respond to, and recover from network security incidents. These kinds of plans are necessary for businesses to resume normal operations as soon as possible after an incident.

So, to answer the question 'what should an Incident response plan include', we must first outline our roadmap. This will involve:1. Preparation2. Detection and Analysis3. Containment, Eradication, and Recovery 4. After-Action Review

Preparation

The first answer to 'what should an Incident response plan include' is preparation. In this phase, you assemble your Incident response team and prepare the tools and resources needed to handle potential threats. This step should include:

• Identifying the Incident Response Team: Your team should have a clear structure, and every member should know their roles and responsibilities. This team might include IT staff, security analysts, legal advisors, and PR and communications professionals.
• Educating the Staff: All staff members should be aware of the potential threats, the indicators of an incident, and how to report it. Regular training sessions should be part of your plan.
• Establishing Communication Channels: Clear and secure communication channels should be set up. This can prevent misinformation and diffuse panic in an incident.
• Preparing Tools and Resources: Before an incident occurs, ensure you have the necessary software, hardware, and other resources necessary to combat potential incidents.

Detection and Analysis

The second answer to 'what should an Incident response plan include' is detection and analysis. Security teams need to be able to detect and analyze potential threats in their networks. This stage includes:

• Detection Tools: Use advanced detection tools like intrusion detection systems (IDS), antivirus software, and firewalls to identify potential threats.
• Incident Logging: When an incident occurs, it should be properly logged and documented. This includes who detected it, when it was detected, and what the initial responses were.
• Incident Classification: Classify incidents based on their potential impact on the organization. This helps prioritize incidents and allocate resources accordingly.

Containment, Eradication, and Recovery

The third answer to 'what should an Incident response plan include' is containment, eradication, and recovery. In this phase, action is taken to prevent the incident from causing further damage, erase the threat, and restore normal operations. Detailed steps should include:

• Containment Strategy: Your plan should include procedures to isolate affected systems to prevent the incident from spreading.
• Eradication Measures: Once contained, the threat should be wiped from your systems. Your plan must detail how to identify and remove harmful elements within the network.
• Recovery Procedures: After the threat has been eradicated, your plan needs to outline how to restore impacted systems and services to their normal state.

After-Action Review

The final answer to 'what should an Incident response plan include' is a comprehensive after-action review. This is where you evaluate the effectiveness of your response and make necessary changes to your plan. This encompasses:

• Incident Documentation: As part of your review, document every detail of the incident and response. This includes what happened, how it happened, what was done, and how effective these measures were.
• Lessons Learned: Analyze both the strengths and weaknesses of your response. Generate a list of improvements and incorporate them into your response plan.
• Plan Update: Based on the lessons learned, update your incident response plan accordingly for better threat response in the future.

In conclusion, answering 'what should an Incident response plan include' constitutes four stages: preparation, detection and analysis, containment/eradication/recovery, and after-action review. The aim is to prevent network security incidents from wreaking havoc with your operations. Creating an Incident response plan requires meticulous effort, but when done correctly, it's your best resort when an inevitable security incident occurs. Plan wisely and stay one step ahead of the threats.