Unit 5 Individual Assignment For CIS222: Fundamentals Of Sec

Unit 5 Individual Assignment For CIS222: Fundamentals of Security

Develop an incident response plan to address risks to the information system. Explain key elements of an incident response plan, identify incidents to include in the plan, and discuss the relationship between this plan and other related planning such as disaster recovery and business continuity. The paper should be 1-2 pages in APA format, include at least two references with in-text citations, and demonstrate college-level writing skills.

Paper For Above instruction

Effective cybersecurity management relies heavily on a comprehensive incident response (IR) plan, which serves as a strategic framework to identify, mitigate, and recover from security incidents. Key elements of an incident response plan include preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis. Preparation involves establishing policies, assembling an incident response team, and providing relevant training and resources. Identification refers to detecting and reporting security incidents using logs, alerts, and user reports. Containment focuses on limiting the impact of the incident, whether through short-term measures to isolate affected systems or long-term strategies to prevent spread. Eradication entails removing malicious elements, such as malware or unauthorized access, from the affected systems. Recovery involves restoring systems to normal operations while ensuring the vulnerabilities are addressed to prevent recurrence. Finally, post-incident analysis involves reviewing the response to improve future procedures and documenting lessons learned.

Inclusion of specific incidents such as malware infections, phishing attacks, unauthorized access, data breaches, denial-of-service attacks, and insider threats is essential within the incident response plan. These incidents pose significant threats to organizational information assets and require prompt detection and response. For instance, malware infections can compromise data integrity; phishing attacks may lead to credential theft; breaches can expose sensitive data, and denial-of-service attacks can disrupt critical services. Addressing these incidents within the plan ensures a structured response that minimizes damage and recovery time.

The incident response plan is intrinsically linked to other strategic planning efforts such as disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity (BC). While IR focuses on immediate response and mitigation of security incidents, disaster recovery emphasizes restoring IT infrastructure and data continuity after catastrophic events, including cyber incidents, natural disasters, or system failures. Business continuity encompasses broader organizational resilience, ensuring that essential functions continue during and after disruptions, including cyber incidents. These plans are interconnected: an effective IR plan informs the disaster recovery process by identifying threats and vulnerabilities, and both contribute to a resilient organization capable of maintaining operations despite adverse events. Coordination among these plans ensures a holistic approach to organizational risks, minimizing downtime, data loss, and financial impact.

In conclusion, an incident response plan is a vital component of cybersecurity governance. It incorporates key stages such as preparation, detection, response, and post-incident review to mitigate the impact of security breaches. Including specific incident types, such as malware, phishing, and insider threats, enables organizations to be better prepared. Moreover, integrating the IR plan with disaster recovery and business continuity planning fosters organizational resilience, ensuring a swift and coordinated response to various crises. Developing and regularly updating these plans are crucial steps toward safeguarding organizational assets and ensuring operational stability in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

References

• Bishop, M. (2021). Cybersecurity incident response: A practical guide. Routledge.
• National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2018). Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure cybersecurity (NIST CSF). NIST Special Publication 800-53 Rev. 4.
• SANS Institute. (2020). Incident Handler’s Handbook. SANS Institute.
• Tracy, M. (2019). Information security policies, procedures, and standards: guidelines for effective security planning. CRC Press.
• Whitman, M. E., & Mattord, H. J. (2018). Principles of information security. Cengage Learning.