Cyber Incident Response - Incident Declaration Policy,

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to establish a standardized process for the declaration of a cyber incident and the subsequent steps for communication, escalation, and progression to incident containment. This ensures a swift and efficient response to true cyber incidents, minimizing potential damage and maintaining organizational security.

Scope

This policy applies to all employees, contractors, and third-party service providers of [Organization Name] who may be involved in the detection, identification, and response to cyber incidents.

Definitions

Incident: An event that poses a threat to the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of information or information systems.
True Incident: An identified event that has been validated as a genuine security incident.
Incident Response Team (IRT): A designated group of individuals responsible for managing the response to a cyber incident.

Policy Statement

Incident Identification Phase

Detection: Continuous monitoring and detection tools will identify potential security events.
Initial Assessment: The IRT will perform a preliminary assessment to determine if the event is suspicious and warrants further investigation.
Stage Gate: Incident Declaration:

If the event is determined to be a true incident, an official incident declaration will be made.
This declaration will trigger the subsequent processes outlined in this policy.

Incident Declaration

Documentation: The IRT will document the details of the incident, including the nature, scope, and potential impact.
Notification: Immediate notification will be sent to key stakeholders, including:

Senior Management
IT Department
Legal and Compliance Teams
Public Relations (if necessary)
Affected Business Units

Incident Communications

Internal Communication:

Regular updates will be provided to all relevant internal stakeholders throughout the incident response process.
A centralized communication hub (e.g., a dedicated incident response communication channel) will be established to disseminate information efficiently.

2. External Communication:

If required, communications to external parties, such as customers, partners, regulators, or the public, will be coordinated through the Public Relations and Legal teams.
Messaging will be clear, consistent, and in compliance with any regulatory requirements.

Incident Escalation

Escalation Criteria: The IRT will use predefined criteria to determine if the incident needs to be escalated to higher authority levels within the organization.

Criteria may include the severity of the incident, potential impact on operations, regulatory implications, and the involvement of sensitive data.

2. Escalation Process:

Immediate notification to executive leadership if the incident meets the escalation criteria.
Engagement with external experts or incident response services, if necessary, to assist with the response and containment efforts.

Transition to Incident Containment

Containment Strategy:

The IRT will develop and implement a containment strategy to isolate the affected systems and prevent further damage.
This may include network segmentation, system shutdowns, or other tactical responses.

2. Implementation:

The containment strategy will be executed promptly and monitored continuously for effectiveness.
Adjustments will be made as necessary to ensure the threat is contained.

Responsibilities

Incident Response Team (IRT): Responsible for managing the incident response process, including identification, declaration, communication, escalation, and containment.
Senior Management: Provides oversight and support for incident response efforts.
IT Department: Assists with technical aspects of incident response and containment.
Legal and Compliance Teams: Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements during the incident response process.
Public Relations: Manages external communications and public messaging.

Review and Revision

This policy will be reviewed annually and revised as necessary to reflect changes in the threat landscape, organizational structure, or regulatory requirements.

Approval

This policy has been approved by [Approving Authority] on [Date].

[Organization Name]

Cybersecurity Department