Incident Response & Threat Monitoring
Proactive defense • Structured IRP • Real-time threat detection • Cyber resilience
Incident Response Plan (IRP)
PREPARE • DETECT • CONTAIN • ERADICATE • RECOVER
A structured approach to handle security breaches, minimize damage, restore operations, and maintain compliance (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.).
Why IRP matters:
✅ Speed of response → reduce downtime
✅ Minimized impact → limit data loss
✅ Legal compliance → avoid penalties
✅ Reputation protection → trust
✅ Speed of response → reduce downtime
✅ Minimized impact → limit data loss
✅ Legal compliance → avoid penalties
✅ Reputation protection → trust
Threat Monitoring Essentials
24/7 visibility • anomaly detection • threat hunting
- SIEM – centralized log aggregation (Splunk, QRadar)
- EDR / XDR – endpoint telemetry & response (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne)
- Network Monitoring (NTA) – detect C2 traffic, data exfiltration
- Threat Intelligence Feeds – known IOCs, TTPs (MITRE ATT&CK)
- User Behavior Analytics (UBA) – unusual access patterns
Real-time alert sample: “Multiple failed logins + privilege escalation → possible ransomware”
Key Components of IRP
- Roles & responsibilities – Incident Commander, IT forensics, Legal, PR
- Playbooks for ransomware, phishing, insider threats
- Containment strategies – network isolation, account revocation
- Eradication methods – remove malware, patch CVEs, reset credentials
- Recovery procedures – system restore, business continuity
- Post-mortem & improvement – update IRP after each incident
Splunk
QRadar
CrowdStrike
Volatility
Threat Hunting & Monitoring Sources
- DNS logs – detect beaconing / DGA domains
- Proxy & firewall logs – unusual outbound connections
- Endpoint process creation – detect LOLBins / ransomware execution
- Authentication logs – brute force, impossible travel
- File integrity monitoring (FIM) – unauthorized changes
- Cloud audit trails – suspicious API calls (AWS CloudTrail, Azure Monitor)
MITRE ATT&CK mapping example: T1059 (Command & Scripting) → monitor powershell.exe flags.
Who to Notify in an Incident
- 🔸 Internal: management, IT security, legal, communications
- 🔸 External: affected customers, regulatory bodies (GDPR/SEC), law enforcement (CISA/FBI)
- 🔸 Third-party vendors: if their systems are implicated
- 🔸 Cyber insurance – timely reporting may be required
Best Practices for IR & Monitoring
- 🔹 Establish baseline for normal behavior
- 🔹 Automate alerts with SIEM correlation rules
- 🔹 Regular tabletop exercises (simulated ransomware attack)
- 🔹 Continuous training for SOC/IRT teams
- 🔹 Backup critical data (3-2-1 rule)
- 🔹 Focus on containment first — stop the spread before deep forensics
“If you can stand, don’t sit – if you can walk, don’t lie still” – agility defeats attackers.
Recommended IR & Monitoring Toolstack
SIEM: Splunk / QRadar
EDR: CrowdStrike / Defender
NTA: Darktrace / Zeek
Vulnerability: Nessus / Qualys
Forensics: FTK Imager, Velociraptor
Threat Intel: Recorded Future
🛡️ Post-incident review: always update your playbook. Log everything, test annually.
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