Incident Handling and Response Process

An incident handling and response process is a structured way to deal with security incidents, like cyberattacks, data breaches, or even system outages. It’s basically a plan that helps organizations react quickly and effectively to minimize damage and get things back to normal.

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There are a few common frameworks used for building this process, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) framework being a popular one. Here’s a breakdown of the four main stages in the NIST framework:

• Preparation: This is where you get ready for the unexpected. You’ll identify your critical systems and data, develop an incident response plan (IRP), and create a team to handle incidents: Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) or an Incident Response Team (IRT) with clear roles and responsibilities. Conduct regular response team training and awareness programs for all employees. Ensure the availability of the necessary tools, software and hardware required for incident detection, analysis and response.
• Detection and Analysis: This is where you figure out if something is wrong. You’ll use security tools and monitoring to identify incidents, and then analyze them to understand the scope and impact.
• Containment, Eradication, and Recovery: This is where you stop the incident, get rid of the threat, and get things back to normal. This might involve isolating infected systems, removing malware, and restoring data from backups.
• Post-Incident Activity: This is where you learn from the experience. You’ll do a post-incident review to identify what went wrong and how to improve your response for next time.

Having a documented incident response plan is key for this process to run smoothly. This plan should outline the roles and responsibilities of the incident response team, the steps to take for each stage, and how to communicate with stakeholders during an incident.

Security Scanners

Here are some well-established security scanners you can explore:

• Lynis: A popular open-source security auditing tool for various Linux systems. (https://cisofy.com/lynis/)
• OpenVAS: A free and open-source vulnerability scanner that can be used for comprehensive security assessments. (https://www.openvas.org/)
• Tripwire: A commercial security tool with a free open-source version that helps with file integrity monitoring and intrusion detection. (https://www.tripwire.com/)

Volatile evidence collection — Linux, Windows

Volatile evidence, data residing in memory (RAM) or other temporary locations, is crucial in incident response investigations. However, collecting it requires special techniques since powering down the system destroys this data. Here’s a breakdown of volatile evidence collection on Linux and Windows:

Linux:

Live Forensics Approach: This is preferred for collecting the most comprehensive data. It involves booting the suspect system with a specialized Linux distribution designed for forensics, such as:

• Autopsy: https://www.autopsy.com/
• CAINE (Computer Aided Investigative Environment): https://www.caine-live.net/

Collect Running Processes

ps aux > ps_aux.txt

Network Connections

netstat -anp > netstat_anp.txt

ss -tuln > ss_tuln.txt

Open Files

lsof > lsof.txt

System Logs

dmesg > dmesg.txt

User Login Sessions

w > w.txt

Windows:

Live Forensics Approach: Similar to Linux, specialized tools exist for Windows forensics. Some popular options include:

• Windows Defender Credential Guard (available on some Windows 10/11 versions): Provides hardware-based isolation for secrets, potentially preserving some volatile data.

Collect Running Processes

tasklist /V > tasklist.txt

Network Connections

netstat -anob > netstat_anob.txt

Event Logs

wevtutil qe Security > SecurityLog.evtx
wevtutil qe System > SystemLog.evtx

Malware Analysis Tools

There are various tools available for malware analysis, both free and commercial. Some popular options include:

• Cuckoo Sandbox: A free and open-source sandbox environment for dynamic analysis. (https://cuckoo.sh/docs/installation/index.html)
• IDA Pro: A commercial disassembler and debugger for advanced static and dynamic analysis. (https://hex-rays.com/ida-pro/)
• VirusTotal: A free online service that analyzes suspicious files and URLs with multiple antivirus engines, providing a quick overview of the malware’s characteristics. (https://www.virustotal.com/gui/home/url)

Importance of Safe Practices:

• Malware analysis can be risky. It’s crucial to use isolated and controlled environments to avoid infecting your own system or network.
• Stay updated on the latest malware trends and techniques to adapt your analysis methods.
• Share your findings with the security community to help improve overall cyber defenses.

Using OSSIM

OSSIM (Open Source Security Information and Event Management) is a powerful tool for security professionals to monitor and analyze security events across a network. Here’s a breakdown of its functionalities and how you can get started using it:

What can OSSIM do?

• Log Collection: OSSIM gathers logs from various security devices like firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and endpoints.
• Log Normalization: It parses and normalizes logs from different sources into a common format for easier analysis.
• Event Correlation: OSSIM correlates seemingly unrelated events from various sources to identify potential security incidents.
• Incident Management: It provides features to track and manage security incidents, including assigning severity levels, creating timelines, and generating reports.
• Threat Intelligence Integration: OSSIM can integrate with threat intelligence feeds to identify suspicious activity based on known malware signatures or attack patterns.
• Alerting: It can trigger alerts based on predefined rules, notifying security personnel of potential threats.

Benefits of using OSSIM:

• Open-source and Free: Reduces licensing costs, making it accessible to a wider range of organizations.
• Scalability: Can handle large volumes of logs from complex networks.
• Customization: Offers extensive customization options to tailor it to specific security needs.
• Community Support: Benefits from a large and active open-source community for support and development.

Getting Started with OSSIM:

Using OSSIM involves several steps:

1. System Requirements: Ensure your system meets the minimum hardware and software requirements specified by the OSSIM project. (https://cybersecurity.att.com/products/ossim)
2. Installation: You can choose between manual installation or using a pre-built virtual appliance. Both methods have their advantages and complexities.
3. Configuration: This is a crucial step involving configuring sensors for log collection, defining correlation rules, and setting up user accounts.
4. Data Ingestion: Start feeding logs from your security devices into OSSIM.
5. Monitoring and Analysis: Use OSSIM’s dashboard and various tools to monitor events, analyze trends, and identify potential security incidents.

Additional Resources:

• AlienVault OSSIM Documentation: While AlienVault offers a commercial version of OSSIM, their documentation provides a valuable resource for understanding core functionalities. (https://scadahacker.com/library/Documents/Manuals/AlienVault_Users_Manual_1.0.pdf)
• Community Forums: Several online forums and communities dedicated to OSSIM can offer support and share best practices.

Important Considerations:

• Complexity: Setting up and managing OSSIM can be complex, especially for beginners. Consider seeking professional help for large-scale deployments.
• Ongoing Maintenance: Maintaining OSSIM requires ongoing updates, log management, and rule adjustments to ensure its effectiveness.
• False Positives: Correlating events can sometimes lead to false positives. Tuning correlation rules is essential to minimize these.

By understanding the capabilities of OSSIM and following these steps, you can leverage this powerful tool to strengthen your organization’s security posture. Remember, properly configuring and maintaining OSSIM is crucial to get the most out of it.

Using Wireshark and NMAP

Wireshark and Nmap are both essential tools for network security professionals. Here’s a breakdown of their functionalities and how they can be used together:

Wireshark: Network Traffic Analyzer

• Function: Wireshark is a free and open-source packet sniffer that captures network traffic flowing across your network interface.
• Capabilities:
• Captures packets traveling on your network in real-time.
• Decodes captured packets, allowing you to examine the content (within limitations due to encryption).
• Provides filters to focus on specific protocols, IP addresses, or keywords.
• Analyzes captured traffic to identify potential security vulnerabilities, malware activity, or network anomalies.

Nmap: Network Scanner

• Function: Nmap is a free and open-source network mapper that discovers devices and services on a computer network.
• Capabilities:
• Performs various scans to identify active devices, open ports, and services running on those ports.
• Offers different scanning techniques like TCP SYN scan, UDP scan, and service version detection.
• Helps create a network map, visualizing connected devices and their functionalities.
• Can be used for vulnerability assessments by identifying outdated software or misconfigured services.

Using Wireshark and Nmap Together:

Nmap and Wireshark can be a powerful combination for network security analysis. Here’s a workflow:

1. Scan with Nmap: Use Nmap to scan your network and identify devices and open ports. This provides context for the network traffic you’ll be capturing.
2. Capture Traffic with Wireshark: Focus your Wireshark capture on specific IP addresses or ports identified by Nmap. This reduces the amount of data to analyze and helps target areas of interest.
3. Analyze Captured Traffic: Use Wireshark to examine the captured packets. Look for suspicious activity, protocol anomalies, or communication with known malicious domains or IP addresses.
4. Identify Vulnerabilities: Correlate the information from Nmap and Wireshark to identify potential vulnerabilities. For example, Nmap might reveal an open port running an outdated service, and Wireshark might capture exploit attempts targeting that vulnerability.

Benefits of Combining these Tools:

• Comprehensive Network Analysis: Provides a deeper understanding of network activity by combining device discovery (Nmap) with detailed traffic inspection (Wireshark)
• Targeted Analysis: Nmap helps focus Wireshark captures on specific areas of interest, saving time and effort.
• Vulnerability Detection: Together they can help identify vulnerabilities in your network infrastructure and applications.

Additional Considerations:

• Understanding Network Protocols: A good understanding of network protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, etc.) is beneficial for interpreting captured traffic in Wireshark.
• Network Ethics: Capturing network traffic might have privacy implications. Ensure you have permission to monitor the network you’re analyzing.
• Advanced Techniques: Both Nmap and Wireshark offer advanced features for experienced users. There are many resources available online to learn more about these tools.

Using Suricata IDS

Suricata is a powerful open-source Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that monitors network traffic for malicious activity. It can be a valuable tool for safeguarding your network from various threats. Here’s a breakdown of Suricata’s functionalities and how you can get started using it:

What can Suricata do?

• Real-time Traffic Inspection: Suricata continuously analyzes network traffic packets in real-time, searching for patterns that match predefined rules.
• Signature-based Detection: It uses a large collection of signatures to identify known attack patterns, malware signatures, and suspicious network activity.
• Anomaly Detection (Optional): Suricata can also perform anomaly detection, identifying deviations from normal traffic patterns that might indicate potential threats.
• Alerting: When Suricata detects suspicious activity, it generates alerts that notify security personnel for further investigation.
• Logging: It logs all captured traffic and detected events for historical analysis and forensic investigations.

Benefits of Using Suricata:

• Open-source and Free: Reduces licensing costs and makes it accessible to a wide range of users.
• Highly Customizable: Offers extensive configuration options to tailor detection rules and logging to your specific needs.
• Wide Range of Signatures: Supports a large community-driven ruleset with signatures for various threats.
• Performance and Scalability: Can handle high volumes of network traffic, making it suitable for large networks.

Getting Started with Suricata:

There are several ways to deploy Suricata:

• Standalone Installation: You can install Suricata directly on a dedicated server or workstation. This offers more control but requires more configuration effort.
• Security Appliance Integration: Many security appliances integrate Suricata, providing a pre-configured and easy-to-manage solution.
• Cloud-based Deployments: Some managed security service providers (MSSPs) offer Suricata as a cloud-based service.

The specific setup steps will vary depending on your chosen deployment method. Here’s a general overview:

1. System Requirements: Ensure your system meets the minimum hardware and software requirements specified by the Suricata project. (https://suricata.io/download/)
2. Installation: Follow the installation instructions for your chosen deployment method.
3. Configuration: This is a crucial step. You’ll need to configure network interfaces, logging options, and most importantly, the Suricata rule set.
4. Start Suricata: Once configured, you can start the Suricata service to begin monitoring your network traffic.
5. Monitoring and Alerting: Monitor Suricata’s logs and alerts to identify suspicious activity. You might need to integrate it with a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system for centralized monitoring.

Additional Resources:

• Suricata Documentation: The official Suricata documentation provides comprehensive guides for installation, configuration, and usage. (https://docs.suricata.io/)
• Community Forums: Several online forums and communities dedicated to Suricata can offer support and share best practices.

Important Considerations:

• Signature Management: Keeping your Suricata ruleset up-to-date is critical for effective threat detection.
• False Positives: Suricata alerts might require investigation, as some detections could be false positives.
• Expertise Required: Advanced configuration and log analysis might require some expertise in network security.

Useful Links

Cybersecurity Framework

Cyber Security Training, Degrees & Resources | SANS Institute

Top 8 Incident Response Plan Templates

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