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Incident Response Assessment

5 minutes 5 Questions

Incident Response Assessment is an evaluation of an organization's ability to identify, respond to, and manage security incidents effectively. This assessment methodology focuses on testing and refining the organization’s incident response plan, which outlines how the organization will detect, contain, eradicate, and recover from security incidents. Incident response assessments involve simulated scenarios, tabletop exercises, and post-incident analysis, to identify gaps and weaknesses in the plan and enhance the organization's incident response capabilities. This process helps organizations build resilience against cyber-attacks and ensures that they are prepared to respond effectively in the event of a security breach.

Incident Response Assessment

Incident Response Assessment (IRA) is critical in ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of an organization's incident management procedure. It offers a systematic approach to identifying, ranking, and responding to cybersecurity threats.
IRA primarily involves four steps: Preparation, Detection & Analysis, Containment, Eradication, & Recovery, and Post-Incident Activity.

Why is it Important?

Given the increasing cyber threats faced by organizations today, having an effective IRA strategy is crucial in anticipating, preventing, and responding to potential threats. Moreover, it helps organizations maintain compliance with various industry security regulations.

How does it work?

The Preparation phase involves establishing and implementing incident response capabilities. Detection & Analysis involves identifying potential security incidents and analyzing their impact. In the Containment, Eradication, & Recovery phase, the team mitigates the effects of the incident and ensures system recovery. Post-Incident Activity focuses on lessons learned from the incident to improve future incident response.

Answering Questions on Incident Response Assessment

Exam Tips:
1. Understand the different steps involved in an IRA.
2. Be familiar with the goals and objectives of each phase.
3. Expect scenario-based questions testing your ability to identify appropriate responses to different types of incidents.
4. Practical understanding is as essential as theoretical knowledge.
5. When in doubt, refer to the underlying principles of protecting the organization's data and ensuring continuous business operations.

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CISSP - Security Assessment Methodologies Example Questions

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Question 1

A security analyst has identified suspicious network behavior which indicates a potential security breach. Based on the incident response process, what should be done FIRST?

Correct Answer: Escalate to Incident Response team

When suspicious activity is identified, the first action should be to escalate the issue to the Incident Response team. They will assess the situation, determine the scope of the breach, and define the appropriate course of action.

Question 2

A security analyst has detected an unauthorized attempt to access a file server. Which of the following steps should the analyst take FIRST in the Incident Response assessment?

Correct Answer: Contain the incident

The first step in the Incident Response assessment should be to contain the incident by isolating the affected systems from the rest of the network. This prevents the attacker from accessing, controlling, or further compromising system assets.

Question 3

A company suffered a cyberattack where hackers slowly exfiltrated data over a period of six months. Which incident response phase would involve identifying and mitigating the vulnerability that caused this breach?

Correct Answer: Eradication

In the Eradication phase of incident response, the target vulnerability is identified and remediated, ensuring that the attacker cannot exploit the same vulnerability again. In this case, the vulnerability allowed for a slow exfiltration of data.

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