Taming the Cyber Beast: Your Go-To Guide to an Incident Response Form Template

When an incident occurs, keeping track of everything can be daunting, lets take a look at how to make this process a bit easier and standardized for each incident.

An Incident Response Form is a must-have tool for organizations to efficiently collect, document, and analyze information about a security incident. Paired with a Security Incident Response Plan, this template ensures a consistent and organized response to incidents. Let's dive into this life-saving template!

Incident Response Form Template:

1. First Things First: Identifying the Incident

   1. Incident ID:

      1. Assign a unique identifier for the incident.

   2. Date and Time:

      1. Record when the incident occurred or was discovered.

   3. The Whistleblower:

      1. Note the name and contact information of the person reporting the incident.

   4. Victims of the Attack:

      1. List the systems, assets, or data affected by the incident.

2. Painting a Picture: Describing the Incident

   1. Incident Type:

      1. Identify the type of incident (e.g., malware, data breach, etc.)

   2. Incident Summary:

      1. Provide a brief description of the incident, including events, impact, and potential consequences.

3. Taking Stock: Initial Assessment

   1. Severity Level:

      1. Assess the potential impact on the organization (Low, Medium, High, or Critical).

   2. Potential Root Cause:

      1. Offer a preliminary analysis of the possible root cause.

   3. Immediate Actions:

      1. List the initial actions taken in response to the incident.

4. Unraveling the Mystery: Incident Investigation

   1. Incident Response Team:

      1. Name the team members involved in the investigation.

   2. Investigation Findings:

      1. Detail findings, including root cause, vulnerabilities exploited, and damage extent.

   3. Evidence Collected:

      1. Catalog evidence collected during the investigation (logs, screenshots, forensic images, etc.)

5. Bouncing Back: Incident Resolution and Recovery

   1. Resolution Actions:

      1. List actions taken to resolve the incident (patching, restoring systems, etc.)

   2. Recovery Actions:

      1. Detail actions taken to recover from the incident (restoring data, rebuilding systems, etc.)

6. Learning from Experience: Post-Incident Review

   1. Lessons Learned:

      1. Highlight key lessons, successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.

   2. Future Prevention and Response Recommendations:

      1. Offer insights for preventing similar incidents and improving response capabilities.

7. Seal of Approval: Sign-off

   1. Incident Response Team Lead:

      1. Obtain the name, title, and signature of the team lead.

   2. Date:

      1. Record the date of approval and sign-off.

This Incident Response Form Template is your organization's secret weapon to effectively document and manage security incidents in harmony with a Security Incident Response Plan. Embrace this template for a consistent and efficient response, and watch your organization continuously improve its incident response capabilities. Don't let the cyber beast catch you off-guard – tame it with this go-to guide!