Introduction to Detection and Incident Response
In this holistic endeavor, participants are assimilated into the substantial realm of detection and incident response in the cybersecurity environment. Since cybersecurity analysts play the most important role in the workplace, the course elaborates on the methods and strategies involved in screening and responding validly to malicious threats. Participants will understand the workings of the incident response process through the stepwise actions needed for remediation or mitigation in case of security incidents, and what is needed to contain and remedy them.
This process will comprise volume scenarios and examples in reality that all of the aspiring learners will enable to develop capabilities that permit them to sail through the twists and turns of dynamic and ever-evolving cyber threats, putting them at a stage with preparedness in case there is a need for more active participation in defending digital assets and organization-wide security. Such a course is indispensable for someone aspiring to gain knowledge skills toward detection and incident response-the basic ingredients for any skill set in cybersecurity.
Learning Objectives
- State the life cycle of an incident.
- Identify the roles and responsibilities of incident response teams.
- Describe tools used for documentation, detection and management of incidents.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: THE INCIDENT RESPONSE LIFECYCLE
1. The first phase of the NIST Incident Response Lifecycle is Preparation. What are the other phases? Select three answers.
- Detection and Analysis (CORRECT)
- Identify
- Containment, Eradication, and Recovery (CORRECT)
- Post-Incident Activity (CORRECT)
The NIST Incident Response Lifecycle is made up of four phases, which are Detection and Analysis; Containment, Eradication, and Recovery; and Post-Incident Activity.
2. What type of process is the NIST Incident Response Lifecycle?
- Cyclical (CORRECT)
- Synchronous
- Linear
- Observable
The NIST Incident Response Lifecycle, however, is an ongoing cycle, which means that the phases can change or repeat as investigations of incidents change.
3. Fill in the blank: An _____ is an observable occurrence on a network, system, or device.
- investigation
- incident
- event (CORRECT)
- analysis
An event is a form of observable occurrence in a network, a system, or a device. All incidents are events but not all events will be incidents.
4. A security professional investigates an incident. Their goal is to gain information about the 5 W’s, which include what happened and why. What are the other W’s? Select three answers.
- When the incident took place (CORRECT)
- Which type of incident it was
- Who triggered the incident (CORRECT)
- Where the incident took place (CORRECT)
All of the other W’s include who caused the incident, when it occurred, and where it happened.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: INCIDENT RESPONSE OPERATIONS
1. What are the goals of a computer security incident response team (CSIRT)? Select three answers.
- To prevent future incidents from occurring (CORRECT)
- To manage incidents (CORRECT)
- To handle the public disclosure of an incident
- To provide services and resources for response and recovery (CORRECT)
CSIRTs aim at managing incidents effectively as well as efficiently, at preventing any future incidents, and at offering services and resources with respect to responses and recoveries.
2. Which document outlines the procedures to follow after an organization experiences a ransomware attack?
- A contact list
- A network diagram
- An incident response plan (CORRECT)
- A security policy
The definition of emergency response plans draws lines on how an organization should act when a ransomware attack occurs.
3. Fill in the blank: The job of _____ is to investigate alerts and determine whether an incident has occurred.
- incident coordinators
- security analysts (CORRECT)
- public relations representative
- technical leads
Where they analyze these security alerts, the security analysts determine if any incidents have occurred.
4. Which member of a CSIRT is responsible for tracking and managing the activities of all teams involved in the response process?
- Technical lead
- Public relations representative
- Incident coordinator (CORRECT)
- Security analyst
The incident coordinator is in charge of the all-important task of monitoring and coordinating the response activities of all teams organized to respond to the incident.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: DETECTION AND DOCUMENTATION TOOLS
1. What are some examples of types of documentation? Select three answers.
- Playbooks (CORRECT)
- Final reports (CORRECT)
- Policies (CORRECT)
- Alert notifications
There are different kinds of documents like playbooks, final reports, and policies.
2. Fill in the blank: Ticketing systems such as _____ can be used to document and track incidents.
- Jira (CORRECT)
- Evernote
- Excel
- Cameras
Jira, among other ticketing systems, forms a complete cycle of documentation and tracking of incidents.
3. What application monitors system activity, then produces alerts about possible intrusions?
- Playbook
- Word processor
- Product manual
- Intrusion detection system (CORRECT)
An intrusion detection system (IDS) would be a tool that keeps a close eye on the system activities and reports on possible intrusions in real-time.
4. What actions does an intrusion prevention system (IPS) perform? Select three answers.
- Detect abnormal activity (CORRECT)
- Monitor activity (CORRECT)
- Stop intrusive activity (CORRECT)
- Manage security incidents
An intrusion prevention system (IPS) monitors and detects intrusions and also prevents them.
5. Fill in the blank: _____ is any form of recorded content that is used for a specific purpose.
- Documentation (CORRECT)
- Detection
- Illustration
- Investigation
Documenting is recording something in a certain way for a definite purpose or providing something in detail.
6. What can an intrusion detection system (IDS) do? Select three answers.
- Stop intrusive activity
- Monitor system and network activity (CORRECT)
- Collect and analyze system information for abnormal activity (CORRECT)
- Alert on possible intrusions (CORRECT)
IDS is an application that keeps track of system and network activities and generates alerts for suspected intrusions. It also retrieves and analyzes system data to detect any abnormal or unusual behavior.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE: DETECTION AND DOCUMENTATION TOOLS
1. Which tool collects and analyzes log data to monitor critical activities in an organization?
- Intrusion detection system (IDS) tool
- Security information and event management (SIEM) tool (CORRECT)
- Playbook
- Intrusion prevention system (IPS) tool
SIEM tools accumulate and scrutinize log data to survey significant activities within an organization. An intrusion detection system, on the other hand, is an application that supervises system activity and produces potential intrusion alerts.
2. Fill in the blank: Security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) is a collection of applications, tools, and workflows that uses automation to _____ security events.
- respond to (CORRECT)
- interact with
- collect
- remediate
SOAR is basically a bundle of applications, tools, and workflows that promote an automated response to security events.
3. Which step in the SIEM process transforms raw data to create consistent log records?
- Normalize data (CORRECT)
- Collect and aggregate data
- Analyze data
- Centralize data
The very first process in a SIEM process would be data collection and aggregation. Here, the SIEM collects data from several sources and aggregates them. Normalization is done to turn the raw data into log records that are consistent with one another. It involves cleaning the data and removing unnecessary attributes.
4. What is the process of gathering data from different sources and putting it in one centralized place?
- Aggregation (CORRECT)
- Notification
- Analysis
- Normalization
The formulation is the technique by which identical data is retrieved from many areas and consociated with respect to their representation in a centralized location.
5. What are the steps of the general SIEM process in the correct order?
- Normalize data, automate data, and analyze data
- Collect and aggregate data, normalize data, and analyze data (CORRECT)
- Collect and aggregate data, analyze data, normalize data
- Collect and aggregate data, normalize data, and automate data
The three steps of the SIEM process are: collecting and aggregating data, normalizing data, and analyzing data.
MODULE 1 CHALLENGE
1. Which of the following is an example of a security incident?
- A software bug causes an application to crash.
- An unauthorized user successfully changes the password of an account that does not belong to them. (CORRECT)
- An authorized user successfully logs in to an account using their credentials and multi-factor authentication.
- A user installs a device on their computer that is allowed by an organization’s policy.
2. What is the NIST Incident Response Lifecycle?
- A system that only includes regulatory standards and guidelines
- The process used to document events
- The method of closing an investigation
- A framework that provides a blueprint for effective incident response (CORRECT)
3. Which of the following are phases of the NIST Incident Response Lifecycle? Select three answers.
- Containment, Eradication, and Recovery (CORRECT)
- Preparation (CORRECT)
- Detection and Analysis (CORRECT)
- Protection
4. What is a computer security incident response team (CSIRT)?
- A specialized group of security professionals who are trained in incident management and response
- A specialized group of security professionals who are solely dedicated to crisis management (CORRECT)
- A specialized group of security professionals who focus on incident prevention
- A specialized group of security professionals who work in isolation from other departments
5. What are some common elements contained in incident response plans? Select two answers.
- Incident response procedures (CORRECT)
- Simulations
- System information (CORRECT)
- Financial information
6. What are investigative tools used for?
- Monitoring activity
- Documenting incidents
- Managing alerts
- Analyzing events (CORRECT)
7. What are examples of tools used for documentation? Select two answers.
- Playbooks
- Cameras (CORRECT)
- Final reports
- Audio recorders (CORRECT)
8. What is the difference between an intrusion detection system (IDS) and an intrusion prevention system (IPS)?
- An IDS stops intrusive activity whereas an IPS monitors system activity and alerts on intrusive activity.
- An IDS and an IPS both have the same capabilities.
- An IDS monitors system activity and alerts on intrusive activity whereas an IPS stops intrusive activity. (CORRECT)
- An IDS automates response and an IPS generates alerts.
9. What is the difference between a security information and event management (SIEM) tool and a security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) tool?
- SIEM tools use automation to respond to security incidents. SOAR tools collect and analyze log data, which are then reviewed by security analysts.
- SIEM tools and SOAR tools have the same capabilities.
- SIEM tools are used for case management while SOAR tools collect, analyze, and report on log data.
- SIEM tools collect and analyze log data, which are then reviewed by security analysts. SOAR tools use automation to respond to security incidents. (CORRECT)
10. What happens during the data collection and aggregation step of the SIEM process? Select two answers.
- Data is centralized in one place. (CORRECT)
- Data is collected from different sources. (CORRECT)
- Data is analyzed according to rules.
- Data is cleaned and transformed.
11. Which of the following is an example of a security incident?
- Multiple unauthorized transfers of sensitive documents to an external system. (CORRECT)
- An authorized user emails a file to a customer.
- A company experiences increased traffic volumes on their website because of a new product release.
- An extreme weather event causes a network outage.
12. What process is used to provide a blueprint for effective incident response?
- The NIST Cybersecurity Framework
- The 5 W’s of an incident
- The NIST Incident Response Lifecycle (CORRECT)
- The incident handler’s journal
13. What are some roles included in a computer security incident response team (CSIRT)? Select three answers.
- Security analyst (CORRECT)
- Incident coordinator (CORRECT)
- Technical lead (CORRECT)
- Incident manager
14. What is an incident response plan?
- A document that contains policies, standards, and procedures
- A document that outlines the procedures to take in each step of incident response (CORRECT)
- A document that details system information
- A document that outlines a security team’s contact information
15. A cybersecurity analyst receives an alert about a potential security incident. Which type of tool should they use to examine the alert’s evidence in greater detail?
- A recovery tool
- An investigative tool (CORRECT)
- A detection tool
- A documentation tool
16. What are the qualities of effective documentation? Select three answers.
- Clear (CORRECT)
- Accurate (CORRECT)
- Consistent (CORRECT)
- Brief
17. Fill in the blank: During the _____ step of the SIEM process, the collected raw data is transformed to create log record consistency.
- data analysis
- data collection
- data normalization (CORRECT)
- data aggregation
18. Which process uses a variety of applications, tools, and workflows to respond to security events?
- Security information and event management (SIEM)
- Intrusion prevention system (IPS)
- Intrusion detection system (IDS)
- Security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) (CORRECT)
19. A security team uses the NIST Incident Response Lifecycle to support incident response operations. How should they follow the steps to use the approach most effectively?
- Skip irrelevant steps.
- Only use each step once.
- Complete the steps in any order.
- Overlap the steps as needed. (CORRECT)
20. Which core functions of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework relate to the NIST Incident Response Lifecycle? Select two answers.
- Detect (CORRECT)
- Investigate
- Respond (CORRECT)
- Discover
21. Fill in the blank: Incident response plans outline the _____ to take in each step of incident response.
- exercises
- policies
- procedures (CORRECT)
- instructions
22. Which of the following best describes how security analysts use security tools?
- They only use a single tool to monitor, detect, and analyze events.
- They only use detection and management tools during incident investigations.
- They only use documentation tools for incident response tasks.
- They use a combination of different tools for various tasks. (CORRECT)
23. Which of the following methods can a security analyst use to create effective documentation? Select two answers.
- Provide clear and concise explanations of concepts and processes. (CORRECT)
- Provide documentation in a paper-based format.
- Write documentation in a way that reduces confusion. (CORRECT)
- Write documentation using technical language.
24. Fill in the blank: An intrusion detection system (IDS) _____ system activity and alerts on possible intrusions.
- protects
- manages
- analyzes
- monitors (CORRECT)
25. Which of the following statements describe security incidents and events?
- All security incidents are events, but not all events are security incidents. (CORRECT)
- Security incidents and events are the same.
- Security incidents and events are unrelated.
- All events are security incidents, but not all security incidents are events.
26. Fill in the blank: An intrusion prevention system (IPS) monitors systems and _____ intrusive activity.
- detects
- stops (CORRECT)
- pauses
- reports
27. A cybersecurity professional is setting up a new security information and event management (SIEM) tool for their organization and begins identifying data sources for log ingestion. Which step of the SIEM does this scenario describe?
- Aggregate data
- Collect data (CORRECT)
- Analyze data
- Normalize data
CONCLUSION to Introduction to Detection and Incident Response
Indeed, the whole range of comprehensive courses offered in this course series conveys a very intensive and practical area of study in the complete field of cybersecurity. Topics of critical importance, such as threat detection, incident response, and securing digital assets, are all given attention. The end result is a prepared participant from whom the real skills and knowledge of navigating the complex cybersecurity landscape can be derived. From network security to operating systems and on to data analytics at higher levels, there isn’t much that the specialization does not cover.
Participants thus gain theoretical and practical experience that would prepare them for an onslaught against the ever-changing challenges of cybersecurity. This is essentially the first building block for anyone serious about establishing themselves in the field and the launchpad for a successful career in the dynamic and vital world of cybersecurity.