January 9, 2024 at 10:12AM
At Blackhat 2004, the founder of Red Cliff Consulting presented on “The Evolution of Incident Response,” addressing challenges like increasing attack complexity, evolving response methodologies, and the need for pre-incident preparation. Despite technological advancements, core incident response principles remain the same. Issues like email, patching, and human error persist. Three key elements for incident preparedness today are technology, community engagement, and compliance.
From the meeting notes, the key takeaways are:
1. The Evolution of Incident Response:
– In 2004, incident response faced challenges such as increasing complexity and sophistication of computer attacks, the need for evolving methodologies and technologies, and the criticality of pre-incident preparation.
– The technology landscape at that time included internet-connected systems, Windows XP as the dominant operating system, and Symantec and McAfee as major antivirus vendors.
– Threats primarily targeted banking and financial systems, with fast-spreading worms like Mydoom, Sasser, and Beagle.
2. Red Cliff Consulting and its Evolution:
– Red Cliff Consulting rebranded as Mandiant in 2006 and was subsequently acquired by FireEye in 2014 and Google in 2022.
– Kevin Mandia, the founder, became a well-respected executive in the industry.
3. Continuity and Change in Incident Response:
– Windows 11, CrowdStrike, and Microsoft now dominate the technology landscape.
– Despite advancements in technology, many core incident response principles remain unchanged.
– Incidents continue to be caused by human factors such as email, patching, and social engineering.
4. Addressing Modern Incident Response Challenges:
– Today’s incident response must focus on technology, community, and compliance.
– Technology: Incident responders must address the increasing complexity of technology, including supply chain risks.
– Community: The security and dark web communities have evolved, making collaboration among threat groups more efficient.
– Compliance: Stringent reporting and compliance requirements demand thorough planning and communication.
5. Importance of Incident Response Preparation:
– Despite technological progress, the foundational aspect of incident response is having a detailed and tested incident response plan.
– Many organizations still lack consistent cybersecurity incident response plans and fail to test them regularly.
The conclusion stresses the importance of maintaining a strong incident response plan, tailored to the business, and consistently tested. It emphasizes that new security tools, personnel, and compliance requirements cannot replace effective incident preparation.