#NoDramas Guide to: Cybersecurity Incident Response

A practical handbook for businesses on what to do before, during, and after a cyber incident.

In today's digital landscape, the question for any business isn't if you'll face a cyber incident, but when. While the reality may spark chaos, this guide will help you respond with clarity and resilience.

Preparation is your strongest shield against chaos. Here's how to get ready:

Incident Response Plan (IRP)

• Documented procedures, roles, communication protocols
• Contact lists (internal, legal, PR, MSPs, law enforcement)

Assemble Your Incident Response Team

Include an Incident Manager, Technical Lead, Communication Lead, and Legal Liaison.

Tools & Technology Readiness

• Endpoint Detection & SIEM
• Immutable, offsite backups
• Secure remote access

Training & Drills

Conduct tabletop exercises or breach simulations regularly.

Legal & Insurance Check

Be aware of notification laws and know your cyber insurance terms.

Recognize the Signs

• Ransom notes, locked files, blocked accounts
• Unusual traffic or antivirus alerts

Initial Triage & Confirmation

Verify the alert and define the scope of the breach.

Forensic Readiness

Preserve evidence: screenshots, logs, isolate but don’t wipe systems.

Immediate Actions

• Isolate infected systems
• Disable accounts, block malicious IPs

Short-term vs Long-term Containment

• Short-term: Quarantine infected machines
• Long-term: Firewall reconfiguration, vulnerability patching

Prioritization

Focus on critical systems and sensitive data.

Eradication

Remove all threats completely: malware, backdoors, compromised accounts.

System Restoration

• Use clean backups or rebuild from scratch
• Apply all patches and secure configurations

Validation

Test all systems thoroughly, run security scans before full restoration.

Lessons Learned Meeting

• What happened?
• What worked, what didn’t?
• Gaps in your IRP?

Update Policies

Refine your IRP, security posture, and controls.

Communication & Compliance

Report to regulators and inform your team.

Enhance Defenses

Train teams, upgrade tools, improve detection and prevention systems.