Pre-provision access

Pre-provisioning access for incident responders is vital to ensure rapid and effective response during security incidents. By having the necessary permissions and access controls in place beforehand, organizations can significantly reduce the lag time associated with incident investigation and recovery efforts.

Best Practices

Pre-provisioning Access for Incident Responders

• Identify key personnel involved in your incident response team and define their roles and responsibilities clearly. This ensures everyone understands their specific responsibilities during an incident.
• Utilize AWS IAM roles to grant necessary permissions only to predefined incident response team members. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access while ensuring appropriate access is readily available.
• Establish a policy for reviewing and updating access permissions regularly, aligning with changes in team composition or roles. Regular audits help maintain security compliance and operational readiness.
• Consider implementing automated tools to manage access provisioning efficiently, such as AWS IAM Access Analyzer, to review permissions and streamline the access request process.
• Conduct routine training sessions or tabletop exercises to ensure responders are familiar with access protocols, understanding how to quickly and effectively utilize their pre-provisioned rights during an incident.
• Document the access provisioning process and ensure it’s included in your incident response plan, allowing for quick reference and onboarding of new team members.

Questions to ask your team

• Have you defined clear roles and responsibilities for incident response team members?
• Do incident responders have access to necessary tools and systems before an incident occurs?
• Is there an inventory of access permissions required for each type of incident?
• Are incident response protocols documented and easily accessible to the team?
• Have you conducted training sessions or drills to practice incident response scenarios?
• How often do you review and update access permissions for the incident response team?
• What tools do you use to monitor and manage access for incident responders?
• Are there mechanisms in place to regularly assess the effectiveness of your incident response capabilities?

Who should be doing this?

Incident Response Lead

• Coordinate the incident response process and ensure all team members are informed and engaged.
• Oversee the implementation of incident response plans and protocols.
• Serve as the main point of contact during incidents for communication with stakeholders.
• Review and refine incident response procedures based on lessons learned.

Security Analyst

• Perform initial assessment of the incident and gather information.
• Analyze logs and evidence to identify the scope and impact of the incident.
• Collaborate with the incident response team to isolate and contain threats.
• Assist in forensic analysis and documentation of findings.

Cloud Administrator

• Ensure that access to necessary tools and resources is pre-provisioned for the incident response team.
• Maintain and update IAM roles and policies to facilitate timely access during incidents.
• Monitor cloud resources for signs of incidents and alert the incident response team.
• Assist in the recovery process by restoring services to a known good state.

Communication Officer

• Draft and issue communications to stakeholders during and after incidents.
• Ensure timely updates are provided to impacted users and teams.
• Manage public relations for incidents that may affect external customers.
• Facilitate communication between technical teams and executive management.

What evidence shows this is happening in your organization?

• Incident Response Access Pre-Provisioning Policy: A formal policy outlining the requirements and procedures for pre-provisioning access for incident responders, ensuring they have the necessary permissions in AWS for effective incident management.
• Access Control Checklist for Incident Response Teams: A checklist that verifies all necessary permissions and access rights are granted to incident response team members before an incident occurs.
• Incident Response Plan Template: A comprehensive template for an Incident Response Plan that includes sections on pre-provisioned access, detailing how and when access should be granted and reviewed.
• Runbook for Incident Response Preparation: A detailed runbook outlining the steps to ensure all incident responders have pre-provisioned access and the necessary tools for efficient incident handling.
• Game Day Simulation Guide: A guide for conducting game day simulations to practice incident response, focusing on scenarios where pre-provisioned access is critical for timely investigation and recovery.

Cloud Services

AWS

• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM): IAM allows you to create and manage AWS users and groups and use permissions to allow and deny access to AWS resources, ensuring incident responders have the necessary permissions pre-provisioned.
• AWS Systems Manager: AWS Systems Manager provides operational data from multiple AWS services to automate tasks across AWS resources, helping to streamline incident response processes.
• AWS CloudTrail: CloudTrail enables you to monitor and log API calls for your AWS account, which can be essential for forensic analysis during and after an incident.

Azure

• Azure Active Directory (AAD): AAD helps manage user identities and create access policies that ensure quick access for incident responders, facilitating efficient incident management.
• Azure Monitor: Azure Monitor collects and analyzes telemetry data, which assists in detecting anomalies and supports incident response activities.
• Azure Security Center: Security Center provides unified security management and advanced threat protection across hybrid cloud workloads to improve incident readiness.

Google Cloud Platform

• IAM & Admin: This service allows you to manage access control and permissions, ensuring that incident responders can perform their roles effectively during incidents.
• Cloud Logging: Cloud Logging provides a comprehensive way to store, search, analyze, and monitor logs from your cloud resources, which is vital for incident investigation.
• Cloud Operations: Cloud Operations enables monitoring and management of cloud resources, helping teams respond to and recover from incidents more efficiently.

Question: How do you anticipate, respond to, and recover from incidents?
Pillar: Security (Code: SEC)