Project Assignment: Incident Response Procedures Manual
Purpose:
Develop a set of tool-focused incident response procedures.
Before You Begin:
Make sure that you have read the Sifers-Grayson company profile, the weekly descriptions, and any/all announcements by your instructor prior to beginning this assignment. You also need to be familiar with the phases of the Incident Response Process as documented in NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide.
Background:
Recent contracts with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security have imposed additional security requirements upon Sifers-Grayson and its lab operations. The company is now required to comply with NIST Special Publication 800-171 Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Information Systems and Organizations. The company must also comply with provisions of the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARS) including section 252-204-7012 Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting. These requirements are designed to ensure that sensitive technical information, provided by the federal government and stored on computer systems in the Sifers-Grayson SCADA Lab and the Sifers-Grayson R&D DevOps lab, is protected from unauthorized disclosure. This technical information includes software designs and source code for systems and devices that Sifers-Grayson builds or supports.
The contract requirements also mandate that Sifers-Grayson report cyber incidents to the federal government in a timely manner. As part of the reporting requirements, Sifers-Grayson must provide documentation about its Incident Response Processes and Procedures. The procedures that you develop for this project will become part of the contractually required documentation.
Vendor documentation for Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and other utilities / applications will provide information about how to use various features, tools, and utilities but, during an incident, responders may not have time to search vendor websites and/or the Internet for information about tools and tool usage procedures. For this reason, customized incident response procedures are required to ensure that response is timely and that all incident responders have the information needed to execute their tasks.
References
Cichonski, P., Millar, T., Grance, T., & Scarfone, K. (2012). Computer security incident handling guide (NIST SP 800-62 rev. 2).
Your Task:
In this assignment, you will assess and document tools to be used by the Sifers-Grayson Incident Response Team during the preparation, detection, containment, eradication, and recovery phases of the Incident Response Process (as defined in NIST SP 800-61r2). The deliverable for this assignment is a set of three customized procedures suitable for inclusion in the Sifers-Grayson Incident Response Procedures Manual. Each procedure must be written so that it can be added / updated / removed without impacting other procedures in the manual. In other words, the procedures must be self-contained and stand on their own.
Detailed Instructions:
Your deliverable must use the provided MS Word template file (contact your instructor for formatting guidance if you cannot use this file). The required procedures are described below.
Procedure 1: Using System Restore Points under Windows 10
1. Identify appropriate sources of information and instructions for using the Windows 10 Control Panel and System Restore tool. Using those sources, research the procedures required to perform the following tasks:
a. Create a system restore point for a Windows 10 system
b. Use a specific system restore point to roll-back changes made to a Windows 10 system
c. Delete system restore points from a Windows 10 system
2. Identify how the System Restore tool could be used during the incident response and recovery process (it may be useful in more than one phase). Typical uses include:
a. Prepare a known-good backup for operating system files and data structures (e.g. the system registry and the information stored within it)
b. Remove unauthorized configuration changes
c. Restore the system to full operating status after an attack or suspected attack
d. Remove failed software installations and/or unwanted changes to the operating system, applications software, and/or files.
3. Write a guidance document that identifies the tool, explains the capabilities it provides, and then lists and briefly describes the recommended uses identified under item #2. Add a list of resources that can be consulted for additional information. Next, summarize the procedures required to perform the tasks listed under item #1 (do not provide step-by-step instructions). Close your guidance document with a Notes / Warnings / Restrictions section that answers the question "Is there anything else the incident responder needs to be aware of when using this tool?"
Procedure 2: Backup the System Disk for a Windows 8.1 Workstation
1. Using the Internet, research commercially available system backup tool or application. (Do not use any features or utilities that are part of the Windows operating system.) Then, identify appropriate sources of information and instructions for your selected tool. Using those sources, research the procedures required to
a. Create a "known good" copy (system backup or complete system image) of the hard drive containing the Windows 8.1 system and installed applications for a workstation in the SCADA lab.
b. Generate a hash code for use in verifying the validity and integrity of the backup file or system image file. (If your backup utility does not provide this, you will need to find a separate tool that will generate an MD-5 or SHA-256 hash value for the image file or backup file.)
c. You should also research and document best practices for labeling and storing the digital media containing the backup files and/or system image files. The storage location should provide secure storage yet be readily available to incident responders in the event of an incident. The label or storage log should include the hash value for each backup file and system image file.
2. Identify how the backup tool could be used during the preparation phase of the incident response and recovery process. Typical uses include:
a. Create a "known good" backup that contains a complete, verified and approved system configuration that includes the operating system and all required application software.
b. Create a copy of the original operating system installation (before software applications are installed).
3. Write a guidance document that identifies the tool, explains the capabilities it provides, and then lists and briefly describes the recommended uses identified under item #2. Add a list of resources that can be consulted for additional information. Next, summarize the procedures required to perform the tasks listed under item #1 (do not provide step-by-step instructions). Close your guidance document with a Notes / Warnings / Restrictions section that answers the question "Is there anything else the incident responder needs to be aware of when using this tool?"
Procedure 3: Restore the System Disk for a Windows 8.1 Workstation
1. Use the same tool and tool research as performed for Procedure #5. If necessary, identify additional sources of information and instructions for using your selected tool(s) to perform the following tasks:
a. Verify the validity of the backup image or file (using the hash code).
b. Use the "known good" copy (system backup or system image) to rebuild a workstation hard drive so that it contains the Windows 8.1 operation system and installed applications.
2. Identify how the tool could be used during the containment, eradication & recovery phase of the incident response and recovery process. Typical uses include:
a. Restore workstation hard drives to a "known good" configuration.
b. Build a new system disk using a replacement or newly purchased hard drive.
c. Restore the system to full operating status after an attack or suspected attack.
3. Write a guidance document that identifies the tool, explains the capabilities it provides, and then lists and briefly describes the recommended uses identified under item #2. Add a list of resources that can be consulted for additional information. Next, summarize the procedures required to perform the tasks listed under item #1 (do not provide step-by-step instructions). Close your guidance document with a Notes / Warnings / Restrictions section that answers the question "Is there anything else the incident responder needs to be aware of when using this tool?"
Finalize Your Deliverable
1. Using the grading rubric as a guide, refine your incident response guidance. Your final products (incident response procedures) should be suitable for inclusion in the Sifers-Grayson Incident Responder's Handbook. Remember that, even though you are submitting your work in a single file, you are preparing stand-alone guidance documents. FOLLOW THE TEMPLATE.
2. As appropriate, cite your sources using footnotes or another appropriate citation style.
3. Use the resources section to provide information about recommended readings and any sources that you cite. Use a standard bibliographic format (you may wish to use APA since this is required in other CSIA courses). Information about sources and recommended readings, including in-text citations, should be formatted consistently and professionally.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.