What is a Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT)?

The digital revolution has transformed business—accelerating operations, boosting profits, and reducing costs. However, it also has heightened security risks. Bad actors target enterprises and individuals looking to access and exploit sensitive information for profit. In 2023 alone, over 2,365 cyberattacks impacted more than 343 million individuals, underscoring the critical need for every organization, from government agencies to private companies, to establish a computer security incident response team (CSIRT).

But what exactly is a CSIRT? And how can pairing one with the right data management solution safeguard your interests? We’ll examine that and more below.

CSIRT at a glance

A CSIRT is a group of IT experts tasked with responding to computer security incidents. These professionals don’t just identify cybersecurity threats—they analyze and resolve them, reduce their impact, and ensure security events don’t happen again.

In some contexts, CSIRT may also be called a Cyber Security Incident Response Team or Cyber Event Response Team (CERT). Despite the slight terminology difference, they’re essentially the same thing, serving the same function: protecting organizations from cyber threats and helping them regain control of their systems following security events.

Therefore, CSIRTs ensure organizations like yours regain control of their systems after cyberattacks. Read on to learn more about these groups, including their work, components, types, and challenges.

The role of a CSIRT

A CSIRT actively safeguards an organization at every stage of a computer security incident through effective incident handling. Tasked with detection, containment, recovery, and post-incident analysis, CSIRT members mitigate damage, restore systems, and strengthen future defenses. Their responsibilities are as follows:

• Incident detection: Before a cyberattack occurs, the CSIRT prepares to detect it in various ways. For instance, it can employ automated analytical tools to process an organization’s systems for potential threats and breaches. Anti-malware, log analysis, and forensic software can also be handy here.
• Analysis: After the CSIRT confirms there’s a potential cybersecurity threat, it utilizes threat intelligence software to analyze it. That enables the team to get more useful information, such as the threat type, the threat actors involved, their techniques, and the potential impact on the organization.
• Response: Incident responders will provide forensic analysis to determine the scope and origin of a cybersecurity threat. Forensic investigations will collect important incident-related information to determine the best way to contain the attack and drive recovery actions. The best approaches to use here may vary, depending on the cybersecurity professionals handling the threat, the attack type, and the damage suffered.
• Recovery: The group’s work usually doesn’t end after the CSIRT incident response. Later, the team meets with company leaders and stakeholders to review the incident, their response, and measures to prevent or handle future attacks.

CSIRTs don’t work alone. They usually collaborate with members of the IT department, such as network engineers and data owners, to execute their response strategies. External agents like law enforcement agencies, cybersecurity consultants, law firms, data recovery companies, external auditors, and public relations (PR) professionals are typically involved, too.

Components of a CSIRT

Building an effective CSIRT is straightforward when the right components are in place, even for organizations with limited experience in cybersecurity. With just a few elements, organizations can create a resilient CSIRT capable of handling complex cybersecurity threats and incident response activities.

Team structure

The CSIRT requires various professionals to function properly and form effective incident response teams. These internal and external players should include a CSIRT lead, an incident manager, incident handlers, security analysts, forensic investigators, PR, human resources (HR), and legal professionals. Each role should be clearly defined to ensure they do what’s expected of them to facilitate quick incident response.

Tools and technologies

An organization should empower its CSIRT with the right security tools to meet its risk profile needs. Otherwise, the team might not respond to computer security issues as quickly or efficiently as anticipated. For example, the group needs Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to automate the analysis of the collected data. On the other hand, endpoint detection and response (EDR) systems detect cybersecurity threats in real time. Other necessary tools include digital forensic software, firewalls, firewall VPNs, anti-malware systems, synchronization and update servers, and correlation units.

Processes

Various steps are involved in managing cybersecurity threats: preparation, detection, analysis, containment, recovery, and post-incident activity. CSIRTs must also continually assess security risks to detect vulnerabilities. At the same time, they should categorize risks differently, depending on their potential impact.

Without these components, it might be tricky for a CSIRT to manage security issues successfully. In addition, organizations must offer continuous training to empower the team with the soft and technical skills they need to identify, contain, and prevent cybersecurity threats.

Types of CSIRTs

When integrating a CSIRT into your cybersecurity strategy, understand that CSIRTs can vary widely in structure and function. Tailoring the type of CSIRT to fit your organization’s specific needs and resources maximizes its effectiveness. Common types of CSIRTs include:

• Corporate CSIRTs: This can be either an in-house team or an outsourced CSIRT who works within an organization to manage security issues that impact its systems, networks, and data. Thus, they are responsible for protecting the company’s assets, reducing damage, and ensuring the continuity of operations. Many businesses will employ a hybrid CSIRT made up of distributed teams.
• Government CSIRTs: These groups of IT professionals operate nationally to manage cyberattacks that impact a nation’s critical infrastructure, businesses, and citizens. They are the central point of contact when coordinating with other countries to resolve a data breach. A good example is The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
• Academic CSIRTs: Members of these groups are typically based in academic and research institutions to respond to security issues impacting their academic networks. However, open access requirements pose major security challenges for Academic CSIRTs since IT professionals must share their work with faculty members, scholars, or researchers.
• Coordinating CSIRTs: These groups have a broader scope than other CSIRTs because they facilitate communication between CSIRTs and organizations. Furthermore, they guide incident management and ensure resources are used efficiently and distributed fairly across teams. Coordinating CSIRTs lack power or authority since they don’t manage cybersecurity incidents directly. The Software Engineering Institute’s CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC), which manages activities among regional and national CSIRTs, is a great example here.
• Distributed CSIRTs: A distributed CSIRT leverages multiple independent teams that share incident response responsibilities. Then, a Coordinating CSIRT manages it, distributing the available resources among the groups based on their unique needs. Often, these teams welcome an organization’s staff members who handle CSIRT responsibilities and their regular duties.

Each of these CSIRTs serves the security needs of different organizations. The best type to build could be dependent on your industry and objectives.

CSIRT operations

CSIRTs have diverse responsibilities that vary based on the type of CSIRT your organization needs. Each task ensures threats are managed effectively and future risks are minimized. Key responsibilities include:

• Preparation: The CSIRT will create a mission statement that develops into an incident response plan outlining the security policies, procedures, and tools to handle incidents. It also explains the responsibilities of team members. To ensure everyone is prepared to respond to various threats, the CSIRT recommends regular training, which might include simulations.
• Incident identification: During this phase, the CSIRT utilizes tools like SIEM systems and threat intelligence feeds to detect security incidents by monitoring network traffic, system logs, and user activities for abnormal patterns. Afterward, team members perform manual reviews or receive automated alerts to validate potential threats.
• Incident assessment: In this step, the CSIRT evaluates the urgency of the cybersecurity incident detected and its impact on the affected systems. Incidents are categorized based on severity levels, such as low, medium, and high, to help the team allocate the available resources accordingly and inform relevant stakeholders about the potential consequences.
• Containment, eradication, and recovery: The CSIRT implements measures to prevent the incident’s spread and minimize damage, such as blocking malicious traffic. After containment, the team removes the threat by eliminating malicious code, closing exploited vulnerabilities, and ensuring that any residual traces of the attacker are eliminated. Then, the CSIRT restores systems to normal operations by reinstalling clean backups, testing affected systems, and monitoring for any signs of recurring threats. Recovery may be gradual to ensure stability and prevent reinfection.
• Lessons learned: Once the incident is resolved, the CSIRT conducts a post-incident review to analyze the response process and document findings. The analysis helps to refine the incident response plan, update procedures, detection mechanisms, and train team members to better prepare for future incidents. Lessons learned are shared across the organization to increase awareness and boost resilience against future threats.

A CSIRT’s incident response process and operational workflow enable it to handle cybersecurity incidents systematically, from threat detection and initial assessment to recovery and continuous improvement.

Best practices for CSIRT cybersecurity

Adopting best practices is crucial for maximizing CSIRT effectiveness in safeguarding against cyber threats. These practices enhance incident response capabilities and help prevent future breaches by strengthening the overall security posture against cyber attacks. Key best practices include:

• Establishing clear communication channels: Communication is essential during a cybersecurity incident. It ensures critical information is shared with the relevant parties on time, prevents confusion, and facilitates coordinated response actions. That’s why the CSIRT should set up channels like secure email and encrypted messaging apps to liaise with internal stakeholders, the public, and other affected third parties.
• Regular training and drills: Training and simulation exercises prepare the CSIRT to respond to ransomware attacks, data breaches, and insider threats. They should incorporate lessons from previous incidents to address potential gaps in response capabilities and cover the latest attack techniques and response tools.
• Collaboration with other entities: CSIRTs should collaborate with other entities, such as other CSIRTs, cybersecurity organizations, and law firms, to improve their response strategies and access a wider pool of knowledge and resources.

Organizations shouldn’t limit themselves to these practices alone when looking to build effective CSIRTs. Other strategies to boost the chances of success in incident response include continuous threat monitoring and documenting all incidents for accountability, analysis, and regulatory compliance.

Challenges faced by CSIRTs

While CSIRTs play a critical role in defending organizations, they also face numerous challenges that can hinder their effectiveness. From managing resource limitations to staying ahead of evolving threats, these obstacles require strategic solutions to ensure CSIRTs can respond swiftly and effectively. Challenges include:

• Resource limitations: Many CSIRTs operate with limited budgets and staff, affecting their ability to respond effectively to complex incidents. Again, staffing shortages may cause burnout and reduce morale, making it difficult for the team to contain incidents promptly.
• Evolving threat landscape: The development of new cyber threats makes resolving incidents difficult for many CSIRTs. Threat actors regularly change or improve their techniques, requiring CSIRTs to update response plans, detection tools, and skill sets.
• Incident complexity: Nowadays, cybersecurity incidents involve using a wide range of systems, complicating the process of identifying and containing them. Multi-vector attacks, for instance, leverage multiple methods to access a company’s systems. Therefore, CSIRT members must be well-versed in various technologies to address all aspects of the incidents successfully.

With these challenges, a CSIRT must prioritize proactive defense, quick response, and continuous learning to build a reliable incident response plan. Still, collaborating with relevant internal and external parties can help the team respond to and recover from a cybersecurity incident despite these issues.

Importance of CSIRTs in cybersecurity

CSIRTs play a big role in the success of your organization’s cybersecurity strategy. These teams detect, assess, and respond to incidents, reducing response times and mitigating potential damage to your systems, data, and reputation.

Cohesity’s quality data management solutions can support your incident response efforts, offering reliable backup, data protection, and recovery tools to integrate with your CSIRT operations.

Our expanded CERT service includes partnerships with leading incident response (IR) vendors like Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, Arctic Wolf, Sophos, Fenix24, and Semperis. The CERT helps to speed the IR process with dedicated expertise and coordinated support. Our CERT is available to all Cohesity customers as part of their existing subscription.

To learn more about how we can enhance your brand’s data resilience, contact us or request a free trial today!