Incident Response Policy and Procedures 2020
Incident Response Policy and Procedures 2020
Policy Document
Incident Response Policy & Procedures Policy Document
1. DOCUMENT PURPOSE
1.1. This document defines the policy for addressing Security Incidents through appropriate
Incident Response.
1.2. This document applies to all Personnel and supersedes all other policies relating to the
matters set forth herein.
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Term/Acronym Definition
Data Breach A Security Incident that directly impacts Personal Data, Sensitive Personal
Information or Personally Identifiable Information.
Data Controller Means the person or organization that determines the purpose and means of the
Processing of Personal Data.
Escalation The engagement of additional resources to resolve a Security Incident.
Incident Response / Incident Process for detecting, reporting, assessing, responding to, dealing with, and learning
Management from Security Incidents.
Information Security Preservation of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Information and the
equipment, devices or services containing or providing such Information.
Personal Data Means any information relating to an identified or identifiable Data Subject, where
such information is protected under applicable law. For clarity, Personal Data includes
any SPD, SPI, and/or Tracking Data that directly or indirectly identifies a Data Subject.
Personnel iCIMS employees (part and full time) and interns.
Security Event An identified occurrence of a system, service or network state indicating a possible
breach of information security policy, a possible exploitation of a Security Vulnerability
or Security Weakness or a previously unknown situation that can be security relevant.
Security Incident A single or series of unwanted or unexpected Security Events that compromise
business operations with an impact on Information Security.
Security Incident Response Team A predefined group of individuals needed and responsible for responding to a Security
(SIRT) Incident, managed by the Information Security Department. During a Security
Incident, the SIRT is responsible for communication with and coordination of other
internal groups.
Security Vulnerability A weakness of an existing asset or control that can be exploited by one or more
threats.
Security Weakness A weakness that results from the lack of an existing, necessary control.
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3. SCOPE
The objective of this policy is to ensure a consistent and effective approach to the management
of Security Incidents, including the identification and communication of Security Events and
Security Weaknesses.
• The objectives for Security Incident management should be agreed upon with
management, and it should be ensured that those responsible for Security Incident
management understand the organization’s priorities for handling Security Incidents.
• Personnel and contractors using the organization’s information systems and services are
required to note and report any observed or suspected Security Weakness in systems or
services.
• Security Events should be assessed and it should be decided if they are to be classified
as Security Incidents.
• Knowledge gained from analyzing and resolving Security Incidents should be used to
reduce the likelihood or impact of future incidents.
• Procedures should be defined and applied for the identification, collection, acquisition, and
preservation of information, which can serve as evidence.
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o SIRT members
o Senior Management
o iCIMS Personnel
• In the event a Security Incident, Data Controllers, government bodies and other necessary
parties should be notified in a reasonable timeframe, and in compliance with regulatory
and other applicable requirements and guidance.
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Process Document
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5. DOCUMENT PURPOSE
1.3. The purpose of this document is to define the Incident Response procedures followed
by iCIMS in the event of a Security Incident. This document is a step-by-step guide of
the measures Personnel are required to take to manage the lifecycle of Security
Incidents within iCIMS, from initial Security Incident recognition to restoring normal
operations. This process will ensure that all such Security Incidents are detected,
analyzed, contained and eradicated, that measures are taken to prevent any further
Security Incidents, and, where necessary or appropriate, that notice is provided to law
enforcement authorities, Personnel, and/or affected parties.
1.4. This document applies to all Personnel and supersedes all other procedures,
practices, and guidelines relating to the matters set forth herein.
Term/Acronym Definition
Abnormal Activities Unsuccessful attacks that appear particularly significant based on iCIMS
understanding of the risks it faces.
Data Breach A Security Incident that directly impacts Personal Data, Sensitive Personal
Information or Personally Identifiable Information.
Data Controller Means the person or organization that determines the purpose and means of the
Processing of Personal Data.
Escalation The engagement of additional resources to resolve or provide the status regarding a
Security Incident.
GCO General Counsel’s Office
Incident Record Created at the time a Security Incident is initially recognized. Contains all relevant
information pertaining to the Security Incident.
Incident Response / Incident Process for detecting, reporting, assessing, responding to, dealing with, and learning
Management from Security Incidents.
Information Security Preservation of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of Information and the
equipment, devices or services containing or providing such Information.
Personal Data Means any information relating to an identified or identifiable Data Subject, where
such information is protected under applicable law. For clarity, Personal Data includes
any SPD, SPI, and/or Tracking Data that directly or indirectly identifies a Data Subject.
Personally Identifiable Information Means any information about a Data Subject, whether in paper, electronic, or other
(PII) form, which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual’s identity, such as name,
email address, or telephone number.
Personnel iCIMS employees (part and full time) and interns.
Security Event An identified occurrence of a system, service or network state indicating a possible
breach of information security policy, a possible exploitation of a Security Vulnerability
or Security Weakness or a previously unknown situation that can be security relevant.
Security Incident A single or series of unwanted or unexpected Security Events that compromise
business operations with an impact on Information Security.
Security Incident Response Team A predefined group of individuals needed and responsible for responding to a Security
(SIRT) Incident, managed by the Information Security Department. During a Security
Incident, the SIRT is responsible for communication with and coordination of other
internal groups.
Sensitive Personal Information (SPI) Means specific standalone PII or a combination of information that could identify,
trace, or locate a Data subject, which if lost, compromised, or disclosed without
authorization, could result in substantial harm, embarrassment, inconvenience, or
unfairness to an individual.
Security Vulnerability A weakness of an existing asset or control that can be exploited by one or more
threats.
Security Weakness A weakness that results from the lack of an existing, necessary control.
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7. SCOPE
This document covers the Incident Response process for all identified Security Incidents.
The Incident Response process is considered complete once Information confidentiality, integrity,
and/or availability are restored to normal and verification has occurred.
8. OVERVIEW
8.1. Roles and Responsibilities
Individuals needed and responsible for responding to a Security Incident make up the SIRT.
Core members will include the following:
• Director, Information Security (SIRT Primary Lead)
• Assistant General Counsel & Director, Legal & Compliance (SIRT Secondary
Lead)
• Security team staff
• Information owner
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9. PROCESS
To assess whether a Security Event must be reported, Personnel should consider whether
there are indications that:
• Information was used by unauthorized Personnel or Third Parties;
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In addition, the following situations should be considered for Security Event reporting:
• Ineffective security controls;
• Breach of information integrity, confidentiality or availability expectations;
• Human errors (innocent or otherwise);
• Non–compliance with policies or standards;
• Breaches of physical security arrangements;
• Uncontrolled systems changes;
• Malfunctions of software or hardware;
• Access violations.
Even if Personnel are not sure whether a Security Event is an actual Security Incident they
are still required to report it as provided herein, as it is better to be cautious than to be
compromised.
The SIRT will usually require the reporter to supply further information, which will depend upon
the nature of the Security Event. However, the following information normally shall be
supplied:
• Contact name and information of person reporting the Security Event;
• Date and time the Security Event occurred or was noticed;
• Type and circumstances of the Security Event;
• The type of data, information, or equipment involved;
• Location of the Security Event, data or equipment affected;
• Whether the Security Event puts any person or other data at risk; and
• Any associated ticket numbers, emails or log entries associated with the Security
Event.
SIRT Primary Lead will ensure that the SIRT is promptly engaged once such notice is
received. The following actions will also be taken:
1. The SIRT, under the leadership of the SIRT Primary Lead, shall use reasonable
efforts to analyze the matter within four (4) hours of notice and decide whether to
proceed with the Analysis Phase of the Incident Response Procedures.
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2. Identify whether the Security Event was the result of an innocent error, or the
actions of a potential attacker. If the latter, effort shall be made to identify who the
potential attacker may be, by:
(i) Validating the attacker's IP address;
(ii) Researching the attacker through search engines;
(iii) Using incident databases;
(iv) Monitoring attacker communication channels, if possible; and
(v) In unique cases, and with the approval of legal counsel, potentially
scanning the attacker's system.
If the SIRT has determined that a Security Event has triggered a Security Incident, the
appropriate SIRT team members will be engaged accordingly and the SIRT will begin
documenting the investigation and gathering evidence. The type of Security Incident is based
on the nature of the event. Example types are listed as follows:
1. Data exposure.
2. Unauthorized access.
3. Distributed Denial of Service/ Denial of Service (DDoS/DoS).
4. Malicious code.
5. Improper usage.
6. Scans/Probes/Attempted access.
If it is determined that a Security Incident has not been triggered, additional activities noted
under ‘5.6. Post-Incident Activities’ may be initiated under the direction of the SIRT.
The Security Incident’s potential impact on iCIMS and/or its subscribers shall be evaluated
and the SIRT shall assign an initial severity classification of low, medium, high or critical to
the Security Incident. To analyze the situation, scope, and impact, the SIRT shall:
1. Define and confirm the severity level and potential impact of the Security Incident.
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2. Identify which resources have been affected and forecast which resources will be
affected.
3. Estimate the current and potential effect of the Security Incident.
The SIRT shall attempt to determine the scope of the Security Incident and verify if the
Security Incident is still ongoing. Scoping the Security Incident may include collecting forensic
data from suspect systems or gathering evidence that will support the investigation. It may
also include identifying any potential data theft or destruction. New investigative leads may be
generated as the collected data is analyzed. If the Security Incident involves malware, the
SIRT shall analyze the malware to determine its capabilities and potential impact to the
environment. Based on the evidence reviewed, the SIRT will determine if the Security Incident
requires reclassification as to its severity or cause (e.g., whether it was originally thought to
be the action of a malicious actor but turned out to be an innocent error, or vice versa).
As indicated above, a Security Incident may require evidence to be collected. The collection
of such evidence shall be done with due diligence and the following procedures shall apply:
1. Gathering and handling of evidence (forensics) shall include:
(i) Identifying information (e.g., the location, serial number, model number,
hostname, media access control (MAC) address, and IP address of a
computer);
(ii) Name, title, and phone number of everyone who collected or handled the
evidence during the investigation;
(iii) Time and date (including time zone) of each occurrence of evidence
handling;
(iv) Locations where the evidence was stored, and conditions of storage (e.g.,
locked spaces, surveilled spaces); and
(v) Reasonable efforts to create two backups of the affected system(s) using
new, unused media — one is to be sealed as evidence and one is to be
used as a source of additional backups.
2. To ensure that evidence is not destroyed or removed, where any Personnel are
suspected of being responsible for a Security Incident, iCIMS shall, consistent with
its procedures, use reasonable efforts to place monitoring and forensics agents
and/or confiscate all computer/electronic assets that have been assigned to him or
her.
(i) This task may be done surreptitiously, and should be completed as quickly
and in as non-intrusive a manner as possible.
(ii) The SIRT should consider restricting access to the computers and attached
peripherals (including remote access via modem, secure remote system
access, etc.) pending the outcome of its examination.
3. Where applicable, and depending upon the seriousness of the Security Incident,
items and areas that should be secured and preserved in an “as was” condition
include:
(i) Work areas (including wastebaskets);
(ii) Computer hardware (keyboard, mouse, monitor, CPU, etc.);
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(iii) Software;
(iv) Storage media (disks, tapes, removable disk drives, CD ROMs, etc.);
(v) Documentation (manuals, printouts, notebooks, notepads);
(vi) Additional components as deemed relevant (printer, cables, etc.);
(vii) In cases of damage, the computer system and its surrounding area, as
well as other data storage devices, should be preserved for the potential
collection of evidence (e.g., fingerprinting);
(viii) If the computer is “Off”, it should not be turned “On”. For a stand-alone
computer system, if the computer is “On”, the Information Security and
IT Departments are to be contacted.
4. It is important to establish who was using the computer system at the time of the
Security Incident and/or who was in the immediate area. The SIRT should obtain
copies of applicable records (e.g., access logs, swipe card logs, closed circuit
television (“CCTV”) recordings) as part of the investigation.
5. Based on the severity level and the categorization of the Security Incident, the
proper team or Personnel shall be notified and contacted by the SIRT.
6. Until the SIRT, with the approval of iCIMS management, makes the Security
Incident known to other Personnel, the foregoing activities shall be kept
confidential to the extent possible.
If it is determined that a Security Incident has occurred and may have a significant impact on
iCIMS or its subscribers, the SIRT shall determine whether additional resources are required
to investigate and respond to the Security Incident. The extent of the additional resources will
vary depending on the nature and significance of the Security Incident.
However, the SIRT will take reasonable steps to notify customers or Data Controllers of any
identified Abnormal Activities. For example, in making a judgment as to whether a particular
unsuccessful attack should be reported, iCIMS might consider whether handling the attack
required measures or resources well beyond those ordinarily used, like exceptional attention
by senior personnel or the adoption of extraordinary non-routine precautionary steps. In cases
of identified Abnormal Activities, the Data Controller or customer would be notified by means
agreed upon by iCIMS and the Data Controller or customer within twenty-four (24) hours upon
iCIMS becoming aware of the Abnormal Activity.
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If it is determined during the analysis phase that a Security Incident has occurred that
constitutes a Data Breach, with notification obligations based on regulatory, legal, or similar
requirements, notification of such Data Breach shall be provided to the impacted Data
Controller by email, telephone, or other means agreed upon by iCIMS and the Data Controller,
within twenty-four (24) hours upon iCIMS becoming aware of the Data Breach. Additional
activities noted under ‘5.6. Post-Incident Activities’ may also be initiated under the direction
of the SIRT.
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During the Analysis and Containment Phases, the SIRT shall keep notes and use appropriate
chain of custody procedures to ensure that the evidence gathered during the Security Incident
can be used successfully during prosecution, if appropriate.
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After iCIMS has implemented the changes for eradication, it is important to verify that cause of
and individual(s) causing the Security Incident is fully eradicated from the environment. The
SIRT shall also test the effectiveness of any security controls or changes that were made to the
environment during containment and eradication.
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Upon deciding to notify the SIRT, in consultation with senior management, shall
use reasonable efforts to provide notice and disclosure to Personnel and/or
affected parties within twenty-four (24) hours and, subject to applicable law, prior
to notification of law enforcement personnel. Delay may nonetheless occur in
instances where it is mandated or authorized by applicable law. For example,
disclosure might be delayed if notice would impede a criminal investigation or if
time is required to restore reasonable integrity to iCIMS's information systems.
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II. Follow Up
The Follow-up Phase represents the review of the Security Incident to look for
“lessons learned” and to determine whether the process that was followed could
have been improved in any way. Security Events and Security Incidents should be
reviewed after identification resolution to determine where response could be
improved.
The SIRT will meet to review the Security Event or Security Incident record
created, as necessary, and perform the following:
i) Determine the root cause of the Security Incident and what should be done
to ensure that the root cause has been addressed
ii) Create a “lessons learned” document and include it with the Incident
Record.
iii) Evaluate the cost and impact of the Security Event or Incident to the
organization using applicable documents and any other resources.
iv) Determine what could be improved.
v) Communicate these findings to senior management for approval, as
necessary, and for implementation of any recommendations made post-
review of the Security Event or Incident.
vi) Carry out recommendations approved by senior management while
ensuring that sufficient time and resources are committed to this activity.
vii) Close the Security Event or Incident.
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The rationale for the creation of an incident record is that law enforcement
authorities may be informed of Security Incidents or iCIMS may take legal action if
individuals causing a Security Incident can be identified. The implications of each
Security Incident are not always discernible at the start of, or even during, the
course of a Security Incident. Accordingly, it is important that information is
documented and associated information system events are logged.
The incident record may be in written or electronic form. If it is maintained in an
electronic form, appropriate protections must be applied to guard against the
alteration or deletion of the incident record.
The information to be reported will vary according to the specific circumstances
and availability of the information, but may include:
1. Dates and times when incident-related events occurred;
2. Dates and times when incident-related events were discovered;
3. Dates and times of incident-related conference calls;
4. A description of the Security Incident, including the systems, programs,
networks or types of Information that may have been compromised;
5. Root cause(s) of the Security Incident(s), if known, and how they have been
addressed;
6. An estimate of the amount of time spent by Personnel working to remediate
incident-related tasks;
7. The amount of time spent by Third Parties working on incident-related tasks,
including advice from outside counsel;
8. The names and contact information of all individuals providing information in
connection with the investigation;
9. Measures taken to prevent future Security Incidents, taking into consideration
root causes, along with any remediation costs incurred by iCIMS; and
10. If applicable, the date and time of law enforcement involvement.
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Review of the incident record and documentation should include the following:
1. Review tracked documents of the Security Incident to evaluate the following:
• The causes of the nonconformity;
• Whether similar nonconformities exist or could potentially occur;
• The effectiveness of the corrective action taken; and
• The effectiveness of the Incident Response process.
2. Learn from Security Incidents and improve the response process. Security
Incidents must be recorded and a post incident review conducted. Identify the
impact of Security Incidents and outline pain points for future security
investments. The following details must be retained:
• Types of Security Incidents
• Volumes of Security Incidents and malfunctions
• Costs incurred during the Security Incidents, where possible.
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