Incident Response Policy

Purpose

This policy defines how security incidents within the SOC environment are detected, analyzed, contained, resolved, and documented. The goal is to ensure incidents are handled quickly, consistently, and effectively so that systems remain secure, operational, and compliant with SOC standards.

Scope

Applies to:

• SOC Analysts
• Team Leads
• System Administrators
• Security Engineers
• Anyone involved in monitoring, triage, or response activities

Covers all incident response actions related to:

• Alerts from SOC monitoring tools
• System or service outages
• Security threats or suspicious activity
• Compromised accounts or hosts
• Operational failures affecting SOC visibility or functionality

Policy Rules

1. Incident Identification

All team members must report potential incidents immediately. Incidents may be identified through:

• SOC monitoring alerts
• System logs
• Threat intelligence
• User-reported issues
• Observed abnormal behavior
• Automated detections

All incidents must be logged at the time of identification.

2. Incident Severity Levels

Incidents must be classified using one of the following severity levels:

• Low – Minimal impact; no service disruption
• Medium – Noticeable impact; limited scope
• High – Major disruption or confirmed compromise
• Critical – Severe impact to SOC operations, data, or infrastructure

Severity determines response urgency and escalation requirements.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

SOC Analysts

• Monitor alerts and identify potential incidents
• Perform initial triage
• Document early findings
• Escalate when necessary

Team Leads

• Guide incident handling within their assigned area
• Validate classification and analysis
• Coordinate containment and eradication
• Provide status updates

SOC Manager

• Oversee incident response activity
• Approve major response steps
• Coordinate communication with leadership
• Ensure complete documentation

Incident Response Personnel

• Assist with containment and eradication
• Perform technical analysis
• Support recovery tasks

4. Incident Response Process

A. Detection

• Validate whether the alert or issue qualifies as an incident
• Begin logging immediately

B. Analysis

• Identify affected systems
• Collect evidence and relevant logs
• Determine scope, impact, and root cause indicators
• Update severity level if needed

C. Containment

Short-term containment may include:

• Isolating compromised hosts
• Disabling accounts
• Blocking malicious activity

Long-term containment may include:

• Temporary policy changes
• Updated detection rules
• Additional monitoring

All containment actions require Team Lead or SOC Manager approval.

D. Eradication

• Remove malicious artifacts
• Stop harmful processes
• Fix vulnerabilities or misconfiguration
• Apply necessary patches or configurations

Only authorized personnel may perform eradication steps.

E. Recovery

Recovery actions must:

• Restore normal operations
• Validate system integrity
• Confirm monitoring and logging functionality
• Ensure SOC visibility is restored

Systems cannot return to production until verified safe.

F. Post-Incident Activities

• Complete all incident documentation
• Update incident log entries
• Conduct a post-incident review
• Recommend process, tool, or training improvements

5. Logging and Documentation

The SOC must maintain detailed records of:

• Incident timelines
• Evidence collected
• Actions taken
• Responsible personnel
• Resolution steps and follow-up tasks

Documentation must be accurate and finalized before closure.

6. Communication Requirements

During an incident:

• All updates must be posted in the designated SOC communication channel
• Major and critical issues must be communicated to the SOC Manager immediately
• High and critical incidents require leadership notification

Unauthorized sharing of incident details is prohibited.

7. Review and Analysis

Incident records must be reviewed:

• After every major incident
• Quarterly to identify patterns
• When system procedures change
• When new risks or vulnerabilities are discovered

Findings must support continuous SOC improvement.

8. Handling Response Failures

If incident handling is delayed, incorrect, or incomplete:

• Notify the SOC Manager
• Create a corrective action plan
• Perform root cause analysis
• Update documentation
• Provide additional training if needed

Critical failures must be escalated immediately.

9. Consequences for Violations

Possible consequences include:

• Loss of SOC access
• Removal from duties
• Academic or disciplinary action

Failure to follow this policy is treated seriously.

10. Exceptions

Exceptions must:

• Be formally documented
• Include justification
• Be approved by SOC management
• Include compensating controls when necessary

11. Policy Updates

This policy is reviewed at least annually or when:

• Incident response tools or processes change
• New systems are added
• Major incidents reveal weaknesses