Incident Response: Your Secret Weapon for Holiday Preparedness
With the surge in online activity during the holiday season, businesses are increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats: ransomware attacks spike as much as 30% in some regions as attackers look to exploit gaps created by reduced staffing and heightened customer demand. For Managed Service Providers (MSPs), having a comprehensive, well-prepared incident response plan tailored to this high-demand period prepares your team to address holiday-specific cyber risks. For MSPs with limited internal cyber capabilities, integrating a dedicated cyber incident response team improves your security capabilities and enhances their resilience, enabling you to take on more clients with confidence.
Why a Robust Incident Response Plan is Essential for MSPs During the Holiday Season
A well-prepared incident response plan is crucial in mitigating holiday-related cyberattacks. According to IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023, organisations save $1.49 million by having high levels of incident response planning and testing compared to organisations with low levels, underscoring the financial benefits of robust incident response strategies.
Furthermore, a recent Arctic Wolf survey revealed that 91% of MSPs offer or plan to offer incident response services, indicating a growing recognition among MSPs of the importance of incident response in enhancing their service offerings and client trust.
Additionally, integrating a dedicated incident response team can help MSPs:
Enhance Client Trust: Demonstrating preparedness and the ability to swiftly handle incidents builds confidence and brand reputation.
Expand Service Offerings: Providing comprehensive security services, such as incident response capabilities, makes MSPs more attractive to potential clients.
Improve Operational Resilience: A proactive incident response plan minimises downtime and operational disruptions, ensuring continuous service delivery.
Creating a Comprehensive Incident Response Plan with NSB Cyber
Preparing for the holiday season requires an incident response plan that’s both resilient and responsive to high-alert periods. NSB Cyber’s expert-led approach supports MSPs in each critical step, enhancing their capacity to respond swiftly to threats and protect client environments.
1. Define Clear Incident Response Objectives
Identify Goals: By setting specific goals for holiday threats, you’re prepared to minimise client disruptions, contain issues swiftly, and get services back up fast. This kind of focus keeps business running smoothly and reassures clients that, no matter the time of year, security is always a top priority.
Prioritise Holiday-Specific Threats: With threat intelligence tailored to the season, you can zero in on the types of attacks that tend to pop up during the holidays when vigilance tends to dip. This proactive approach lets you tackle threats head-on before they become serious issues.
2. Establish an Incident Response Team with Holiday Coverage
Designate Leaders and Backups: Assigning qualified leaders and backups means you’re never left scrambling if staff availability is low. Having a holiday-ready team ensures you’re covered, no matter what.
Holiday-Specific Training: With holiday-focused simulations, your team can practise responding to the types of threats that spike this time of year. This hands-on prep helps everyone stay sharp and ready for anything the holiday rush might bring.
3. Conduct a Holiday-Focused Risk Assessment
Evaluate Known Vulnerabilities: Running a thorough risk assessment before the holidays means you can identify any vulnerabilities well ahead of time. Think of it as a seasonal tune-up that catches potential issues before they catch you off guard.
Run Penetration Tests: Running Penetration testing in advance of the holidays ensures that any gaps are addressed, fortifying your systems for the start of this critical period.
4. Develop and Document an Incident Response Playbook
Create Step-by-Step Procedures: Documenting precise steps for detecting, containing, and recovering from incidents ensures your team knows exactly what to do. Having clear instructions is essential when response time matters most.
Holiday-Specific Threat Scenarios: Preparing response plans around typical holiday scams, like festive phishing schemes, means you’re equipped to handle seasonal tricks and tactics without missing a beat.
5. Enable Continuous Monitoring and Threat Detection
Deploy Real-Time Attack Surface Monitoring: Real-time monitoring keeps a vigilant eye on client environments so you can detect unusual activity right away, even during low-staffed holiday periods.
Use Threat Intelligence: Having access to the latest threat intelligence lets you spot holiday-themed threats early, giving you a chance to act fast and keep systems secure.
6. Establish Internal and External Communication Protocols
Define Internal and Client Communication Plans: A clear communication plan ensures that, if something happens, everyone involved knows who to contact and how. This way, you can keep clients informed and maintain transparency even if incidents occur.
Designate Reliable Communication Channels: Decide upon secure, dependable channels that will keep your communication running smoothly during a crisis—no mixed messages, no confusion.
7. Prepare for Digital Forensics and Evidence Collection
Establish Forensic Protocols: Setting forensic protocols in advance lets your team collect and preserve evidence seamlessly, supporting investigations and keeping compliance on track if an incident occurs.
Have Forensic Experts on Stand-by: Having access to forensic expertise means that, even if a complex investigation arises, you can get the answers you need without delay.
8. Test and Refine Your Plan with Simulations
Conduct Cyber Crisis Simulations: Running simulations specifically for holiday threats ensures your team is prepared for the unique challenges of the season. Testing your response plan keeps everyone ready, reducing stress and building confidence.
Review and Improve: After each simulation, a quick review lets you tweak and update your plan so it’s even stronger for the next time.
9. Coordinate with Cyber Insurance Providers
Confirm Cyber Insurance Coverage: Reviewing your cyber insurance policy ensures you’re covered for holiday-specific risks, giving you peace of mind that, even if something happens, you’re financially protected.
Align with Compliance Requirements: Align your response plan with insurance and compliance requirements to ensure there are no gaps in coverage or documentation.
10. Plan for a Post-Incident Review
Schedule a Post-Incident Review (PIR): A post-incident review is your team’s chance to evaluate what worked and what didn’t, giving you the insights to strengthen your plan even more.
Incorporate Lessons Learned: Using these insights to refine your incident response strategy increases your resilience, making you even better prepared for future challenges.
Creating a holiday-focused incident response plan positions your MSP for a proactive, streamlined approach to holiday security. Your team will be prepared, your clients will feel reassured, and your response times will be quicker, keeping operations running smoothly, even during the busiest time of year.
NSB Cyber’s Incident Response & Recovery Partnership
Having a strong, on-demand partner like NSB Cyber can make all the difference for managed service providers during periods of increased cyber activity. We provide complete end-to-end resilience strategies, from incident planning to rapid response and post-incident analysis. Our Incident Response & Recovery Services are designed to equip MSPs with rigorous, expert support to quickly identify, address, and learn from cyber incidents, ensuring a fortified cyber defence posture, even during high-demand periods.
NSB Cyber’s in-country team has local expertise and familiarity with regional compliance standards to support MSPs in managing and mitigating incidents swiftly. Our team’s knowledge of the Australian threat landscape provides MSPs with immediate, on-the-ground support, enhancing clients' resilience and response times during peak risk periods.
Prepare your MSP for the unique cybersecurity challenges of the holiday season by integrating NSB Cyber’s Incident Response & Recovery Services into your strategy.
Book an introductory meeting with our team to discuss how we can enhance your resilience and incident response capabilities. As a bonus, receive our exclusive Holiday Readiness Checklist: Elevate Your Resilience and Incident Response Capabilities to ensure your MSP is equipped for the holidays and beyond.
