INCIDENT RESPONSE AND

RECOVERY IN CLOUD AND

WEB SECURITY

GROUP MEMBERS
1. Godanya Samson-VU-MCB-2503-0162-EVE.
2. Kyasanku Shaban-VU-MCB-2503-0450-WEE
3. Mohamed Hasan Mohamed-VU-MCB-2503-1249-WEE
4. Ainebyona Aaron-VU-MCB-2411-0807-EVE
 What is Incident Response?
• Incident Response (IR) is a structured
methodology for handling security incidents,
breaches, and cyber threats. It’s a comprehensive
service provided by expert responders equipped to
quickly investigate and contain attacks, focusing on
getting you back to business as fast as possible.

• It includes detection, investigation, containment,

eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis.
 Why is Incident Response Important?
• Minimizes damage. Quickly responding to incidents helps
limit the impact before it escalates.
• Reduces downtime. A structured response plan ensures
systems can be restored quickly, helping maintain business
continuity and minimizing service disruption.
• Protects Sensitive Data. Helps prevent unauthorized
access or theft of sensitive information like customer data,
financial records, or intellectual property.
• Enables Root cause analysis. Incident response includes
post-incident analysis to understand what happened and
how to prevent it in the future.
• Supports Legal Action. Proper documentation and
evidence collection during incidents help in pursuing legal or
disciplinary actions if needed.
 Why is Incident Response Important?
• Meets regulatory compliance. Many industries require
incident response plans for compliance with standards like
GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS.
• Protects brand reputation. A fast, effective response
shows customers and stakeholders that the organization
takes security seriously, protecting brand trust.
• Enhances Preparedness. Regular testing and updating
of response plans ensure teams are ready to act quickly
and effectively under pressure.
• Helps contain threats. Rapid detection and containment
stop threats from spreading across networks, systems, or
user accounts.
 Key Objectives of Incident Response
• To detect and identify threats
• To contain threats
• To eradicate the cause
• To recover systems and services
• To minimize impact and damage
• To comply with regulations
 What is a Security Incident?
Any event that compromises the confidentiality,
integrity, or availability of information.
 What are Cloud and Web Security
Incidents?
Any events that compromise the confidentiality,
integrity, or availability of data, systems, or
applications, within a cloud or web environment.
Common Cloud and Web Security Incidents

Cloud Web
• Malware and • SQL Injection
Ransomware attacks • Cross-site Scripting
• Insider Threats (XSS)
• DDoS Attacks • Cross-site Request
• Phishing Forgery (CSRF)
• Data Breaches • Broken Authentication

• Misconfigurations • Security
misconfiguration
• Denial of Service (DoS)
 Cloud and Web Security Incident
Response
Responding to security incidents in cloud and web
environments presents unique challenges that require
specialized approaches, tools, and expertise.

As organizations increasingly migrate critical infrastructure

and applications to cloud platforms, traditional incident
response processes must evolve to address the distinctive
characteristics of these environments.
 Cloud and Web Security Incident
Response Framework
This is a structured approach that outlines the processes,
roles, tools, and best practices required to effectively detect,
respond to, contain, and recover from cybersecurity incidents
targeting cloud environments and web-based systems.

Key Phases:
• Preparation and planning
• Detection and Analysis
• Containment
• Eradication
• Recovery
• Post-Incident Analysis
 Preparation and Planning
• Incident Response Team (IRT): Establish a
dedicated team with clear roles and
responsibilities. This team should include
individuals with expertise in security, IT
operations, legal, and public relations.
• Communication Plan: Define communication
channels and protocols for internal and external
stakeholders. This ensures timely and effective
communication during an incident.
• Incident Response Procedures: Develop detailed
procedures for handling various types of security
incidents, including malware infections, data breaches,
and denial-of-service attacks. These procedures should
outline steps for detection, containment, eradication,
recovery, and post-incident analysis.
• Vulnerability Management: Implement a robust
vulnerability management program to identify and address
security weaknesses in your systems and applications
before they can be exploited.
• Security Monitoring and Logging: Establish
comprehensive security monitoring and logging
capabilities to detect suspicious activity in real-time. This
includes network traffic monitoring, security information
and event management (SIEM), and cloud security
posture management (CSPM).
Illustration of Logging and Monitoring

Security Authent. Network Normal

Log Issues Software App
Config Failures Irregularity Events

Changes to Unauthor- Unusual Logins, Attacks: SQL

Deleted logs injection,
sec. config. ized accesses packets logoffs
invalid input,
DDOS
Changes to Access to
network Blocked Overflowing
New Users sensitive Others, listed
device packets log files
data in prev.
config. columns
Lockouts & Transfer of Clear/
Change in expired sensitive change log
privileges passwd accts data config

Change in
Change to traffic
files: system patterns
code/data

All actions by
admin
 Benefits of Cloud and Web Security
Incident Planning
• Rapid Recovery. Enables quick system restoration after an
incident, reducing downtime.
• Minimized Damage. Limits the impact of attacks by
containing threats early.
• Improved Recovery Time. Speeds up return to normal
operations, maintaining user trust.
• Enhanced Security Posture. Strengthens defenses by
fixing weaknesses exposed during incidents.
• Preventing Business Disruption. Keeps services running
smoothly even during a security event.
• Better Resource Utilization. Helps teams focus on critical
tasks efficiently, avoiding wasted effort during incidents.
 Detection & Analysis
• Security Monitoring Tools: Use security information
and event management (SIEM) systems, intrusion
detection systems (IDS), and other security monitoring
tools to detect potential security incidents.
• Threat Intelligence: Leverage threat intelligence feeds
to stay informed about emerging threats and
vulnerabilities. This helps prioritize incident response
efforts.
• Incident Triage: Once an incident is detected, it must
be triaged (sorted/prioritized) to determine its severity
and potential impact. This involves analyzing the
available data and determining the appropriate
response.
 Containment
• When a security incident is confirmed, the
containment phase becomes critical to stopping
the active threat and preventing further damage.
Containment typically begins with immediate
isolation of affected systems from the network to
prevent lateral movement.
• The containment phase requires careful
coordination between technical teams and
management to ensure business continuity while
effectively limiting the scope of the incident.
 Eradication
• Once the incident is contained, the focus shifts to
completely removing the threat from the
environment. Eradication involves thoroughly
cleaning all affected systems by removing
malware, backdoors, and any other artifacts left
by the attacker.
• This phase often involves rebuilding systems
from trusted backups rather than trying to clean
existing installations, as this provides greater
assurance that all malicious components have
been removed.
 Recovery
• This refers to the process organizations follow to restore
normal operations after a security incident, system failure,
or any disruptive event.
• The recovery phase focuses on restoring normal business
operations in a secure manner. Rather than rushing to
bring all systems back online simultaneously,
organizations should implement a phased approach to
recovery, prioritizing critical business functions while
maintaining heightened monitoring.
• A successful recovery phase not only restores operations
but leaves the organization more resilient against future
incidents.
 Post-Incident Analysis
Post-incident analysis is the critical process of reviewing a
security incident after resolution to understand how it
happened, evaluate the effectiveness of the response, and
identify improvements to prevent future incidents.

Through this analysis, organizations can uncover

vulnerabilities in their systems, refine their incident
response strategies, and implement corrective actions to
prevent similar events in the future.
 Key Activities
• Incident Reporting and Documentation. Create detailed
reports outlining the timeline, affected systems, impact,
response actions, and recovery process. Proper
documentation is vital for compliance and future
reference.
• Root Cause Analysis (RCA). During the investigation,
the IRT should identify the initial vulnerability that enabled
the incident to occur. The organization can address this
issue by applying patches and updates or taking other
actions to tighten security controls.
• Impact Assessment. Assess the financial, reputational,
operational, and legal effects of the incident to understand
its full consequences.
 Key Activities
• Lessons Learned Meetings. Conduct meetings with all
stakeholders to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and
potential improvements, fostering a blame-free culture.
• Security Control Enhancements. Strengthen security
measures by applying fixes such as patching
vulnerabilities, improving access controls, enhancing
monitoring, and updating firewall rules.
• Updating Incident Response Plans. Revise policies and
playbooks to incorporate lessons learned, ensuring the IR
plan evolves and becomes more effective.
• Training and Awareness. Use insights from the incident
to improve employee training and conduct simulations to
prepare for similar future incidents.
 Importance of Post Incident Analysis
• Root Cause Identification. Post-incident analysis helps
identify the underlying causes of a security breach, whether
they are technical vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or human
errors.
• Improved Incident Response. Analysing past incidents
reveals the strengths and weaknesses of an organization’s
current incident response process.
• Prevention of Future Incidents. By learning from previous
breaches, organizations can implement more effective security
controls and policies.
• Regulatory and Compliance Requirements. Many
regulations and industry standards require thorough
documentation and analysis of security incidents so as to meet
legal and compliance obligations such as GDPR, HIPAA, and
ISO/IEC 27001.
 Importance of Post Incident Analysis
• Enhancing Organizational Awareness. Incident analysis
contributes to a culture of security awareness within an
organization. It helps staff understand the real-world
consequences of cyber risks and the importance of
following security best practices.
• Supporting Business Continuity and Risk
Management. Understanding the business impact of an
incident allows organizations to better manage risks and
plan for continuity. It supports the development of more
resilient systems and processes that can withstand and
quickly recover from future threats.
• Evidence for Legal or Disciplinary Actions. Detailed
analysis provides documentation and forensic evidence
that may be needed for legal proceedings, insurance
claims, or internal disciplinary measures.
 Tools and Technologies for Incident
Analysis
• Log Management and SIEM Tools
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools
collect and analyse logs from servers, network devices,
and applications to detect anomalies and generate alerts.
For example, Splunk and the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch,
Logstash, Kibana) offer powerful log aggregation and
visualization capabilities. Similarly, IBM QRadar and
Microsoft Sentinel provide real-time threat detection and
correlation across environments.
 Tools and Technologies Cont’d
• Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Tools
EDR solutions monitor endpoints for suspicious activity and
enable deep investigation into malicious behavior. Tools like
CrowdStrike, Falcon, and SentinelOne offer real-time
visibility into endpoint processes and file activity. Microsoft
Defender for Endpoint and Carbon Black provide advanced
threat protection and forensic capabilities for incident analysis.

• Digital Forensics Tools

These tools assist investigators in analyzing disk images, file
systems, and system artifacts to uncover digital evidence. For
instance, Autopsy and FTK (Forensic Toolkit) are widely
used for disk forensics, while EnCase and X-Ways Forensics
offer robust capabilities for deep data recovery and analysis.
 Tools and Technologies Cont’d
• Network Analysis Tools
Network tools capture and examine traffic to identify
unusual behavior or evidence of attacks. Wireshark is a
popular tool for packet-level inspection, while tcpdump
offers command-line traffic capture. Tools like Suricata
and Zeek (formerly Bro) enable deeper analysis and
intrusion detection at the network level.
 Identifying Root Causes of Incidents
• Human error – Mistakes like clicking phishing links or using weak
passwords.
• Unpatched vulnerabilities – Outdated systems and software with known
flaws.
• Poor access controls – Inadequate permissions and lack of multi-factor
authentication.
• Insider threats – Malicious or careless actions by employees or
contractors.
• Insecure software design – Applications with exploitable coding flaws.
• Third-party risks – Vendors or partners with weak security practices.
• Social engineering – Attacks that exploit human trust, like phishing or
baiting.
• System misconfiguration – Incorrect settings that expose systems to
threats.
• Lack of security awareness – Employees unaware of basic
cybersecurity practices.
• Inadequate monitoring – Failure to detect or respond to threats in time.
 Cloud and Web Security IR Challenges
• Lack of visibility. Both environments often suffer
from limited visibility into their infrastructure, making it
difficult to detect and respond to incidents promptly.
• Misconfigurations. Misconfigurations can occur in
both cloud services and web applications, leading to
vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit.
• Automated Threats. The rise of automated attacks,
such as bots targeting web applications and AI-driven
threats in cloud environments, requires organizations
to be prepared for rapid incident response.
 Challenges Cont’d
• Shared responsibility model. Understanding the division
of responsibilities between cloud providers and
customers, as well as between development and security
teams in web environments, is crucial for comprehensive
protection.
• Training and Awareness. Ensuring that staff are
adequately trained in both cloud and web security best
practices and incident response procedures is vital for
effective management of security incidents.
• Resource Constraints. Many organizations may lack the
necessary resources or expertise to effectively manage
incidents in both cloud and web environments, leading to
delays in addressing incidents.
 Solutions to overcome the Cloud and
Web Security IR barriers
• Implement Comprehensive Monitoring and
Logging. Utilize centralized logging and monitoring
tools that provide visibility across cloud and web
environments. This includes network traffic analysis,
security information and event management (SIEM)
systems, and cloud-native monitoring services.
• Configuration Management. Implement robust
configuration management practices to ensure
consistent and secure configurations across all
systems.
 Solutions Cont’d
• Advanced Threat Protection. Implement advanced
threat protection solutions that leverage machine learning
and AI to detect and respond to sophisticated attacks.
• Clearly Defined Roles and Responsibilities. Establish
clear agreements with cloud providers and internal teams
regarding security responsibilities.
• Security Awareness Training. Provide regular security
awareness training to employees to educate them about
security threats and best practices.
• Invest in Training and Expertise. Invest in training and
development to build internal expertise in cloud and web
security.
 References
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• https://www.pentestpeople.com/blog-posts/the-importance-and-benefi
ts-of-incident-response

• https://cyble.com/knowledge-hub/top-cloud-security-challenges/
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