Eradication Phase – Eliminating the Threat
The Eradication phase involves completely removing the threat from the organization’s environment. This phase focuses on identifying the root cause of the incident and eliminating any remaining malicious elements.
Key activities during the eradication phase include:
Identifying and Removing Malware or Threat Actors: The IRT works to identify the malware, malicious files, or unauthorized users responsible for the incident. Any compromised files, malicious code, or backdoors should be removed from affected systems.
Root Cause Analysis: It’s essential to understand how the incident occurred, including identifying any vulnerabilities that were exploited. This analysis helps prevent the same incident from happening again in the future.
System Restoration and Hardening: After removing the threat, systems should be restored to a known, secure state. This includes reinstalling operating systems, restoring data from backups, and applying any necessary security patches to address the vulnerabilities that were exploited.
Validation and Verification: Once the threat has been eradicated, the organization should verify that no traces of the incident remain. This includes scanning systems for residual malware or unauthorized configurations.
Eradication ensures that the threat is fully removed, and the organization is no longer vulnerable to the same attack.