Immediate Containment Actions
The first steps of containment involve taking swift actions to stop the spread of the incident and limit its effects. Depending on the nature of the attack, the specific actions may vary, but they generally include:
Disconnecting Affected Systems: The quickest way to limit an incident’s impact is by isolating the affected systems. This can be done by disconnecting compromised machines from the network or shutting down specific services. Disconnecting systems can stop the attack from spreading to other systems or services.
Blocking Malicious Traffic: In cases of malware or ransomware attacks, blocking malicious traffic is essential to prevent further infection. This can include blocking suspicious IP addresses, disabling communication channels used by the attackers, or blocking specific ports or protocols.
Isolating Affected Accounts: If user accounts are compromised, the first containment action is to disable or lock these accounts to prevent further malicious activity. In cases where privileged accounts are involved, additional measures such as resetting passwords may be necessary.
Limiting Administrative Access: If the attack involves privilege escalation or the use of admin credentials, limiting administrative access to critical systems can help prevent further damage. It may include revoking remote access or restricting permissions for specific users or groups.
Segmenting the Network: Network segmentation involves creating isolated sub-networks, which can prevent the attack from spreading. Critical infrastructure, such as databases and application servers, may be isolated from the rest of the network to protect sensitive data.
These immediate containment actions help slow down the attack, buy time for further investigation, and prevent additional systems from being compromised.