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Incident Response Plan

Purpose & Scope​

This Incident Response Plan (IRP) establishes the framework for identifying, responding to, and recovering from security incidents that may affect Mavaro Systems LLC's systems, data, or operations. The plan applies to all employees, contractors, and third-party vendors who have access to Mavaro Systems' information systems.

Objective: Minimize the impact of security incidents on business operations, protect sensitive data, maintain customer trust, and ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

Roles & Responsibilities​

Incident Commander (IC)​

  • Primary: Chief Executive Officer or designated security lead
  • Responsibilities: Overall incident coordination, decision authority, resource allocation, executive communication

Communications Lead​

  • Primary: Head of Marketing or Communications
  • Responsibilities: Internal notifications, customer communications, regulatory notifications, public relations coordination
  • Primary: General Counsel or external legal advisor
  • Responsibilities: Legal implications, regulatory compliance, contract review, evidence preservation

Engineering Lead​

  • Primary: Chief Technology Officer or senior engineering manager
  • Responsibilities: Technical response, system containment, forensic analysis, system restoration

Privacy Officer​

  • Primary: Data Protection Officer or designated privacy lead
  • Responsibilities: Personal data impact assessment, privacy compliance, data subject notifications

Severity Levels & Definitions​

Level 1 - Critical​

Definition: Widespread system compromise, confirmed data breach with sensitive data exposure, or complete service outage affecting multiple customers.

  • Response Time: 15 minutes
  • Escalation: Immediate executive notification
  • Example Scenarios: Customer data breach, ransomware attack, complete infrastructure compromise

Level 2 - High​

Definition: Significant security event affecting core systems or customer data, but with contained impact.

  • Response Time: 30 minutes
  • Escalation: Department heads within 1 hour
  • Example Scenarios: Unauthorized access to admin systems, malware detection in production, phishing attack success

Level 3 - Medium​

Definition: Security incident with limited scope that can be contained through standard procedures.

  • Response Time: 2 hours
  • Escalation: Team leads within 4 hours
  • Example Scenarios: Failed login attempts, suspicious network activity, policy violations

Level 4 - Low​

Definition: Minor security events that require monitoring but don't threaten core operations.

  • Response Time: 8 hours
  • Escalation: Team leads within 24 hours
  • Example Scenarios: Failed security scans, minor vulnerabilities, policy awareness issues

24-Hour Timeline​

Hour 0-1: Initial Response​

  • Incident detection and classification
  • Incident Commander activation
  • Initial containment measures
  • Stakeholder notification

Hour 1-4: Investigation & Analysis​

  • Scope assessment
  • Evidence collection initiation
  • Technical analysis
  • Stakeholder updates

Hour 4-12: Containment & Eradication​

  • Threat containment
  • System restoration planning
  • Evidence preservation
  • Regulatory consultation

Hour 12-24: Recovery & Communication​

  • System recovery
  • Customer communication (if applicable)
  • Documentation completion
  • Lessons learned planning

First-Hour Checklist​

Immediate Actions (0-15 minutes)​

  • Stop ongoing attack if possible
  • Isolate affected systems from network
  • Activate Incident Commander
  • Begin incident log documentation
  • Notify security team members

Classification & Notification (15-30 minutes)​

  • Assess incident severity level
  • Notify appropriate personnel based on severity
  • Contact external legal counsel if needed
  • Begin evidence preservation
  • Establish communication channels

Initial Containment (30-60 minutes)​

  • Implement containment measures
  • Begin forensic imaging if required
  • Document all actions taken
  • Prepare initial stakeholder notification
  • Establish incident response workspace

Evidence Collection​

Digital Evidence​

  • System logs (authentication, access, error logs)
  • Network traffic captures
  • Database transaction logs
  • Application logs
  • Email communications
  • Screenshots and system images

Chain of Custody​

  • Document all evidence with timestamps
  • Use secure, tamper-evident storage
  • Maintain detailed evidence log
  • Limit access to authorized personnel only
  • Create forensic copies before analysis

Retention Requirements​

  • Critical incidents: 7 years
  • High severity: 5 years
  • Medium severity: 3 years
  • Low severity: 1 year

Customer Communication Templates​

Initial Notification (within 24 hours)​

Subject: Important Security Notice - [Brief Description]

Dear [Customer],

We are writing to inform you of a security incident that may have affected your account on [date]. We discovered this incident on [date] and immediately took steps to secure our systems.

What happened: [Brief description of incident]
What information was involved: [If applicable]
What we are doing: [Response actions taken]
What you can do: [Customer action items]

Updates (ongoing)​

Subject: Security Incident Update - [Case Number]

Dear [Customer],

We are providing an update on the security incident we reported on [date]. Our investigation has revealed [new information]. 

[Update details]
Our next steps: [Planned actions]

Resolution Notice​

Subject: Security Incident Resolved - [Case Number]

Dear [Customer],

We are pleased to inform you that the security incident reported on [date] has been fully resolved. 

Summary of actions taken: [Summary]
Additional safeguards implemented: [New security measures]

Post-Incident Activities​

Postmortem Process​

  • Timeline: Within 5 business days of incident closure
  • Attendees: All response team members, relevant technical staff
  • Duration: 2-4 hours depending on incident complexity

Postmortem Agenda​

  1. Incident timeline review
  2. Response effectiveness analysis
  3. Communication evaluation
  4. Technical root cause analysis
  5. Process improvement identification
  6. Action item assignment

Lessons Learned Documentation​

  • Incident summary and timeline
  • What went well during response
  • Areas for improvement
  • Recommended process changes
  • Training needs identification
  • Technology recommendations

Communication Escalation​

Internal Escalation Path​

  1. Level 4-3: Team Lead → Department Manager
  2. Level 2: Department Manager → VP Level
  3. Level 1: VP Level → C-Suite → Board

External Escalation Path​

  • Legal: External counsel notification for Level 1-2 incidents
  • Regulatory: Notification timeline based on applicable regulations
  • Customer: Communication based on impact assessment
  • Law Enforcement: If criminal activity suspected

Decision Tree​

Initial Assessment​

Is there confirmed data breach? → YES → Level 1, Immediate escalation
                                 → NO → Continue assessment

Is service completely unavailable? → YES → Level 1, Immediate escalation
                                   → NO → Continue assessment

Is customer data potentially compromised? → YES → Level 2, 1-hour escalation
                                          → NO → Continue assessment

Is internal system affected? → YES → Level 2-3, Based on scope
                             → NO → Level 4, Standard process

Response Activation​

  • Level 1: Full incident team activation, executive notification
  • Level 2: Core team activation, department notification
  • Level 3: Standard response team, team lead notification
  • Level 4: Individual response with monitoring

Contact Information​

Internal Emergency Contacts​

  • CEO: [Contact information]
  • CTO: [Contact information]
  • Legal Counsel: [Contact information]
  • Head of Engineering: [Contact information]
  • Privacy Officer: [Contact information]

External Emergency Contacts​

  • Cybersecurity Insurance: [Contact information]
  • External Legal Counsel: [Contact information]
  • Forensic Service Provider: [Contact information]
  • PR Agency: [Contact information]
  • Law Enforcement: [Contact information]

Paging System​

Plan Maintenance​

This plan should be reviewed and updated:

  • Quarterly: Contact information and escalation paths
  • Annually: Full plan review and testing
  • After any significant incident: Lessons learned integration
  • When major system changes occur: Process updates
  • Security Policy
  • Disaster Recovery Plan
  • Business Continuity Plan
  • Data Breach Response Procedures
  • Vendor Risk Management Policy
  • Access Control Policy

Document Owner: Chief Executive Officer
Review Schedule: Annually
Last Updated: [Current Date]
Version: 1.0