Gartner Research

Acting on Security Monitoring: Incident Response and Forensics

Published: 12 April 2011

ID: G00210015

Analyst(s): Trent Henry

Summary

Monitoring is an essential element of infrastructure and information protection. The goals of monitoring vary widely, but one issue is common: When monitoring uncovers incidents, IT organizations must investigate them with care and consistency.

Table Of Contents

Business Context

Recommendations Summary

Analyst Perspective

  • What Is an Incident?
    • Incident Origination and Definition
  • Organization, Process, and Tools
  • Creating Incident Response Plans (and Teams)
    • Ownership
  • Resources and Funding
  • A Special Class of Incident: Availability
  • Outsourcing and Incident Handling
  • Incident Volume
  • Incident Reporting
  • Forensics
    • Who Does Forensics?
    • Legal Implications of Forensics
    • Post Mortem
    • Tools for Incident Response and Forensics
  • Planning and Documenting
    • Define Incidents
    • Tie Incident Management to Risk Management
    • Formalize a Response Plan
  • Communicating Internally
    • Enlist the Help of the Entire Organization
    • Create Strong Internal Relationships
    • Assess In-House Talent for Forensics and Investigation
    • Develop Precise Procedures for Forensics and Investigation
  • Responding to Incidents
    • Clearly Define Acceptable Response Actions
    • Train Operational Staff to Handle Low-Consequence Incidents
    • Determine Scope of Responsibility for Fraud and Brand Reputation
    • Correct External vs. Internal Threat Dichotomy
    • Solidify E-Mail Infrastructure and Procedures for Use
  • Communicating Externally
    • Groom External Relationships and Advertise Points of Contact
    • Create SLAs
    • Share with Others
  • Reporting
    • Report to Management

Recommended Reading

©2020 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Gartner is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and its affiliates. This publication may not be reproduced or distributed in any form without Gartner’s prior written permission. It consists of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization, which should not be construed as statements of fact. While the information contained in this publication has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, Gartner disclaims all warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of such information. Although Gartner research may address legal and financial issues, Gartner does not provide legal or investment advice and its research should not be construed or used as such. Your access and use of this publication are governed by Gartner’s Usage Policy. Gartner prides itself on its reputation for independence and objectivity. Its research is produced independently by its research organization without input or influence from any third party. For further information, see Guiding Principles on Independence and Objectivity.

Already have a Gartner Account?

Log In

Become a client

Learn how to access this content as a Gartner client.

Learn More