Incident Preparedness: Lessons from the CrowdStrike Crash
The recent CrowdStrike crash serves as a stark reminder that even the most advanced systems can experience failures. In the wake of this event, best practices emerge, emphasizing the need for robust defense mechanisms and comprehensive incident response plans, to protect government systems in an increasingly complex digital landscape.
1. Robust Incident Response Plans
Lesson: The need for well-defined and practiced incident response plans cannot be overstated as a lack of preparedness can exacerbate the impact of a cybersecurity event.
Best Practice: Develop and regularly update an incident response plan that includes procedures for various types of incidents. Conduct simulations to ensure all stakeholders are familiar with their roles and responsibilities.
While only mandatory for US federal agencies, state agencies (and the vendors they employ) can leverage the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) to guide the development of incident response plans, as it highlights the importance of responding and recovering from incidents and learning from each experience to strengthen future responses.
2. Redundancy and Resilience
Lesson: The importance of having redundant systems and resilient infrastructure to maintain continuity of operations during an incident.
Best Practice: Implement redundant systems and failover mechanisms to ensure critical services remain operational. Regularly test these systems to ensure they function as expected during a crisis.
Civix’s security program is rooted in a defense-in-depth strategy, implementing stacked protections and countermeasures to create a deeply layered security posture. This redundancy minimizes the risk of a single point of failure compromising the entire system, as others are in place to catch and mitigate the threat. Security layers incorporate different tools and strategies to address different kinds of threats, and this combination allows Civix to cover a broader range of vulnerabilities.
3. Effective Communication
Lesson: Clear and timely communication with stakeholders is crucial during a cybersecurity incident. Communication gaps can lead to confusion and delayed responses.
Best Practice: Establish a communication plan that includes predefined protocols for informing stakeholders during an incident. Ensure that communication channels are secure and tested.
At Civix, we use Monday.com boards as centralized hubs where team members can share real-time updates. By leveraging an online communication tool, clients can monitor progress transparently, which significantly improves our ability to address concerns and minimize an incident’s impact.
4. Continuous Monitoring and Threat Detection
Lesson: Proactive monitoring and early threat detection are essential to mitigate the impact of cybersecurity incidents. The CrowdStrike crash underscored the need for real-time visibility into systems and networks.
Best Practice: Invest in advanced threat detection and monitoring tools. Implement continuous monitoring to identify and respond to threats promptly. Utilize threat intelligence to stay ahead of potential vulnerabilities and attacks.
5. Safety in Numbers
Lesson: For state agencies with limited IT resources, experienced technology vendors offer a “safety in numbers” advantage, pooling the expertise and vigilance of security professionals to create a robust defense network that ensures continuous monitoring and a rapid response.
Best Practice: Evaluate potential vendors based on their size, specialized knowledge, and history of successfully managing security for similar organizations. State agencies can effectively utilize the collective strength and specialized knowledge of technology vendors to protect their digital assets, ensuring a more secure and resilient IT environment.
At Civix, we invest heavily in robust security measures and experienced team members. Our CloudOps, IT, and Cybersecurity resources amplify our clients’ protection, working on their behalf to keep systems secure without our agency partners bearing the burden of managing complex security protocols.
6. Post-Incident Analysis and Improvement
Lesson: A thorough post-incident analysis is crucial for understanding root causes and improving future responses.
Best Practice: Conduct a comprehensive post-incident review to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement. Implement corrective actions, update response plans accordingly, and share findings with the broader community to enhance collective security.
Moving Forward
Government technology vendors are responsible for creating a proactive and resilient approach to cybersecurity. By learning from past incidents and continuously improving best practices, we are better equipped to protect critical infrastructures and maintain the trust and confidence of the government agencies we serve.