🚨 Four-Phase Breach Response
🔴 Phase 1: Detection & Assessment
0-6 Hours- Identify source and scope of breach
- Preserve evidence (logs, screenshots, systems)
- Classify data types affected (personal, sensitive, financial)
- Estimate number of affected individuals
- Activate Incident Response Team
- Engage forensic investigator if needed
🟡 Phase 2: Containment
6-24 Hours- Isolate affected systems
- Block unauthorized access points
- Reset compromised credentials
- Implement emergency patches
- Document all containment actions
- Preserve evidence chain of custody
🟣 Phase 3: Notification
6-72 Hours- Report to CERT-In within 6 hours
- Notify Data Protection Board (DPDPA)
- Notify sectoral regulators (RBI, SEBI, IRDAI)
- Prepare Data Principal notification
- Brief senior management and board
- Prepare external communications
🟢 Phase 4: Remediation & Review
Ongoing- Implement permanent fixes
- Conduct root cause analysis
- Update security controls
- Revise incident response plan
- Document lessons learned
- Prepare for regulatory inquiry/litigation
📝 Notification Templates
Template 1: CERT-In Notification
To: incident@cert-in.org.in
Subject: Cyber Security Incident Report - [Company Name]
Date/Time of Incident: [DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM IST]
Date/Time of Detection: [DD/MM/YYYY HH:MM IST]
Type of Incident: [Data Breach / Unauthorized Access / Ransomware]
INCIDENT DETAILS:
1. Nature: [Brief description]
2. Systems Affected: [Server/Database/Application]
3. Data Compromised: [Type and volume]
4. Estimated Impact: [Number of records/individuals]
5. Attack Vector: [If known]
CONTAINMENT MEASURES:
[Actions taken to contain breach]
CONTACT:
Name: [CISO/DPO Name]
Phone: [Number]
Email: [Email]
[Signature]
Template 2: Data Principal Notification
Subject: Important: Notice of Data Security Incident
Dear [Name],
We are writing to inform you of a data security incident that may have affected your personal information.
WHAT HAPPENED:
On [Date], we discovered unauthorized access to our systems containing personal data.
WHAT INFORMATION WAS INVOLVED:
The following categories of your data may have been affected:
- [Name, Email, Phone, etc.]
WHAT WE ARE DOING:
1. Contained the incident and secured our systems
2. Engaged forensic investigators
3. Reported to relevant authorities
4. Enhanced security measures
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Monitor your accounts for suspicious activity
2. Change passwords for related accounts
3. Be cautious of phishing attempts
CONTACT US:
For questions, contact our Data Protection Officer:
Email: [dpo@company.com]
Phone: [Helpline number]
We sincerely apologize for this incident.
[Signature]
✅ Breach Response Checklist
📋 Immediate Actions (First 6 Hours)
☑Activate Incident Response Team
☑Document timeline and facts
☑Preserve all evidence (forensic images)
☑Assess scope and affected data
☑Contain the breach
☑Notify CERT-In (6-hour deadline)
☑Engage legal counsel
☑Brief senior management
📋 24-72 Hour Actions
☑Notify Data Protection Board
☑Notify sectoral regulators (RBI/SEBI/IRDAI)
☑Prepare Data Principal notification
☑Brief Board of Directors
☑Prepare media response (if needed)
☑Engage PR/communications team
⚖️ Legal Privilege Considerations
⚠️ Protecting Investigation Privilege
- Engage external counsel to direct investigation
- Label forensic reports as "Privileged & Confidential - Attorney Work Product"
- Route communications through legal counsel
- Maintain separate privileged and non-privileged tracks
- Limit distribution of investigation findings
📝 Part 12.7 Quiz
Q1: CERT-In reporting deadline:
Q2: First action on detecting breach:
Q3: DPDPA requires notification to:
Q4: To protect privilege, engage:
Q5: Containment phase timeline:
Q6: Evidence preservation requires:
Q7: Board briefing should happen within:
Q8: Root cause analysis happens in:
Q9: Forensic reports should be labeled:
Q10: Incident Response Team activation is: