Incident Response

Incident Response

Create an incident response plan for "$ARGUMENTS" with severity classifications, response playbooks per incident type, defined roles, communication protocols, and escalation paths.

Prerequisites

Read .metapowers/security/$ARGUMENTS/00-govern.md. If this file does not exist, tell the user:

Phase 0 (Govern) has not been completed for "$ARGUMENTS". Run a Govern skill first (e.g., /security:security-policy $ARGUMENTS), or use --skip-checks to bypass.

If --skip-checks is present in $ARGUMENTS, skip this check and log to .metapowers/security/$ARGUMENTS/skip-log.md.

Process

1. Read context files:

   • Read plugins/security/shared/incident-response-template.md for methodology reference and output structure
   • Read .metapowers/security/$ARGUMENTS/00-govern.md for organizational context and risk appetite

2. Define severity classification (P1–P4):

   • P1 — Critical: confirmed data breach, ransomware spreading, active attacker with privileged access, complete service outage affecting all customers
   • P2 — High: suspected data breach under investigation, targeted attack detected, partial service outage affecting significant user segment
   • P3 — Medium: vulnerability actively exploited with limited impact, unauthorized access attempt partially successful, single-service degradation
   • P4 — Low: policy violation detected, failed attack attempt, minor security misconfiguration discovered
   • Define criteria for each level: data sensitivity, blast radius, regulatory implications, business impact

3. Create response playbooks per incident type:

   • Data breach — identify compromised data, assess scope, contain exfiltration, preserve evidence, notify affected parties and regulators
   • DDoS attack — activate DDoS mitigation (CDN, WAF rules, rate limiting), identify attack vectors, engage upstream providers, scale infrastructure
   • Ransomware — isolate affected systems immediately, assess encryption scope, activate backup recovery, engage law enforcement if appropriate
   • Insider threat — preserve evidence before alerting subject, restrict access silently, coordinate with HR and legal, investigate scope of access
   • Supply chain compromise — identify affected dependencies, assess blast radius, isolate compromised components, verify integrity of remaining systems
   • Each playbook includes: detection triggers, immediate actions (first 15 minutes), short-term containment (first hour), investigation steps, eradication, recovery

4. Define response team roles:

   • Incident Commander — owns decision-making authority, coordinates all responders, manages timeline
   • Technical Lead — leads investigation and containment, directs engineering response
   • Communications Lead — manages internal and external communications, coordinates with legal and PR
   • Scribe — documents timeline, decisions, actions, and evidence in real time
   • Subject Matter Experts — engaged as needed based on incident type (database, network, cloud, application)
   • Define backup personnel for each role and activation procedures

5. Set communication protocols:

   • Define communication channels by severity (P1: war room + phone bridge, P2: dedicated Slack channel, P3–P4: ticket-based)
   • Set status update cadence (P1: every 30 minutes, P2: every 2 hours, P3: daily, P4: on resolution)
   • Define who is notified at each severity level (P1: CISO + executive team, P2: security lead + engineering lead, P3: security team, P4: assigned responder)
   • Template for status updates: current status, actions taken, next steps, ETA, blockers

6. Define escalation paths:

   • Time-based escalation (P1 not acknowledged in 5 minutes → auto-escalate, P2 not acknowledged in 15 minutes → auto-escalate)
   • Severity-based escalation (any incident may be escalated if scope expands or new evidence emerges)
   • External escalation criteria (when to engage law enforcement, regulators, external forensic specialists, cyber insurance)
   • De-escalation criteria (when to downgrade severity based on investigation findings)

7. Create decision trees for common scenarios:

   • "Suspicious login detected" → verify with user → if confirmed unauthorized → P2, lock account, investigate scope
   • "Malware alert on endpoint" → isolate endpoint → determine if lateral movement occurred → if yes, escalate to P1
   • "Data exposure reported by third party" → verify claim → assess scope → if confirmed, activate data breach playbook
   • "Unusual outbound traffic" → analyze destination and volume → if exfiltration suspected → P1, block traffic, preserve logs

8. Write the artifact to .metapowers/security/$ARGUMENTS/04-respond.md with heading:

   Incident Response Plan

   Include sections:

   • Severity Classification — P1–P4 definitions with criteria and examples
   • Response Playbooks — per incident type with step-by-step actions
   • Response Team — roles, responsibilities, and backup personnel
   • Communication Protocols — channels, cadence, and notification matrix
   • Escalation Paths — time-based, severity-based, and external escalation criteria
   • Decision Trees — common scenario flowcharts

Output

The incident response plan written to .metapowers/security/$ARGUMENTS/04-respond.md. Present a summary to the user highlighting:

• Severity classification criteria for P1–P4
• Playbooks created per incident type
• Response team roles and communication protocols
• Key escalation triggers and decision trees