CISA Releases National Cyber Incident Response Plan update

• The National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP) update outlines a flexible framework for coordinated responses to significant cyber incidents involving federal agencies, private sector entities, and state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments.
• It emphasizes two key response phases, Detection and Response. It describes four lines of effort: Asset Response, Threat Response, Intelligence Support, and Affected Entity Response, each managed by specific federal agencies or stakeholders.
• The plan encourages collaboration across sectors and includes mechanisms for ongoing improvements, such as regular updates, exercises, and lessons learned from real-world incidents.

The NCIRP serves as a strategic national framework for addressing cyber incidents, focusing on coordination between public and private stakeholders under the guidance of Presidential Policy Directive 41 (PPD-41). It aims to enhance national preparedness by leveraging contributions from various entities and aligning their efforts during significant cyber incidents. This plan distinguishes between the Detection phase, which involves identifying and analyzing incidents, and the Response phase, which focuses on containment, eradication, and recovery, alongside law enforcement and intelligence activities.

The framework organizes response efforts into four lines: Asset Response, Threat Response, Intelligence Support, and Affected Entity Response. Key coordination structures include the Cyber Response Group (CRG) and the Cyber Unified Coordination Group (Cyber UCG), which provide strategic and operational guidance. The NCIRP also integrates cyber incident response with broader physical consequence management frameworks.

The plan promotes voluntary collaboration from non-federal stakeholders, encourages integration of its guidelines into organizational planning, and emphasizes adaptability to evolving threats. It highlights the importance of continuous improvement, with updates informed by exercises, stakeholder feedback, and real-world events, ensuring an effective national response to cyber threats.

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