What is the SLA for incident response retainer?

The service level agreement (SLA) for a cyber incident response retainer refers to the scope of IRR services, the response time you can expect, and the reporting procedure. SLAs are important in incident response as they enable both parties (service provider and seeker) to know what to expect from each other. This helps enhance transparency and trust between them, avoiding unnecessary confusion and friction.

What is the NIST framework for incident response?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has established certain guidelines for incident response that organisations must adhere to: Preparation for cybersecurity incidentsIncident detection and analysisIncident containment, elimination, and recoveryPost-analysis incident

How much is an incident response retainer?

The pricing for incident response retainers differs from one vendor to another. It can also depend on geographical location. It may range from a few hundred USD or GBP to thousands.If you’re looking for cost-effective yet powerful IRR services, talk to our experts, tell them your security needs, and get a customised quote.

What’s the difference between incident response and incident handling?

Cybersecurity incident handling is an umbrella term for all activities required to monitor, detect, contain, respond to, and prevent security incidents. It includes the planning, communication, logistics, execution, and other steps to deal with an incident. On the other hand, incident response refers to a technical activity within incident handling that deals with cybersecurity incident mitigation only.

Incident Response Retainer Services - Microminder Cyber Security

What Is a Cybersecurity Incident Response Retainer?

A cybersecurity incident response retainer (IRR) is a service that offers an organisation access to highly skilled and trusted experts when a cybersecurity incident occurs. They are available readily to help detect and respond to threats and attacks effectively, reduce their impacts, and protect the organisation’s assets.

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Why Do You Need Incident Response Retainer Services?

Cyberattackers target everyone, from individuals to businesses of all sizes and shapes. So, it’s highly likely you may face an incident. If you don’t have proper preparation, method, and understanding of how to deal with them, the results could be catastrophic. Here’s how:

No Preparation:
Most businesses globally underestimate the benefits of preparing for cybersecurity attacks. When a cyberattack occurs, they don’t have a proper strategy to deal with them. As a result, they become an easy target, leading to attackers jeopardising their security posture, stealing their data, and disturbing their operations.

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Why Do You Need Incident Response Retainer Services?

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Prepare for the Inevitable with Microminder’s Cybersecurity Incident Response Retainer Services

Microminder offers a range of cybersecurity services to improve your organisation’s incident response preparedness:

Incident Detection and Response

Our incident detection and response experts are always ready to detect and respond to security incidents using advanced tools and techniques. They work closely with threat intelligence analysts to get to the root cause of every incident and reduce the impact of an attack.

Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR)

Get emergency digital forensic analysis for your files, system memory, network, and log files to detect and investigate security and vulnerabilities. This way, our DFIR services help you identify, contain, and mitigate these attacks. We also provide post-incident support to get your business up and running.

Risk Assessments

We provide a number of security assessments to help you catch vulnerabilities, risks, and threats before they become full-blown cyberattacks. This makes it easier for you to eliminate and protect your organisation and assets. Some of the security assessments we provide include:

Vulnerability assessments
Compromise assessments
Cloud security assessments
Wi-Fi security assessments
IoT security assessments
VOIP security assessments
SCADA security assessment

Security Testing

Testing your systems and processes is important to ensure they don’t have errors or risks in them and that they perform effectively to secure your organisation. Some of the security testing services we offer are:

Penetration testing
Mobile application testing
Web application testing
Source code review
API security testing

Tabletop Exercises

Microminder conducts tabletop exercises based on realistic scenarios to help you measure the effectiveness of your cybersecurity process, strategies, and systems. We tailor these exercises based on the types of risks you face, your organisation’s size, and the industry you belong to. These exercises prepare you to face real threats with more confidence.

Powerful Consultation and Incident Response Planning

Taking account of factors, such as your attack surface, industry, and compliance requirements, we provide cybersecurity consultations. In addition, we sit with your security team to understand your current cybersecurity incident response planning and optimise it with better, action-oriented, and proactive measures and systems. This helps you improve your security posture.

10 Most Common Types of Cyber Security Incidents

Managing and mitigating IT risks is crucial for the smooth operation and security of any organization. Proactive measures help identify, assess, and address potential risks before they escalate. Here are some proactive measures to manage and mitigate IT risks:

Cyber security risks encompass a variety of threats, including unauthorised access to information and data, malicious attacks, and hacking activities. Therefore, organisations must stay vigilant as they navigate the complex landscape of potential security events, ensuring they are prepared to address and resolve cyber incidents effectively.

Here are common breach types with definitions to illustrate their severity:

1. Unauthorised Access Attacks
Phishing Schemes: Deceptive emails, such as the notorious "Business Email Compromise" (BEC) attack, are artfully orchestrated by cybercriminals. In this scheme, an employee, believing they are responding to an urgent request from a senior executive, unwittingly discloses crucial financial information. This breach leads to unauthorised access and potential financial loss.
Social Engineering Tactics: Picture an attacker leveraging a seemingly harmless interaction on a social media platform. They carefully collect benign information from an employee's online presence to create a trustworthy persona. Over time, this persona gains the target's trust, leading to the extraction of sensitive information during seemingly routine conversations. This tactic showcases how social engineering leverages human psychology to achieve malicious goals.
Exploitation of Vulnerabilities: This is where a hacker capitalises on a zero-day vulnerability within commonly used software. By exploiting this security gap through an unpatched system, the attacker breaches the organisation's network, putting confidential data and business operations at risk.

10 Most Common Types of Cyber Security Incidents

2. Privilege Escalation Attacks
Weak Permission Exploitation: In such a case, a disgruntled insider could exploit lenient access controls within a company. By manipulating these weak permissions, they acquire elevated access, potentially causing significant disruptions to sensitive databases or infrastructure.
Abuse of System Flaws: Visualise an attacker exploiting a flaw in an operating system. Through meticulous manipulation, they navigate the system's vulnerabilities, escalating privileges and gaining control over critical configurations.

3. Insider Threat Attacks
Data Theft by Authorised Personnel: Here, an employee with legitimate access to sensitive data chooses to misuse their position, illicitly exfiltrating customer information for personal gain or illegal distribution on the dark web.
Sabotage of Systems: Consider a scenario where an IT administrator, discontented with their position, deliberately sabotages network configurations, causing widespread disruption and damage to the organisation's operations.

4. Clickjacking
Opaque and Clickjacking: An invisible or non-transparent layer is placed over a legitimate website or element. This layer tricks the user into interacting with the concealed content, which can lead to unintended actions.
UI Redressing: Also known as UI Redirection, this involves the manipulation of user interface elements on a website or application to deceive users. It can include misaligning or modifying elements to make them appear different from their actual functionality.

5. Malware Attacks
Ransomware Incidents: Malicious actors deploy ransomware attacks to encrypt an organisation's data, demanding a ransom for its release. These incidents can result in data loss, functional disruptions, and financial losses.
Trojan Horse Infiltrations: Cyber attackers disguise harmful software as legitimate files or programs to gain unauthorised access to a system or network. This deceptive approach can lead to data breaches, system compromises, and other security breaches.

6. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks
Botnet Orchestrations: Cybercriminals control a network of compromised computers (botnet) to execute coordinated and often malicious activities, such as DDoS attacks, data theft, or spreading malware. These orchestrated actions can have wide-ranging impacts on individuals, businesses, and the internet as a whole.
Amplification Techniques: Consider an attacker exploiting vulnerabilities in Domain Name System (DNS) servers, amplifying the volume of attack traffic, and effectively paralysing the target's online presence.

7. Man-In-The-Middle (MITM) Attacks
Packet Sniffing Intrusions: Picture a hacker intercepting unencrypted Wi-Fi traffic at a bustling coffee shop, capturing sensitive information such as login credentials from unsuspecting users.
Wi-Fi Eavesdropping Exploits: Envision a cybercriminal setting up a rogue Wi-Fi hotspot, enticing unsuspecting users to connect. This paves the way for unauthorised access and data interception.

8. Password Attacks
Brute Force Assaults: Here, attackers employ a relentless and automated approach to gain unallowed access to systems or accounts. These relentless tactics involve trying numerous combinations of passwords or access credentials until the correct one is found, posing a significant security threat to targeted entities.
Keylogging Techniques: Hackers utilise methods to surreptitiously capture and record keystrokes on a victim's device. This covert activity allows them to gather sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers, without the user's knowledge or consent.

9. Web Application Attacks
Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) Intrusions: Vulnerabilities in web applications are exploited to inject malicious scripts into websites viewed by other users. This tactic allows for the theft of sensitive data, content manipulation, or user redirection to other sites, posing significant security risks.
SQL Injection Exploits: Envision an assailant manipulating a web application's input fields to execute unauthorised database queries, potentially extracting sensitive information.

10. Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)
Staged Attack Strategies: Carefully planned and organised methods are employed to target security gaps in systems or networks. These systematic approaches aim to exploit weaknesses and gain unauthorised access or control, often resulting in security breaches and data compromises.
Zero-Day Exploits: Envision a nation-state actor leveraging a previously unknown vulnerability in a widely used software, gaining undetected access for an extended period, and extracting critical intelligence without leaving a trace.

Microminder: Alfanar's Top Choice for Penetration Testing Services

"After engaging and experiencing multiple Penetration Testing vendors, we highly recommend Microminder services to companies looking to enhance their security measures. Their expertise and commitment to delivering outstanding results make them a reliable choice for securing your organisation."

Syed Murtuza Haneef

IT Security Manager

Moby2

"We had the pleasure of working with Microminder Cybersecurity for infrastructure pen testing and firewall configuration review, and I have to say, their work was nothing short of splendid. Firstly their onboarding process was so quick, the pre-requisites and availability of testing was agreed on the same day..."

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Viktor Dimitrov

Product Owner - Moby2

Almarai

"Almarai Company is a Saudi multinational dairy company that is listed on the Tadawul Stock Exchange. It specializes in food and beverage manufacturing and distribution. The company's main offices are located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. We engaged with Microminder Cybersecurity for Penetration Test and Security Review."

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Gordon Bateman

Head of Enterprise Risk Management - Almarai

Haberfeld

"We engaged with MCS on a ransomware table top exercise; other companies offered 1 of 2 things. Either an in person exercise held on paper or a software you download and create the exercise yourself. Microminder was the only company we talked to that combined both approaches."

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Haberfeld

Banking Consultant for Community Banks across the United States

CENTOGENE

"CENTOGENE is the unique and essential partner for patients, physicians, and biopharma in rare, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases, covering diagnostics, discovery, clinical development, and market access. With a global reach spanning over 100 countries and a network of 30,000 physicians, we've diagnosed over 2,500 rare diseases. Our extensive testing portfolio of 19,000+ genes and 10,000+ tests, revolutionizes early disease detection."

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CENTOGENE

The Rare Disease Company

Knowledge Anywhere

"Knowledge Anywhere is an eLearning award-winning company. We chose Microminder Cyber Security for our Web application Pen test due to their experience in the business and positive reviews as well as competitive prices.
The project experience went smoothly with above average communication and a clear task list. We would definitely recommend MCS to others as they are very thorough with a competitive timeline."

Bob Linear

Senior Systems Engineer - Knowledge Anywhere

Freight Fix

"Freight Fix is a shipping broker who chose MCS for their Pen Test and Vulnerability Test due to the positive testimonials on MCS. We would absolutely recommend MCS as the project went very well with clear explanations and a very good web interface."

Richard Stephenson

CEO - Freight Fix

BlackLine

"Thank you for the valuable work your team did on our maturity assessment of our incident response processes. The insights MCS provided were meaningful and have helped us better understand our areas for improvement. Thank you again for your partnership and support throughout the process."

BlackLine

Leading provider of cloud software that automates and controls financial close and accounting processes

Monument RE

"Microminder Cyber Security were involved in the initial launch of our online platform and are well placed to move quickly as partners of Monument Re Group. The speed of delivery and communication levels give everything the company needs when working with partners.

The reviews that were undertaken are supported with real-time feedback on dashboards and are fully documented at the end giving full reports and remedial recommendations."

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Monument RE

Monument Re Group is a Life Assurance Company

A.R.M. Holding

"Thank you for your exceptional efforts and unwavering support throughout the duration of the project. The support provided by the entire MCS team has been greatly appreciated, and I look forward to collaborating with you on upcoming projects. Thank you once again for your hard work."

A.R.M. Holding

Multi-focused economic enabler through local, regional and global investments.