Incident Response Planning

Why Incident Response Matters

A well-prepared incident response (IR) plan can mean the difference between a contained security event and a devastating breach. Hong Kong organisations face specific regulatory requirements and operational challenges that must be addressed in their IR planning.

Incident Response Lifecycle

The standard incident response lifecycle consists of six phases:

1. Preparation

• Establish an incident response team with clear roles and responsibilities
• Develop and document response procedures for different incident types
• Deploy monitoring and detection tools
• Conduct regular training and tabletop exercises

2. Detection and Analysis

• Monitor security events through SIEM, IDS/IPS, and other tools
• Triage alerts to determine severity and scope
• Document all findings and evidence

3. Containment

• Short-term: Isolate affected systems to prevent spread
• Long-term: Implement controls to prevent recurrence while maintaining business operations

4. Eradication

• Remove the root cause of the incident
• Clean or rebuild affected systems
• Verify that threat actors no longer have access

5. Recovery

• Restore systems to normal operation
• Monitor for signs of persistent threats
• Validate system integrity before returning to production

6. Post-Incident Activity

• Conduct a lessons-learned review
• Update incident response procedures based on findings
• Report to regulators if required (e.g., PCPD for data breaches)

Hong Kong-Specific Considerations

Organisations must be prepared to notify the PCPD of personal data breaches and should familiarise themselves with the reporting requirements under the PDPO. Financial institutions have additional obligations under HKMA guidelines.