Software Engineering Institute

This four-day course, designed for cybersecurity incident management and security operations center (SOC) technical personnel with several months of incident handling experience, addresses techniques for detecting and responding to current and emerging cybersecurity threats and attacks.

Building on the methods and tools discussed in the Foundations of Incident Management course, this course provides guidance that incident handlers can use in responding to more complex threats and attacks, including persistent threats. Through interactive instruction, facilitated discussions, and group exercises, instructors help participants identify and analyze a set of events and then propose appropriate response strategies. This course was updated over the 2022-2023 timeframe.

Participants work as a team throughout the week to handle a series of escalating incidents that are presented as part of an ongoing scenario. Work includes team analysis of information and presentation of findings and response strategies. Participants also review more advanced types of activities related to incident handling such as threat hunting, artifact and malware analysis, vulnerability handling, major or crisis events, and publishing and communicating information.

This CERT incident management course adds additional expertise for understanding incident handling and related practices and functions. Before registering for this course, participants are encouraged to attend the companion course, Foundations of Incident Management.

This one-day course is designed for managers and project leaders who have been tasked with implementing a computer security incident response team (CSIRT) or similar capability. This course provides a high-level overview of the key issues and decisions that must be addressed in establishing an incident management capability. The course can also be used as an introduction to incident management and CSIRT activities, responsibilities, and services for incident handlers and also for those who work with incident handlers. As part of the course, attendees will develop an action plan that can be used as a starting point in planning and implementing their specific capability.

The course is composed of lectures and class exercises. Participants will learn the requirements for establishing an effective CSIRT, the various organizational models for a CSIRT, the variety and level of services that can be provided by a CSIRT (based on the FIRST CSIRT Services Framework), and the types of resources and infrastructure needed to support a capability. Additionally, attendees will identify policies and procedures that should be established and implemented when creating such an entity.

Attendees may also want to register for the three-day companion course, Managing Computer Security Incident Response Teams.

This four-day course provides foundational knowledge for those in security-related roles who need to understand the functions of an incident management capability and how best to perform those functions. It is recommended for those new to incident handling or security operations work. This course was recently updated in September 2022, including a new ransomware exercise.

The course provides an introduction to the basic concepts and functions of incident management. The course addresses where incident management activities fit in the information assurance or information security ecosystem and covers the key steps in the incident handling lifecycle. Discussions include topics on security operations services, intruder threats, and the nature of incident response activities. Course modules present standard practices to enable a resilient incident management capability.

Course attendees will learn how to gather the information required to handle an incident, realize the importance of having and following pre-defined security operations policies and procedures, understand the technical issues relating to commonly reported attack types such as phishing and ransomware, perform analysis and response tasks for various sample incidents, apply critical thinking skills in responding to incidents, and identify potential problems to avoid while taking part in incident management work. The course incorporates interactive instruction, in class discussions, small group work, and practical exercises. Attendees have the opportunity to participate in sample incidents that they might face on a day-to-day basis in a group or team scenario/situation.

After completing this course, participants are encouraged to attend the companion course, Advanced Topics in Incident Handling.

Note: There is significant content overlap between the Foundations of Incident Management course and the Managing CSIRTs course. We recommend that attendees register for one course or the other, but not both. The Foundations of Incident Management course covers more technical topics such as phishing, email, and malware attacks, PGP, and recognizing signs of attack. The Foundations of Incident Management course is designed to introduce new incident handlers to the basic skills and processes they will need to perform incident handling work. The Managing CSIRTs course focuses on incident handling issues from an operational management perspective. The Managing course includes modules on staffing issues, needed infrastructure, publishing information, and handling major events which are not covered in the Foundations course.

This three-day course provides current and future managers of computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs) with a pragmatic view of the issues that they will face in operating an effective team.

The course provides insight into the work that incident management staff and managers may be expected to handle. The course also provides prospective or current managers with an overview of the incident handling process and the types of tools and infrastructure needed to be effective.

Technical issues are discussed from a management perspective. Topics include hiring staff, identifying critical information, publishing information, establishing effective working relationships, working with law enforcement, evaluating incident management services and operations, building service capacity, and the importance of pre-established policies and procedures.

The course incorporates interactive instruction, exercises, and role playing. During a simulated incident, attendees will gain experience with the type of decisions they might face on a regular basis. The course is continually updated with new management insights.

Before attending this course, participants are encouraged to attend the companion course, Creating a Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Note: There is some content overlap between the Managing CSIRTs course and the Foundations of Incident Management course. We recommend that attendees register for one course or the other, but not both. The Managing CSIRTs course focuses on incident handling issues from an operational management perspective and discusses best practices in sustaining an effective operation. The Foundations of Incident Management course covers process issues along with more technical topics such as phishing, email, and malware attacks, insider risk, and information sharing. The Foundations of Incident Management course is designed to introduce new incident handlers to the basic skills and processes they will need to perform incident handling work.

In this three-day course, participants learn to perform information security risk assessments using the Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation (OCTAVE) Allegro method.

The OCTAVE Allegro approach provides organizations a comprehensive methodology that focuses on information assets in their operational context. Risks are identified and analyzed based on where they originate, at the points where information is stored, transported, and processed. By focusing on operational risks to information assets, participants learn to view risk assessment in the context of the organization's strategic objectives and risk tolerances.

For organizations required to be compliant with PCI-DSS v2.0, OCTAVE Allegro satisfies the requirement for an annual risk assessment outlined in paragraph 12.1.2 of the standard.

Through lectures, class exercises, and discussions, the course covers the OCTAVE-prescribed activities for risk identification, analysis, and response. After completing the course, attendees will be able to use OCTAVE Allegro to

• gather and organize risk information via interviews, documentation reviews, and technical analysis
• create risk evaluation criteria to assess risk commensurate with the organization's risk appetite and tolerances
• identify, analyze, and prioritize information security risks
• improve vulnerability management activities by viewing them in a risk context
• understand why managing operational risk is important to managing enterprise risk
• develop risk response strategies appropriate for the organization's business requirements