Disaster Recovery Playbook(phishing Playbook)

Student Name: Aldane Hutchinson

Course Name: DataBreach Playbook
Date: Sep 7,2025

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Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………3

Data Breach Disaster Recovery Steps

○ 1.1 Triage……………………………………………4

○ 1.2 Investigation……………………………………4-5

○ 1.3 Eradication………………………………………5

○ 1.4Recovery…………………………………………….6

○ 1.5 Post-Incident Activities…………………………………….6-7

○ 1.6 workflow………………………………………………….7

Playbook Plan

○ 2.1 Triage…………………………………………………8

○ 2.2Investigation……………………………………………….8-9

○ 2.3 Eradication……………………………………………………9

○ 2.4Recovery…………………………………………………….9-10

○ 2.5 Post-Incident Activities…………………………………………10

○ 2.6 workflow……………………………………………………..11-12

Tools & Resources…………………………………………………………………13

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………….14

Introduction

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A data breach occurs when unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive information such as
customer records, intellectual property, or financial data. Breaches can result from hacking,
insider threats, misconfigurations, or lost devices.

A Data Breach Disaster Recovery Playbook provides organizations with a structured framework
to respond effectively. Its goals are to identify the breach quickly, contain the damage, recover
lost functionality, and protect affected individuals and the organization’s reputation.

By following this playbook, organizations ensure compliance with legal obligations, reduce
downtime, and build stronger resilience against future breaches.

Data Breach Disaster Recovery Steps

1.1 Triage

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Gather Initial Information

● Date and time of report.

● Source of detection (user, SIEM alert, regulator, third-party notification).

● Initial description of the event.

● Type of data potentially exposed (PII, financial, health, intellectual property).

Initial Assessment Questions

● Is this a legitimate data breach or a false alarm?

● Was sensitive or regulated information exposed or exfiltrated?

● Did unauthorized parties gain access to systems, databases, or accounts?

1.2 Investigation

Gather Evidence

● Collect logs from servers, firewalls, SIEM, and applications.

● Review compromised accounts, endpoints, or systems.

● Preserve forensic evidence for compliance or legal use.

Analyze the Breach

● Identify how the breach occurred (stolen credentials, misconfiguration, malware).

● Determine the scope of affected data and users.

● Assess the potential business and legal impact.

Investigative Questions

● Which systems, accounts, or databases were accessed?

● What type of data was exposed (customer, employee, proprietary)?

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 ● Is there evidence of ongoing unauthorized access?

1.3 Containment & Eradication

Actions

● Isolate affected systems and revoke compromised credentials.

● Disable unauthorized access points.

● Apply security patches and close vulnerabilities.

● Remove malware or attacker-installed tools.

Containment & Eradication Questions

● Is the attacker still active in the environment?

● Have all known backdoors and vulnerabilities been addressed?

1.4. Recovery

Actions

● Restore systems from clean backups.

● Re-enable services with stronger security measures (e.g., MFA, encryption).

● Notify regulators, affected individuals, and stakeholders if required.

● Monitor systems for any recurrence of suspicious activity.

Recovery Questions

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 ● Are all affected systems restored and secure?

● Have legal and regulatory obligations been met?

1.5 Post-Incident Activities

Actions

● Conduct a post-mortem analysis of the breach.

● Document findings, timeline, and lessons learned.

● Implement stronger security controls where gaps were identified.

● Provide staff with awareness training on preventing data breaches.

Post-Incident Questions

● Are there gaps in existing access controls, monitoring, or encryption?

● Do incident response procedures need updates?

● Can the incident be turned into a case study for awareness or training?

1.6-Workflow

Playbook Plan and Data Breach Recovery Steps

2.1 Triage – Initial Identification & Severity Assessment
Gather Initial Information:

● Date and time of discovery.

● Source of detection (user report, SIEM alert, regulator, external notification).

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 ● Description of suspected breach (system, database, endpoint).

● Type of data potentially exposed (PII, financial data, intellectual property).

Assessment Questions:

● Is this a confirmed data breach?

○ Yes → Continue to severity assessment.

○ No → Close as a false alarm.

● Was sensitive or regulated data accessed/exfiltrated?

○ Yes → Assign High severity.

○ No → Assign low severity

● Was access limited and contained?

○ Yes → Assign High/Medium severity.

○ No → Assign low severity

● Was there an attempted breach, but no confirmed data exposure?

○ Yes → Assign Low severity.

2.2 Investigation – Determine Scope & Impact

Actions:

● Collect system and application logs.

● Identify the entry point and attack vector (e.g., stolen credentials, misconfigured
database).

● Verify what data was accessed, stolen, or modified.

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 ● Interview IT staff and users for observations.

● Preserve forensic evidence for legal and compliance reporting.

Investigation Questions:

● Which systems, applications, or networks were compromised?

● How long was the attacker inside the environment?

● What data sets were impacted (customer, employee, or intellectual property)?

● Are there legal notification requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA)?

2.3 Containment & Eradication – Stopping the Breach

Actions:

● Isolate compromised systems and accounts.

● Disable unauthorized access credentials.

● Block attacker IP addresses, domains, or endpoints.

● Apply patches and security updates to exploited vulnerabilities.

● Remove any malware, backdoors, or unauthorized scripts.

Containment Questions:

● Is the attacker still active in the system?

○ Yes → Continue monitoring and blocking.

○ No → Proceed to Recovery.

2.4 Recovery – Restoring Operations & Compliance

Actions:

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 ● Restore affected systems from verified clean backups.

● Conduct vulnerability scans to confirm no hidden threats remain.

● Re-enable services with enhanced security controls.

● Notify regulators, customers, or stakeholders if legally required.

● Monitor closely for signs of continued attacker activity.

Recovery Questions:

● Are all business systems fully restored and functioning?

○ Yes → Proceed to Post-Incident Activities.

○ No → Continue troubleshooting.

2.5 Post-Incident Activities – Lessons & Prevention

Actions:

● Conduct a formal post-mortem review.

● Document breach timeline, root cause, and remediation efforts.

● Identify process or control weaknesses that allowed the breach.

● Update incident response playbooks with lessons learned.

● Provide staff with training on securely handling sensitive data.

Post-Incident Questions:

● Are there gaps in access controls, monitoring, or patch management(Vulnerabilities&

security Gaps)?

Yes: Implement Security measures

No: Data for Training employees

● Do new tools or processes need to be implemented (e.g., DLP, stronger encryption)?

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 Yes: Software Update or Pathces

No: close incident

● Can the incident be used as a training exercise for employees?

Yes: Training Maternal

No: close incident

2.6 Workflow

( Diagram Below)

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 Tools & Resources

An effective data breach recovery process requires a combination of technical solutions and
specialized teams to ensure incidents are contained and resolved efficiently. Data Loss
Prevention (DLP) solutions play a critical role in detecting and preventing unauthorized
transfers of sensitive data, reducing the likelihood of exfiltration. Security Information and
Event Management (SIEM) platforms provide centralized monitoring and correlation of alerts,
allowing analysts to quickly identify breach patterns and investigate suspicious activity.

When deeper technical analysis is needed, forensic tools such as EnCase, FTK, or Autopsy can
be deployed to examine compromised systems, recover deleted evidence, and trace attacker
activities. To minimize account-related risks, access management systems with Multi-Factor
Authentication (MFA) are essential, as they strengthen login security and reduce the success of
credential-based attacks. Similarly, encryption tools safeguard sensitive data both at rest and in
transit, ensuring that even if data is accessed, it remains unreadable to unauthorized actors.

For recovery, backup and restore systems provide clean recovery points that allow
organizations to restore critical services without reintroducing compromised data or malware.
Beyond technical tools, organizational support is equally important. Legal and compliance
teams are essential for managing regulatory obligations, preparing notifications to affected
individuals, and coordinating with relevant authorities. Finally, the Incident Response Team
(IRT), composed of technical experts, leads containment, eradication, and system recovery
efforts, ensuring the organization returns to normal operations while implementing
improvements to prevent future breaches.

Conclusion

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This data breach scenario showed how critical early detection and containment are in minimizing
damage. The organization learned that:

❖ Weak authentication controls allowed attackers to gain access. Enforcing multi-factor

authentication and stronger password policies reduces risk.

❖ Logging and monitoring were insufficient to detect the breach quickly. Improved SIEM
correlation rules were implemented.

❖ Sensitive data was not fully encrypted, leading to unnecessary exposure. Stronger
encryption standards were enforced.

❖ Employees were unaware of reporting procedures. A training program was launched to

encourage rapid incident reporting.

❖ A formal playbook improved coordination and compliance, ensuring faster recovery and
proper breach notifications.

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