Recovery and Business Continuity in the NIST Framework

Recovery and business continuity are fundamental and essential parts of our work as cybersecurity analysts, as it is crucial that our systems can recover as quickly as possible. This recovery will depend on the business continuity strategies and plans we have established for different cybersecurity events and threats that may occur in the company's systems.

Remember that our response to a cybersecurity event can affect the organization's reputation, data, legal standing, and finances, so we must have strong management within this function.

The organization must address current and emerging problems through new or revised policies, procedures or operations, and their risk factors. Some key points:

• Business Continuity Planning

This is the first step in our recovery and business continuity management. Here, we conduct a thorough assessment of the organization's critical assets and the risks associated with them. We identify the key systems, data, and processes that are essential for the organization's ongoing operations, and we must also identify potential threats and vulnerabilities that could impact these assets.

Once we have identified the critical assets and associated risks, mitigation strategies must be developed. These strategies may include preventive measures such as implementing robust security controls, training staff in cybersecurity, and conducting regular penetration tests. We also need to establish incident response plans that enable the organization to act quickly in the event of a disruption or security breach.

It is very important to establish recovery procedures that allow the organization to restore normal operations as quickly as possible. These procedures can include backup and redundancy systems, creating communication plans to keep employees and customers informed, and conducting regular tests to ensure the effectiveness of recovery plans.

Business continuity planning within the NIST cybersecurity framework requires a continuous and proactive approach. Business continuity plans should be reviewed and updated regularly to adapt to changes in the threat landscape and new technologies. In addition, simulation exercises and tests should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the plans and make improvements as needed.

• Data Backup and Recovery

Data backups and recovery help minimize consequences and accelerate business continuity effectively. This step goes hand in hand with business continuity plans, as we work with already inventoried assets to identify critical information assets or those essential for the organization's ongoing operations.

After identifying these information assets and associated risks, we must implement appropriate protection measures such as strong access controls and authentication, encryption of sensitive data, network segmentation, and the implementation of intrusion detection and prevention solutions.

It is essential to establish a solid data backup strategy. This involves making regular backups of critical data and storing them in secure locations separate from the main systems. Today, using the cloud to protect information backups is very popular. Backups should be tested regularly to ensure their integrity and availability when needed.

In the event of a disruption or data loss, effective recovery is crucial. Organizations should develop data recovery plans that include clear and detailed procedures for restoring data from backups. These plans should be tested and updated regularly to ensure their effectiveness.

⚠️ It is also important to consider incident management in data recovery. Organizations should establish a notification and incident response process that enables quick and coordinated action in the event of data loss or a security breach. This involves identifying and mitigating the root cause of the incident, as well as implementing corrective measures to prevent future disruptions.

• Business Continuity Testing and Exercises

Business continuity is an organization's ability to continue operating effectively in the event of a disruption. All business continuity tests and exercises are an important part of any business continuity plan. These tests help ensure that the organization is prepared to respond to a disruption and can recover quickly.

Within the NIST Framework, there are some guidelines for business continuity testing and exercises. These guidelines are based on the following principles:

• Holistic approach: Tests and exercises should consider all aspects of the organization, including its operations, processes, and systems.
• Realism: Tests and exercises should be as realistic as possible to ensure the organization is prepared to respond to a real disruption.
• Measurement: Tests and exercises should be measured to evaluate their effectiveness.

The NIST cybersecurity framework provides a series of specific recommendations for business continuity testing and exercises. These recommendations include:

• Tests and exercises should be conducted regularly to ensure the organization is prepared to respond to a disruption.
• Tests and exercises should involve all levels of the organization, from senior management to frontline employees.
• Tests and exercises should use a variety of testing methods, including tabletop exercises, on-site tests, and simulated tests.

Business continuity tests and exercises are an important part of any business continuity plan. By following the guidelines of the NIST cybersecurity framework, organizations can ensure they are prepared to respond to a disruption.

Some examples of business continuity tests and exercises:

• Tabletop exercise: A tabletop exercise is a paper-based test that simulates a disruption. In a tabletop exercise, participants discuss how they would respond to a disruption.
• On-site test: An on-site test is conducted at the workplace. In an on-site test, participants put their business continuity plan into practice.
• Simulated test: A simulated test uses a simulated system to mimic a disruption. In a simulated test, participants respond to a disruption that occurs in a simulated system.

💡 The choice of the appropriate type of business continuity test or exercise will depend on the specific needs of the organization. As cybersecurity analysts and those responsible for measuring the effectiveness of recovery and business continuity plans, it is up to us to recommend the best test to perform.