As referenced in our Federal Government Best Practices Guide, cybersecurity incidents are a persistent threat to government agencies and their contractors. Effective incident response (IR) is paramount to mitigate these threats, minimize damage, and ensure the continuity of operations. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has outlined a structured Incident Response Playbook to guide government entities through the complex process of handling cybersecurity incidents. We will explore the purpose and framework of CISA’s Incident Response Playbook before delving into real-world use cases where DomainTools data proves invaluable. Additionally, we will discuss how to integrate DomainTools data with existing cybersecurity tools for a more robust incident response strategy.

Understanding CISA’s Incident Response Playbook

CISA’s Incident Response Playbook: Purpose and Framework

CISA’s Incident Response Playbook serves as a comprehensive guide for government agencies and their contractors in effectively managing and mitigating cybersecurity incidents. Its primary purpose is to provide a standardized and structured approach to incident response, ensuring that organizations can swiftly and effectively address and recover from cyber threats.

The playbook follows a well-defined framework that includes various phases of incident response, each tailored to specific objectives. These phases are:

Preparation: Establishing incident response capabilities, forming teams, defining roles, and developing response plans and procedures.

Identification: Detecting and identifying potential security incidents promptly through continuous monitoring and IoC analysis.

Containment: Limiting the impact and preventing further damage by isolating affected systems, blocking malicious activities, and cutting off attacker access.

Eradication & Recovery: Removing root causes of incidents and restoring affected systems to normal operations.

Post-Incident Activities: Documenting incidents, sharing lessons learned, and improving cybersecurity posture based on findings.

Coordination: Coordinating with CISA and other federal agencies to ensure a unified response to cyber threats.

By following CISA’s Incident Response Playbook, government cybersecurity professionals and their contractors can streamline their incident response efforts, minimize the impact of incidents, and strengthen their cybersecurity posture.

How DomainTools Data Empowers Incident Response

Now, let’s explore how DomainTools and Farsight data enhances incident response by addressing critical use cases faced by government cybersecurity teams:

Use Case 1: Initial Attack Vector Identification

Question: How did the adversary gain initial access to the network?

• Value Add of DomainTools Data: DomainTools Domain Profile provides registrant, server, and registration data for a domain name. By examining domain information related to the incident, cybersecurity professionals can uncover the initial attack vector, such as malicious domains or compromised servers.
• Value Add of Farsight DNSDB: DNSDB can reveal what information is publicly known about your network, imitating reconnaissance bad actors performed against your systems. DNSDB also highlights both domain and subdomain to IP address mapping around attacker infrastructure

Use Case 2: Threat Actor Identification

Question: Who is the adversary behind the attack?

• Value Add of DomainTools Whois Data: DomainTools Whois Lookup and Whois History offer access to domain names and IP addresses’ historical registration records. By analyzing this data, incident responders can unmask threat actors and track their activities over time, aiding attribution efforts.
• Value of Pivoting: DomainTools Iris Investigate allows responders to pivot quickly through related infrastructure, from Whois data to IP addresses to TLS/SSL certificates and more, to pinpoint attacker infrastructure accurately and quickly.

Use Case 3: Command and Control Detection

Question: How is the adversary maintaining command and control?

• Value Add of DomainTools Risk Score: DomainTools Domain Risk Score provides risk scores based on a domain’s proximity to known-bad domains. Incident responders can use this data to identify and block malicious domains used for command and control, disrupting attacker operations.
• Value Add of Farsight DNSDB: DNSDB tracks subdomain data and collects all possible DNS records types, allowing you to identify and track how adversaries may be trying to hide their activities using DNS. DNSDB’s real-time nature allows you to follow changes adversaries make as they make them.

Use Case 4: Malware Analysis

Question: Is malware involved, and if so, what type?

• Value Add of DomainTools Data: DomainTools Domain Search and Hosting History reveal domains associated with an incident. By analyzing these domains, incident responders can identify potential malware distribution points and track their history, aiding in malware analysis.
• Value Add of Farsight DNSDB: By tracking DNS queries passively from our world-wide sensor network, we can track when domains or subdomains had a change in access patterns, an indicator of when a malware campaign was deployed and stopped. This can provide guidance as to the size and scope of a possible attack.

Use Case 5: Evidence Preservation

Question: How can we preserve evidence for legal use?

• Value Add of DomainTools Data: DomainTools Parsed Whois provides parsed results for Whois records, facilitating the preservation of domain-related evidence. Cybersecurity professionals can use this data to assist in enforcement-related activities and ensure the integrity of legal proceedings.
• Value Add of the Domain Report: Iris Investigate allows for exporting of all identified IOCs for inclusion into existing record preserving strategies. Specifically, DomainTools can generate a Domain Report, providing all information pertaining to a domain in an consumable format, such as a PDF, for inclusion in historic record keeping or for a specific legal matter.

Use Case 6: Threat Intelligence Enrichment

Question: What threat intelligence can enhance our response?

• Value Add of DomainTools Data: DomainTools data can be integrated with threat intelligence platforms, enriching incident data with valuable context. This integration enhances threat analysis and informs incident response decisions.
• Value Add of DomainTools Feeds: DomainTools provides a notable number of threat intel feeds, from our 5-minute Whois feeds, to our Risk Score feeds, to our realtime passive DNS feeds. These feeds allow for integration into a wide variety of workflows and tactics at several different levels.

Integrating DomainTools Data with Cybersecurity Tools

Integrating DomainTools data with existing cybersecurity tools unlocks a range of capabilities and enhances the value of these tools. Here are some key integrations and the benefits they bring:

SIEM Solutions: Incorporate DomainTools data into Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to enrich security event data. By adding domain-related context, SIEMs can provide more actionable alerts and enhance threat detection. This integration enables SIEMs to not only detect security events, but also assess their impact on the organization. Analysts can prioritize their response based on the risk associated with domains and IPs involved in security incidents.

Threat Intelligence Platforms: Integrate DomainTools data with threat intelligence platforms to enrich incident data with historical domain and IP information. This enrichment helps analysts identify patterns and associations, leading to more informed threat assessments. By understanding the impact of threats associated with specific domains, organizations can make more strategic decisions in their incident response efforts.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Solutions: Leverage DomainTools data within EDR solutions to detect and respond to threats involving malicious domains or IPs. By identifying connections to known-bad domains, EDR solutions can proactively block malicious activities. This not only prevents potential damage but also minimizes the impact of threats on endpoints and the broader network.

Network Security Tools: Enhance network security tools with DomainTools data to block malicious domains and IP addresses at the perimeter. This integration ensures that malicious domains are automatically prevented from accessing the network. By reducing the impact of malicious traffic at the network level, organizations can significantly improve their overall security posture.

Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) Platforms: Enhances automation and orchestration of incident response. This integration enriches incoming security alerts with contextual information, improving the understanding of incident impact and relevance. SOAR platforms can make more informed, automated decisions based on DomainTools data, allowing for quicker and more precise incident handling. Response playbooks benefit from real-time intelligence on malicious infrastructure, adapting dynamically to threat severity. Additionally, historical domain and IP data aid in retrospective analysis, helping organizations identify patterns and recurring threats. DomainTools data also enables alert correlation across security tools, ensuring related incidents are prioritized and grouped for efficient resolution.

By integrating DomainTools data into these tools, government cybersecurity teams can significantly bolster their incident response capabilities. They gain access to historical domain and IP information, threat context, and actionable insights that help them navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats effectively. This proactive approach enables organizations to respond swiftly and decisively to incidents, minimizing their impact and strengthening overall cybersecurity posture.

Conclusion

DomainTools data plays a pivotal role in augmenting the incident response efforts of government agencies and their contractors. Whether it’s identifying threat actors, detecting command and control infrastructure, or preserving critical evidence, DomainTools offers valuable insights that empower cybersecurity professionals to navigate the complexities of modern cyber threats effectively. By integrating DomainTools data into their cybersecurity toolsets, organizations can enhance their resilience and readiness in the face of evolving cyber challenges.