Managing Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) | Best Practices for Organizations

First Action to Mitigate Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)

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Question

An organization has concerns regarding a potential advanced persistent threat (APT)

To ensure that the risk associated with this threat is appropriately managed, what should be the organization's FIRST action?

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Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

D.

The appropriate action for an organization with concerns about a potential Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is to initiate incident response processes.

Explanation: An APT is a targeted attack by an adversary that is highly skilled and well-funded. APTs aim to gain unauthorized access to a network and remain undetected for an extended period. The attackers usually use multiple phases to infiltrate the network, compromise systems, steal sensitive data or disrupt operations.

Initiating incident response processes is the first step in managing an APT because it helps to detect and respond to the threat promptly. Incident response is a structured approach to addressing and managing security incidents, including APTs. It involves identifying, containing, eradicating, and recovering from the incident.

By initiating incident response processes, the organization can quickly detect the APT and minimize the damage caused by it. Incident response processes typically include:

  1. Identifying and isolating affected systems and devices to contain the incident.
  2. Collecting and analyzing data to determine the scope and nature of the incident.
  3. Developing a response plan to mitigate the impact of the APT.
  4. Eradicating the APT from the network.
  5. Restoring affected systems and devices to normal operation.

The other options provided in the question are also important in managing APTs, but they are not the first action that an organization should take:

  • Reporting to senior management: Reporting to senior management is important, but it is not the first action to take. Senior management should be informed about the incident after it has been identified and contained.

  • Implementing additional controls: Implementing additional controls is important in preventing APTs, but it may not be effective in managing an ongoing APT. The organization should focus on detecting and responding to the incident promptly.

  • Conducting an impact analysis: Conducting an impact analysis is important in understanding the impact of the APT on the organization, but it should be done after the incident has been contained and eradicated.

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