Given the current cyber threat landscape, it’s not a matter of ‘if’ you’ll get attacked, but ‘when.’ In FY 2024-2025, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) received over 84,700 cybercrime reports via ReportCyber.
What’s even more intriguing is that small businesses, particularly those in areas such as Queensland, are the most severely affected. In 2024, 22% of SME owners reported that their businesses fell victim to cybercrime. Small businesses are easy pickings for cybercriminals. However, many are inadequately prepared to face modern threats.
It’s important to understand that defence measures alone are not enough to safeguard your business against threats. You also need a cyber security incident response plan (IRP).
In this article, you’ll learn the importance of an incident response plan and how to create one for your business. It also reveals how managed cyber security services in Brisbane and Cairns can help with incident response planning.
Your Step-by-Step Cyber Security Incident Response Plan
Before we get to creating an IRP, let’s get the basics out of the way. What is incident response planning, and why is it important?
What Is a Cyber Security Incident Response Plan?
A cyber security incident response plan is a formal document that details how an organisation detects, responds to, and recovers from a cyber security incident. A cyber security incident could be an imminent threat, a full-blown attack, a data breach/loss, or any form of digital security compromise.
An IRP is effectively your last line of defence against cyber threats. It guides your incident response team (IRT) and the organisation as a whole on what to do during and after a cyber security incident. The goal is to minimise the impact or damage resulting from data leaks, malware attacks, or other threat vectors.
This detailed template from the ACSC paints a clear picture of what an IRP looks like.
Responding to Cyber Threats in Brisbane and Cairns
Do small businesses in Queensland need an incident response plan?
The simple answer is ‘yes.’ An incident response plan prepares your business for any threats that might come its way. And what threats might those be: what are the top cyber threats affecting small businesses in Cairns and Brisbane?
In FY 2024-2025, Queensland reported more cybercrimes than any other state or territory in the country. According to ACSC data, the top cyber threats include phishing, account compromise, credential theft, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and ransomware.
An IRP is not a substitute for proactive cyber security measures. But it’s a big part of cyber security for Cairns and Brisbane-based SMBs. Should threat actors break through the defences, like they sometimes do, an IRP guides you in dealing with the threat so as to minimise its potential impact.
In addition to mitigating threats that slip through the cracks, an incident response plan helps you maintain compliance, even during an active attack.
IRP Phase Breakdown
Here’s a step-by-step guide on responding to cyber security threats.
Step 1: Preparation
Incident response planning starts well before a breach or attack occurs. The first phase of an IRP involves the following preparations:
- Creating an incident response team and assigning roles
- Developing and enforcing a cyber security policy
- Taking inventory of all IT assets
- Gathering the necessary incident response tools (threat detection systems, communication lines, alert systems, etc.)
- Training the staff on incident response
- Selecting a cyber security managed services provider
Step 2: Threat Detection and Identification
How can small firms in Brisbane detect a cyber breach early?
The second phase of incident response planning centres around threat detection. For many SMBs, this means setting up threat monitoring tools, keeping tabs on all digital assets (user accounts, data vaults, endpoint devices, networks, etc.) at all times.
Once an imminent threat is detected, the monitoring system sends alerts to the relevant individuals. Some systems can even be configured to take various measures to stop or contain the threat.
Step 3: Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
After detection comes three key response steps:
- Containment. The first thing you should do after detecting a threat is to stop it from spreading further. Containment largely involves isolating the threat to the affected assets.
- Eradication. This step aims to halt the attack or threat. It encompasses everything you’ll need to do to eliminate a threat, be it discarding malware-infected data, deactivating compromised accounts, or going offline.
- Recovery. Once the threat is eliminated, it’s time to resume normal IT and business operations. Recovery procedures will depend on the nature of the incident and the extent of damage. For Brisbane firms using cloud or hybrid setups, for example, recovery may involve restoring data backups, bringing hosted resources back online, and restarting on-prem servers.
Step 4: Post-Incident Lessons
Every cyber security incident is a learning opportunity. After the dust settles, take some time to reflect on the incident, how it happened, how the teams responded, and the end result. It also helps to involve a third-party vendor, such as Future IT Services, to examine the incident from a more objective perspective.
Create a detailed report documenting everything that happened. Doing so should give you valuable insights into improving your incident response plan and overall cyber security posture.
Geo-Optimising Your IRP for Brisbane, Cairns, and Regional QLD
Does a Cairns business need a different cyber strategy than one in Brisbane?
Geographical differences may necessitate the implementation of slightly different threat identification, containment, eradication, and recovery approaches. The IRP must reflect your business’s geographical location. This is called geo-optimisation — incorporating location-relevant incident response data and strategies to improve threat preparedness.
When setting up an IRP, you must consider factors such as internet reliability, workforce distribution, regional support, compliance laws, and the location of recovery assets.
Looking at Brisbane and Cairns, it’s really a question of logistics. Brisbane, for example, has a larger and more established tech scene with extensive network connectivity spanning across major business hubs. Therefore, businesses in Brisbane can leverage the abundant IT labour and infrastructure to establish a localised IRP.
Integrating Managed Cyber Security Services
According to the ACSC’s latest data, 35% of small businesses and 41% of medium-sized businesses in Australia outsource IT security. Is that the right approach: should Brisbane organisations outsource their incident response?
Future IT Services provides world-class managed IT services for businesses. Leave your IRP to us and experience the following benefits:
- 24/7 support and monitoring
- Rapid containment
- Advanced data forensics
- Guaranteed compliance
- Ready cloud backup solutions
- Access to diverse IT expertise
- Powerful cyber security controls
Next Steps with Future IT Services
Ready to protect your business?
Don’t wait for a cyber incident to expose vulnerabilities. Future IT Services helps SMBs in Brisbane, Cairns, and regional QLD build, test, and manage their cyber security incident response plans.
Contact us now to book a free 30-minute security consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an IRP legally required in Queensland?
No, an IRP is not legally required in Queensland. However, it remains a critical threat preparedness measure.
How often should we test our IRP?
Test your IRP at least annually. You can do it every quarter, too, or after major changes in your IT infrastructure, policies, or staff.
Can I use a free IRP template for my business?
Yes, a free IRP template can be handy in structuring an incident response plan. The AISA Cyber Security Handbook is a good place to start.