During a routine security audit at a healthcare provider, the SOC notices that a database server containing protected health information (PHI) logs three bursts of failed login attempts from an internal IP address that is not associated with any authorized account. The activity occurs outside normal maintenance windows and triggers high-severity alerts in the SIEM. As the designated incident commander, what is the FIRST action you should take according to the organization's formally documented incident response plan?
The first action in a well-structured incident response plan is to identify and validate the incident. This means confirming whether the suspicious activity truly constitutes a security incident and collecting preliminary evidence (logs, timestamps, source addresses) to understand scope and impact. Without this validation, later actions such as containment or external notification could be misdirected or unnecessary. Actions like isolating the system, informing management, or contacting law enforcement are important but should occur only after the incident has been positively identified and scoped.
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What does it mean to 'identify and validate' an incident in cybersecurity?
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Why is isolating the affected system not the first step in this scenario?
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How does a SIEM help in identifying and validating incidents?