Organization Cyber Disaster Recovery Plan Checklist

Calamity occurrence in any area, arising from natural or man-made causes, or by accident or negligence which results in substantial loss of asset or business, Flood: Any unplanned event that requires immediate redeployment of limited resources is defined as cyber Disaster Recovery Plan.

Types of Cyber Disaster:

Natural Forces:

• Fire
• Environmental Hazards
• Flood / Water Damage
• Extreme Weather

Technical Failure:

• Power Outage
• Equipment Failure
• Network Failure
• Software Failure

Human Interference:

• Criminal Act
• Human Error
• Loss of Users
• Explosions

Also Read Most Important Consideration for Industrial Control System(ICS) Cyber Defense

What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

A management document for how and when to utilize resources needed to maintain selected functions when disrupted by agreed-upon incidents.

Other commonly used names:

• Business Continuity Plan
• Contingency Plans
• Continuity Plans
• Emergency Response Plans
• Business Recovery Plans
• Recovery Plans

When an incident occurs, the Disaster Recovery response activities are likely to be the following (at a high level).

Types of Controls:

• Integrity Controls
• Confidentiality Controls
• Availability Controls

Integrity Controls:

• Policy
• Methodology
• Staffing
• Education
• Division of Responsibility
• Audit
• Error and Change Control
• Reporting and Resolution
• Test
• Quality Assurance

Confidentiality Controls:

• Proprietary Information Policy
• Ethics Statement
• “Need to Know”, “Need to Withhold”
• Records Management
• Handling Procedures
• Physical & Electronic
• Security Measures

Availability Controls:

• Asset Identification
• Controls Review
• Impact Analysis
• Data Backup
• Off-site Storage
• Avoidance Strategies
• Mitigation Strategies
• Early Detection & Notification
• Recovery Strategies
• Alternate Locations
• Plans and Procedures
• Vendor Relationships
• Training
• Testing

An Example of Disaster Recovery Team:

Case Study- The CFlood: Impact

• One of the worst business disasters
• 230 buildings lost power for a couple of days
• Valuable government records were in jeopardy
• Extensive impact on electrical and computing systems
• The greatest financial impact on the CBOT, losing 25 billion in trading of 36 products

Case Study- The Chicago Flood: Disaster Recovery

• Using Alternate Site Services approach
• Providing the alternate site nearly identical to the customer’s damaged site
• Implemented by Comdisco Continuity Service

Case Study- The Chicago Flood: Recovery Result

• Helped 2 Chicago banks resume operation within hours of evacuation
• 17 customers from the financial, brokerage, government and service/ distribution industries, were supported at their hot sites within half a day.

Case Study- The World Trade Center Explosion: Impact

• Building-wide power outage
• Structural damaged and employee trauma, Businesses were down
• Water problem due to pipes was severed
• Injured and Dead reports, the building was considered a crime scene

Also Read An approach to Tackle Internet Security Issues at Work

Case Study- The World Trade Center Explosion: Recovery

• Fiduciary Trust, a banking and financial institute’s Recovery Plan
• The data center switched automatically to their secondary power system
• Moved the operation to their alternate site in NJ which equipped with a computer network nearly identical to that of the bank

Case Study- The World Trade Center Explosion: Recovery Result

• The system was down for Friday afternoon and was up and running by Monday morning as if nothing had happened
• Employees retained their usual telephone numbers
• Transactions went through the same as always
• Customers couldn’t even detect that the bank was no longer operating from the World Trade Center.

Examples of Cyber Disaster Recovery Services:

Alternate Sites

• Provide alternate site nearly identical to the customer’s damaged site

Business Impact Analysis

• Provide services such as defining disaster plans and addressing exposures to business and recovery administrators

Certification

• Provide services such as certifying qualified individuals in the discipline and promoting the credibility and professionalism of certified individuals

Education Classes

• Creating a base of common knowledge for the business continuity/disaster recovery planning industry through education, assistance, and the promotion of international standards

On-Site Recovery Facilities

• Manage the mobilization of an on-call response team, prepare a pre-designated site, erect temporary pre-engineered structures, install mechanical and electrical systems and coordinate move-in activities

Satellite Communication

• Provide satellite telecommunications products and services.

The business continuity plan is a more proactive approach, as it describes how an organization can maintain operations during an emergency.

You can follow us on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook for daily Cybersecurity updates also you can take the Best Cybersecurity course online to keep yourself updated.