How to Develop an Effective RCA Report for Incident Response

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Ahandeep Maiti


How to Develop an Effective RCA Report for Incident Response

Our fast-paced world is dependent on technology and the internet. That’s why, today, cyber security breaches are a rigorous headache for business owners- incidents can occur anytime- from phishing attacks to malware infections or unauthorised access in any infrastructure, even in the self-satisfactory declaration “Impenetrable networks”. As a SOC analyst, I am authorised to monitor any fluctuation in the SIEM dashboard and take immediate action if required. Apart from that, while I am responding to the incident, I need to understand why it happened and prevent the event from escalating to other highly sensitive data zones. That is the place where an efficient and well-verified Root Cause Analysis report comes in.

In this blog, I will walk you through what an RCA report is, why it is essential for incident response, and provide a generic procedure to create a professional RCA report. As a leading SOC analyst, I have checked several reports and observed several issues or misconceptions in the reports. I hope this blog will eliminate those issues once you understand the true purpose and process of the RCA creation.

Bonus: You will get a free and downloadable RCA template in .docx for reference ⬇ 


What is an RCA Report in Cybersecurity?

The root cause analysis (RCA) report is a detailed post-incident document that identifies the primary cause of the security event and suggests preventive measures to the client to ensure the non-repetition of the event in the infrastructure. It might require some proactive actions to create a safety circle within the network.

When you have to prepare a regular incident report, the primary focus should be on what happened, and an RCA report verifies it. 

  • What are the indicators of Compromises (IOCs) in the incident?
  • Why did the incident happen?
  • What is the reason for the failure or breach?
  • What actions can prevent a recurrence?


Why is RCA Important in Incident Response?

An RCA report identifies the true cause of the incident, not just the IoCs.

It helps strengthen preventive security measures by implementing proactive detection and fine-tuning the deployed security controls.

  • Develops SOC efficiency by reducing recurrent security breaches.
  • It helps to align with compliance and regulatory policies for SOC audits and the client reporting process.
  • It supports the phase of “Lessons Learned” in the incident response playbook.


Key Components of an RCA Report

An organised and well-structured RCA report contains:

  1. Summary of the incident
    1. Do not use the Monitoring tool language in the description, and precisely mention the exact time and date. Do not forget to explain the detection method if applicable.
  2. Impact Analysis
    1. In short, explain how this incident affected the systems, services, and business from a hampering perspective.
  3. Root cause Identification
    1. Provide technical analysis with verified findings and procedures of the underlying cause, such as misconfiguration, vulnerability, human error, or anything else.
  4. Containment & Remediation Actions
    1. Immediate steps to take to terminate the process and resolve the incident.
  5. Preventive Measures & Recommendations
    1. Advise the required actions to avoid further repetition of the undesirable process in the infrastructure.
  6. Lesson Learned & Approval
    1. Declare the perspective that was gained and confirmation to be asked for fine-tuning from the SOC Leads or the management of the client.

AHANDEEP MAITI

Step-by-Step Guide to Developing an RCA Report


Step 1: Collect Incident Data

  1. Collect logs, alerts, and timeline from the SIEM, Firewall, endpoints, and any other security tools.
  2. Mark the first point of detection and affected assets.

Step 2: Build an Incident Timeline

Create a well-structured chronological structure from the phases, monitored in SIEM as follows:

Detection Escalation Resolution

For reference, you can follow it:

  • 10:59 AM – SIEM alert triggered for Brute force Login
  • 11:27 AM – Analyst Escalated to L2 for Log Review and further investigation
  • 11:45 AM – The user is isolated from the network, and a password Change request for that specific user was shared with the Administration
  • 11:55 – Root Cause Identified: VAPT testing for audit purposes without prenotification.


Step 3: Identify the Root Cause

  • Determine the “How & Why” part of the incident.
    • Vulnerable service exposed to the internet
    • Missing MFA policies or weak passwords
    • User clicked a phishing link
    • Unknowingly, the user was redirected to an unwanted website by adware
    • Unused open ports are available in the network


Step 4: Document Remediation Actions

  • Create a recorded format for the taken actions and procedure to remediate the incident:
    • Isolated the affected endpoints
    • Applied security patches
    • Updated firewall and SIEM rules.
    • Terminated the communication on that endpoint to restrict further escalation temporarily


Step 5: Recommend Preventive Measures

  • You can suggest some actionable improvements:
    • Conduct a training session for phishing email
    • Deploy EDR for better action-oriented controls.
    • Enforce strict MFA policies and access control
    • Periodic password changes


Step 6: Review and Approve

  • You have to prepare the RCA report based on facts, neutral, and reviewed by the senior management.

Best Practices for Writing RCA Reports

  1. Ensure the report is clear and concise with technical evidence.
  2. For better visualisation and representation, use diagrams or charts
  3. Stay focused on the facts and solutions rather than blaming the individual user
  4. Lessons learned and actionable recommendations are a must
  5. Create a standard format for all types of incidents and maintain it in the future reporting process.

Conclusion

The RCA report is important documentation to comply with post-incident follow-ups. It is a guidebook to strengthen your cyber defence. This structured approach will not only resolve the incident but also reduce the risk of being attacked.

If you are struggling to streamline your incident response, consider crafting a standard RCA template for all critical alerts. It would not just save your time but also improve the security posture of your organisation.



👉 DOWNLOAD THE FREE TEMPLATE HERE


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