Incident Response u0026 Recovery in DevSecOps Quiz Quiz

Explore the key concepts and best practices of incident response and recovery within DevSecOps environments. This quiz challenges your understanding of detection, containment, recovery strategies, and continuous improvement for secure software delivery teams.

1. Steps in Incident Response

   Which of the following is typically the FIRST step when a potential security incident is detected within a DevSecOps pipeline?

   1. Containment
   2. Eradication
   3. Recovery
   4. Identification

   Explanation: Identification is the initial phase where an incident is detected and confirmed, allowing response actions to begin. Containment comes after identification, seeking to limit the impact of the incident. Eradication and recovery are subsequent steps that focus on eliminating the threat and returning systems to normal. Skipping identification would risk acting on false alarms or missing the real issue.

2. Containment Strategy Approaches

   If suspicious activity is detected on a build server, what is the main purpose of immediate containment in a DevSecOps context?

   1. To stop the spread and limit damage
   2. To completely remove the root cause immediately
   3. To update all software dependencies
   4. To finish the current build before intervening

   Explanation: Containment aims to control the incident's impact by isolating affected systems, which prevents further compromise or data loss. Removing the root cause comes later during eradication. Updating software dependencies isn't a containment measure and finishing the current build may increase risks by not acting promptly.

3. Recovery Planning

   After an incident in a production environment, which action best characterizes an effective recovery phase?

   1. Documenting lessons learned only after all services are online
   2. Restoring service before verifying that vulnerabilities have been patched
   3. Skipping monitoring to speed up restoration
   4. Validating restored systems and monitoring for recurring issues

   Explanation: Effective recovery requires thorough validation of restored systems and active monitoring to detect potential recurring threats. Restoring without verifying patches risks recurring incidents. Documentation should occur throughout, not just after services are live. Skipping monitoring undermines the resilience and ongoing security of the environment.

4. Post-Incident Improvement

   Following a major incident, what is a core DevSecOps practice for continuous improvement?

   1. Deleting all incident records to protect privacy
   2. Relying only on automated recovery scripts
   3. Conducting a blameless post-mortem to identify improvements
   4. Increasing team size immediately

   Explanation: A blameless post-mortem fosters learning and helps teams identify actionable improvements without focusing on fault. Increasing team size is not a process improvement. Deleting records erases valuable learning opportunities, and solely relying on automation misses the critical insights gained during human-led review.

5. Communication During Incidents

   During an active security incident disrupting the deployment pipeline, which principle should guide communication among DevSecOps teams?

   1. Provide regular updates to relevant stakeholders
   2. Share information only after the incident is resolved
   3. Post updates publicly before validation
   4. Restrict all details to management exclusively

   Explanation: Providing regular, accurate updates keeps all stakeholders informed and aids coordinated response efforts. Withholding info until after resolution can delay actions. Restricting communication to management can leave key responders uninformed. Posting publicly before validation may release incorrect or sensitive information, increasing risks.