Synoptix Security Incident Response Program

1. Purpose

The purpose of this Security Incident Response Program (“IR Program”) is to define Synoptix’s structured approach for detecting, reporting, investigating, responding to, and learning from security incidents that could impact Synoptix’s systems, data, or customer environments. This document:

• Outlines Synoptix’s incident-response objectives, phases, and roles
• Establishes clear notification timelines and communication channels for internal stakeholders and customers
• Demonstrates Synoptix’s commitment to swift, coordinated action in the event of a security event

Ultimately, our goal is to:

1. Contain and remediate security incidents as quickly as possible
2. Minimize impact to customers, partners, and Synoptix operations
3. Maintain transparency and trust by providing timely updates to affected parties
4. Continuously improve our security posture by learning from each incident

2. Scope

This IR Program applies to:

• All systems owned or operated by Synoptix, including on-premises infrastructure, the Synoptix Cloud environment, and any third-party services where Synoptix processes customer data.
• All employees, contractors, and third-party vendors with access to Synoptix environments or customer data.
• All types of security incidents, including but not limited to unauthorized access, data leakage, malware infections, denial-of-service attacks, or other events that threaten the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of Synoptix or customer data.

3. Definitions

1. Security Incident: Any confirmed or suspected event that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of Synoptix systems or customer data. Examples include unauthorized access, malware infection, system misconfiguration leading to data exposure, or a successful phishing attack.
2. Incident Response Team (IRT): The group of Synoptix staff responsible for coordinating and executing the incident response process. Although Synoptix does not employ dedicated full-time security personnel, the IRT draws from:
   
   • Database administrators and infrastructure engineers who monitor and secure our databases and servers
   • Support team leads who liaise with customers and gather necessary incident information
   • DevOps staff who implement patches, configuration changes, or hotfixes
   • Designated “Security Champions” from each department who facilitate internal communications and training
3. Affected Party: Any Synoptix customer, partner, or internal team that has data, services, or operations impacted by a security incident.
4. Detection: The act of discovering or being alerted to a potential security event. Detection may come from internal logs and alerts, customer reports, or external sources (e.g., third-party researchers).
5. Containment: Short-term actions taken to limit the scope or impact of an incident, such as isolating affected systems or disabling compromised accounts.
6. Eradication: The process of removing malicious actors or artifacts (e.g., malware) from Synoptix systems.
7. Recovery: Restoring affected systems and data to normal operation, verifying that all threats have been removed and security controls are back in place.‍
8. Lessons Learned: A post-incident analysis phase where Synoptix reviews incident causes, response effectiveness, and gaps to refine processes and security controls.

4. Roles & Responsibilities

5. Incident Classification

Synoptix groups security incidents into three severity levels to determine response urgency and communication requirements:

1. Low Severity (Level 1)
   
   • Examples: Single-user password compromise (no evidence of lateral movement), minor malware detected on a non-critical test server, a small phishing email successfully reported by user.
   • Action: IRT triages within 8 hours, containment within 24 hours, notification to internal stakeholders. No immediate customer notification unless further impact emerges.
2. Medium Severity (Level 2)
   
   • Examples: Malware on a production server with no evidence of data exfiltration, successful phishing affecting multiple internal accounts but no customer data accessed, a misconfiguration exposing a non-sensitive customer environment temporarily.
   • Action: IRT response within 4 hours, containment initiated within 8 hours, customer notification (if any customer environments were or could be exposed) within 48 hours of confirmation.
3. High Severity (Level 3)
   
   • Examples: Confirmed data breach involving customer data, ransomware or unauthorized access to production databases, widespread service outage due to malicious activity.
   • Action: Immediate IRT mobilization (within 1 hour of detection), containment efforts launched in parallel, customer notification within 48 hours of confirmation (often within 24 hours in practice), executive escalation, potential legal involvement, and public communication if required.

6. Incident Response Lifecycle

6.1 Preparation

• Policy & Program Maintenance:
  
  • The IRT reviews this IR Program document annually or after any Level 2/3 incident.
  • Staff receives mandatory security-awareness training at onboarding and biannually thereafter, covering phishing awareness, secure coding basics, and how to report incidents.
  • Security Champions coordinate quarterly “IR drills,” where a hypothetical incident scenario is discussed in cross-team meetings to ensure readiness.
• Tools & Logging:
  
  • Synoptix collects server- and network-logs (e.g., application logs, database logs, firewall logs) and maintains centralized log storage with at least 90 days of retention.
  • On-call DevOps and DBA staff periodically review alerts during off-hours. Any off-hour log of suspicious activity is escalated to the IRT via phonecall.
• Third-Party Relationships:
  
  • Synoptix engages qualified security consultants for one-time penetration tests or vulnerability assessments, especially before changes to architecture .
  • Any third-party assessments produce a “Findings Report” that is tracked to closure by the IRT.

6.2 Detection & Reporting

1. Detection Sources:
   
   • Internal alerts from application and database logs (e.g., unusual query patterns or repeated failed login attempts)
   • Customer-reported anomalies via our dedicated “Security Support” email alias: security@synoptixsoftware.com
   • Internal staff observations (e.g., a developer notices anomalous code changes or suspicious outbound traffic)
2. Initial Triage & Logging:
   
   • Upon receiving an alert or report, the on-call DevOps/DBA reviews log details to confirm whether it is a valid security concern.
   • If confirmed as a potential security event, the on-call engineer immediately escalates to the IRT lead via our internal ticketing system, creating an “Incident Ticket” that records:
     
     • Date/time of detection
     • Source of alert (e.g., internal log, customer report)
     • Brief description of suspicious activity
     • Initial classification (Level 1, 2, or 3)
3. Incident Verification:
   
   • The IRT lead assigns one or more IRT members to gather additional evidence (e.g., reviewing server logs, network traffic, or user activity).
   • If the event is not a security incident (e.g., false positive, misconfiguration), the ticket is closed with a “No Incident” resolution, and any internal stakeholders are informed.

6.3 Containment

Once an incident is verified:

• Immediate Actions (within 1 hour for Level 3, within 4 hours for Level 2, within 8 hours for Level 1):
  
  • Identify all affected systems, services, and user accounts.
  • Temporarily isolate or disable compromised accounts or servers (e.g., revoke affected user’s credentials, place the server behind a restricted firewall rule).
  • Block malicious IP addresses or domains if known.
• Short-Term Remediation (within 24 hours):
  
  • Apply any necessary firewall or WAF rules to limit further malicious traffic.
  • Ensure backups of critical systems are intact.
  • Validate that no attacker persists via secondary access points (e.g., backdoors or scheduled tasks).
• Stakeholder Notification:
  
  • Internal stakeholders (Engineering, Support, Legal, and Executive Sponsor) are notified of containment status.
  • For Level 2/3 incidents affecting customer data or service, draft a preliminary customer notification to be sent within 48 hours of incident confirmation.

6.4 Eradication

• Root Cause Analysis:
  
  • Determine how the incident occurred (e.g., unpatched vulnerability, stolen credentials, phishing link).
  • Review logs from the initial compromise through detection to identify all attacker activity.
• Removal of Artifacts:
  
  • Remove any malicious code, backdoors, or unauthorized user accounts.
  • Apply or update security patches (e.g., patch OS, update database versions, rotate potentially compromised keys).
  • Change or force-reset affected user passwords, including admin credentials if necessary.
• Validation:
  
  • Conduct vulnerability scans or pen tests on the remediated environment to confirm attacker artifacts or vulnerabilities no longer exist.
  • Engage third-party security consultant if deeper validation is required, especially if a Level 3 incident suggests a sophisticated intrusion.

6.5 Recovery

• System Restoration:
  
  • Restore any systems from clean backups if the incident involved data corruption.
  • Re-enable isolated accounts or servers only after verifying that systems are free of compromise (e.g., malware has been eradicated).
• Testing & Monitoring:
  
  • Closely monitor restored systems for 72 hours for any sign of recurring malicious activity.
  • Increase log-review frequency (e.g., check logs every 4 hours instead of daily) during this window.
• Return to Business-As-Usual:
  
  • Once the IRT is confident that the environment is secure and stable, declare the incident closed in the ticketing system.
  • Communicate to internal stakeholders that normal operations have resumed.

6.6 Notification & Communication

1. Internal Communication:
   
   • The IRT Lead provides ongoing updates to the Executive Sponsor, department heads, and affected team leads at each major phase (Detection → Containment → Eradication → Recovery → Lessons Learned).
   • A shared “Incident Status Channel” in our internal messaging platform remains open for the IRT and key stakeholders to post real-time updates.
2. Customer Communication:
   
   • For Level 2/3 incidents potentially impacting customer environments or data:
     
     • Issue a preliminary notification to affected customers within 48 hours of incident confirmation, summarizing:
       • Nature and scope of the incident (e.g., “On June 3, 2025, we detected unauthorized access to one of our database servers, potentially impacting a subset of customer records.”)
       • Actions taken so far (containment steps, mitigation measures)
       • Customer guidance (e.g., “Please rotate admin passwords, review user activity logs, and contact our Security Support team if you observe anomalies.”)
     • Send a follow-up notification once eradication is complete and systems are verified clean, including any recommendations for customers to further harden their environments.
     • Offer one-on-one assistance via our Support team for any customers requiring deeper analysis or remediation guidance.
   • For Level 1 incidents with no customer impact, an internal summary is shared with Sales, Account Management, and Support teams. If any partner or customer inquires, our Support team uses a pre-approved FAQ template to explain that the incident was contained internally and no customer data was affected.
3. Public Disclosure:
   
   • A public disclosure will only be made for Level 3 incidents that involve a confirmed data breach or widespread service disruption with significant customer impact. The disclosure would be emailed to all affected customers, including any regulatory bodies if laws or contracts require reporting (e.g., GDPR breach notification).

7. Post-Incident Reviews & Continuous Improvement

1. Lessons-Learned Meeting:
   
   • Within 10 business days of any Level 2/3 incident closure, the IRT convenes a Lessons-Learned meeting involving:
     
     • IRT members who handled the incident
     • Development and Infrastructure leads
     • Support Team lead (to share customer feedback or concerns)
     • A representative from Legal or Compliance (if required)
   • Agenda:
     
     • Timeline Review: Chronologically reconstruct the incident from detection through closure.
     • Root Cause Analysis Recap: Confirm the technical or procedural failures that allowed the incident.
     • Response Evaluation: Assess what went well and what could have been improved in detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.
     • Customer Impact & Communication: Review customer feedback, clarify where communications were effective or needed improvement.
     • Action Items & Remediation:
       
       • Identify technical fixes (e.g., patching, configuration changes).
       • Process changes (e.g., accelerate log review frequency, update incident ticketing templates).
       • Training needs (e.g., phishing simulations if the incident stemmed from a successful phish).
     • Timeline for Completion: Assign ownership for each action item and set deadlines (ideally within 30 days).
   • Distribute a concise “Lessons-Learned Report” to all Synoptix staff within 15 business days, summarizing key findings and action plans.
2. Policy & Process Updates:
   
   • Based on Lessons-Learned, the IRT Lead updates this IR Program document (or associated workflows) within 30 days.
   • Changes may include:
     
     • Revised notification timelines or template language
     • Adjusted severity thresholds
     • Additional monitoring rules or alerting mechanisms
     • Clarified roles or escalation points
3. Ongoing Training & Awareness:
   
   • Synoptix schedules at least two company-wide security training sessions per year, covering IR-related topics such as:
     
     • “Recognizing & Reporting Security Incidents”
     • “Lessons from Past Incidents: What We Learned & How We Improved”
     • “Basic Forensics for Non-Security Staff”
   • New hires receive tailored IR Program orientation within their first 30 days.
4. Third-Party Testing & Assessment:
   
   • Although Synoptix does not yet perform regular third-party audits, we commit to:
     
     • Engaging an external security consultant for an annual vulnerability assessment (e.g., pen test or red-team exercise).
     • Evaluating emerging threat-intelligence sources (e.g., publicly disclosed IoCs) to refine detection and response capabilities.
   • Results from these assessments are added to our “Findings Log,” tracked by the IRT until all critical findings are remediated.

8. Key Contacts & Communication Channels

9. Appendix

Example Customer Notification Template (Level 2/3)

10. Revision History