Cyber Incident Response Plan Materials for Municipalities

Information on Why to Build a Cyber Incident Response Plan?

The National Cyber Incident Response Plan establishes that a cyber incident response plan “articulates the roles and responsibilities, capabilities, and coordinating structures that support how a municipality will respond to and recover from cyber incidents”. The MassCyberCenter recommends the best action a municipality can take to improve their cybersecurity resiliency is to develop a cyber incident response plan, because through the planning process cities and towns will: 

1. Prioritize the assets they need to protect;
2. Build a cybersecurity team;
3. Create processes to mitigate vulnerabilities; and
4. Raise awareness internally about the importance of cybersecurity.

Workshop 1

Workshop 1 introduced the need for cyber incident response plans, provided self-assessment and planning guidance, and gave municipalities the tools and resources they need to create a cyber incident response plan. 

Materials from Workshop 1:

• Workshop 1 Presentation
• Cyber Incident Response Template
• Cyber Incident Response Plan and Implementation Checklist
• Cyber Incident Response Worksheet

Workshop 2

Workshop 2 pulled together the final details of the cyber incident response planning process, shared best cybersecurity practices for your municipality, and provided an opportunity for you to test your plan. 

• Workshop 2 Presentation

Third-Party Vendor Management Webinar

As a follow-up to Workshops 1 and 2, we hosted a webinar on Third-Party Vendor Management. The webinar presented how to identify high risk vendors, tips for monitoring and managing third-party vendors, and the practices municipalities can take when engaging and evaluating third-party vendors.

• Webinar Presentation (PDF)