Example.. MISP for Incident Response: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

MISP is not just a threat intelligence-sharing tool—it’s also a powerful incident response platform. By leveraging MISP’s capabilities, security teams can streamline their investigations, correlate incidents with known threats, and take faster action against cyberattacks.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to use MISP for incident response, step by step.

Step 1: Detect and Gather Initial Indicators

When a security incident occurs, the first step is to collect indicators of compromise (IOCs) related to the attack. These can include:

🔹 Suspicious IP addresses🔹 Domains and URLs used in phishing attacks🔹 File hashes of malicious software🔹 Email addresses linked to attacks

💡 Tip: If you’re using Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems or Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS/IPS), you can automatically feed alerts into MISP for analysis.

Step 2: Create an Event in MISP

Once you’ve gathered initial indicators, the next step is to log the incident in MISP by creating a new event.

✅ Go to New Event in MISP✅ Add a Title and Description of the incident✅ Set the Threat Level (Low, Medium, High)✅ Assign a Category (e.g., Phishing, Malware, Ransomware)✅ Choose the Distribution Level (private, community, or all users)

This event will act as a central repository for all threat intelligence related to the incident.

Step 3: Enrich the Data with Correlation and Threat Feeds

One of the biggest advantages of MISP is automatic correlation. When you add IOCs, MISP automatically checks if they have been observed in previous incidents.

🔍 Correlation Features in MISP:✔️ Identifies links between incidents and known threats✔️ Uses external feeds (like VirusTotal, AbuseIPDB, and CIRCL) for enrichment✔️ Helps analysts prioritize threats based on historical data

💡 Tip: Enable OSINT threat intelligence feeds in MISP to get real-time updates on emerging threats.

Step 4: Share Intelligence and Collaborate

Cyber threats don’t just target one organization—they impact entire industries. MISP allows you to share intelligence with trusted partners, helping others defend against similar attacks.

🔗 Sharing Options in MISP:

• Internal Sharing: Collaborate within your organization’s SOC team.

• Trusted Groups: Share intelligence with industry-specific ISACs (e.g., Financial, Healthcare).

• Public Contributions: Contribute anonymized threat data to the global cybersecurity community.

💡 Tip: If your company prefers to keep intelligence private, you can restrict distribution levels in MISP.

Step 5: Take Action and Automate Response

Once MISP provides context on the incident, your SOC team can take proactive measures. You can integrate MISP with firewalls, EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) tools, and SIEMs to automate blocking and mitigation.

⚡ Automating Incident Response with MISP:✅ Send malicious IPs to firewalls to block traffic✅ Forward IOCs to EDR solutions to isolate infected endpoints✅ Trigger automated playbooks in SOAR platforms for faster containment

💡 Tip: MISP has a PyMISP API, allowing security teams to build automation scripts for real-time incident response.

Step 6: Post-Incident Analysis and Reporting

After an incident is contained, it's essential to analyze what happened and improve future defenses.

📊 Using MISP for Post-Incident Reporting:✔️ Generate reports on attack patterns and affected systems✔️ Export threat intelligence for compliance audits✔️ Use MISP dashboards to track trends over time

💡 Tip: Regularly review past incidents in MISP to identify recurring attack patterns and adjust security measures accordingly.

Conclusion

MISP is more than just a threat intelligence-sharing tool—it’s a powerful ally in incident response. By leveraging its correlation, enrichment, and automation features, organizations can detect, analyze, and mitigate cyber threats faster.