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SFC - Incident Response

The SEAL Framework Checklist (SFC) for Incident Response provides structured guidelines to help remain prepared for security incidents affecting blockchain protocols. It covers team structure, monitoring, alerting, and response procedures.

For more details on certifications or self-assessments, refer to the Certification Guidelines.

Section 1: Team Structure, Roles & Responsibilities

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Documented Incident Response Policy
Do you maintain a documented incident response (IR) policy that defines scope, objectives, and roles?
Incident Commander and IR Roles
Do you have a designated incident commander and incident response team with clearly defined roles, responsibilities, and decision-making authority? Is the incident commander role clearly established to coordinate response activities, make time-sensitive decisions, and ensure clear accountability during incidents?
Subject Matter Experts for Protocol Internals
Do you have designated subject matter experts (ex. Core Devs) who understand different parts of protocol internals and can analyze ongoing attacks and prepare response strategies for potential attack vectors?
Designated Signer Roles for Emergency Actions
Do you have designated signer roles with documented authority and procedures for executing emergency transactions (pausing, freezing, parameter changes)?
Periodic Review of IR Roles
Do you periodically review and update IR team roles, authorities, and escalation measures to reflect protocol changes, new teams, or evolving governance structures?
Communications Personnel for Public Info
Do you have designated Communications personnel responsible for public information sharing and incident response record-keeping?
Legal Support for Incident Response
Do you maintain Legal support with documented procedures for analyzing legal and regulatory implications of response actions, approving whitehat engagement agreements, and reviewing public communications?
Procedures for Cross-Team Incident Coordination
Do you have documented procedures for coordinating between technical teams (Core Devs/Auditors) and operational teams (Security Council/Communications) during incidents?
External Protocol Stakeholder Contact Methods
Do you maintain contact methods & communication channels for external companies that run protocols you depend on, or that depend on your protocol?

Section 2: Monitoring & Detection

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24/7 Monitoring and After-Hours Procedures
Do you maintain documented monitoring coverage for critical systems, protocols, and infrastructure components with 24/7 capabilities and procedures for after-hours alert handling?
Automated Alerting with Playbooks
Do you have automated alerting configured with embedded playbooks for security events, detecting false alarms, and operational issues?
Regular Alert Testing and Drills
Do you conduct regular alert testing and drills to ensure monitoring systems function correctly under various scenarios?
Procedures for Alert Triage and Escalation
Do you have documented procedures for alert triage, classification, and escalation to appropriate response teams?
Log Retention Policies for Forensics
Do you maintain log retention policies with adequate preservation periods for security and infrastructure logs (including cloud provider logs) to support incident investigation and forensic analysis?

Section 3: Pager Systems & Escalation

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Redundant Paging Systems with Testing
Do you operate redundant paging systems with documented procedures and regular testing?
Maintain On-Call Coverage Schedules
Do you maintain current on-call schedules with documented coverage requirements and backup procedures?
Documented Time-Based Escalation Procedures
Do you have documented escalation procedures with time-based triggers and management notification requirements?
Define and Track Response Time Targets
Do you define and track response time targets for different incident severity levels?

Section 4: Response Procedures & Coordination

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Documented Incident Response Playbooks
Do you maintain documented response playbooks for common incident types (protocol exploits, infrastructure failures, access control breaches, data security incidents, and supply chain compromises)?
Step-by-Step Initial Response Procedures
Do you have step-by-step procedures for initial response actions including containment, evidence preservation, and stakeholder notification?
Role-Based Incident Playbooks by Role
Do you maintain role-based playbooks that define specific responsibilities for different team members (Core Devs, Auditors, Signers, Communications, Legal) during incidents?
Procedures for Coordinating Multisig Operations
Do you maintain procedures for coordinating multisig operations during incidents including signer availability and cross-timezone challenges?
Documented Criteria for Major Response Decisions
Do you have documented criteria for major response decisions (system shutdown, public disclosure, external assistance) and escalation policies for when to engage leadership?
External Expertise Engagement Contacts
Do you maintain contact information and procedures for engaging external expertise (forensics, legal, specialized consultants)?
Emergency Cards with Key Response Steps
Do you maintain emergency cards or quick-reference materials containing key personnel and response steps for each protocol component?

Section 5: Signer Operations & Emergency Transactions

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Multiple Channels for Global Signer Reach
Do you maintain multiple communication channels (primary and backup) with documented procedures for reaching signers across time zones, including during emergencies?
Pre-Signed Emergency Transactions for Protocol
Do you maintain pre-signed emergency transactions for critical protocol functions (pause, freeze, parameter changes)?
Procedures for Rapid Emergency Transactions
Do you have documented procedures for rapidly executing emergency transactions with minimal coordination time?
Multiple Signing Methods and Backups
Do you maintain multiple signing methods and backup procedures for signers transaction execution?
Rotating Keys and Replacing Signers
Do you have a documented procedure for rotating keys and replacing compromised signers?

Section 6: Communication & Coordination

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Dedicated Incident Communication Channels
Do you maintain dedicated communication channels for incident response with documented access controls, member lists, and procedures for rapidly creating new incident-specific channels when needed?
Incident Status Reporting Procedures
Do you have documented procedures for incident status reporting including frequency, format, and distribution lists?
Secure Incident Information Communications
Do you maintain secure communication procedures for sensitive incident information?
Coordinating Communications with Protocol Users
Do you maintain documented procedures for coordinating communications with protocol users during and post-exploit?
Approved Templates and Escalation Procedures
Do you have pre-approved communication templates and escalation procedures for different incident types and severity levels?
Public Information Flow and Misinformation Prevention
Do you maintain procedures for managing public information flow and preventing misinformation during active incidents?

Section 7: Drills & Testing

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Regular Incident Response Drills and Evaluation
Do you conduct regular incident response drills that test pager systems, escalation procedures, team coordination, monitoring systems, containment procedures, and recovery processes? Do you evaluate drill performance, identify gaps, and track improvement actions based on both exercise findings and real incident experience?