The discovery of Salt Typhoon and its deep penetration of privately run telecommunications networks last fall was alarming — but not unexpected. Since at least 2019, hackers allegedly backed by the People’s Republic of China have infiltrated water utilities, ports, and oil and gas facilities, periodically testing their foothold in these systems.
The attackers are persistent, patient, and increasingly sophisticated — and their activities will surge, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s recently released 2025 Homeland Threat Assessment. Organizations that safeguard critical infrastructure and national security must focus on cyber resilience and adopt modern incident response strategies. In preparation, they need a centralized, secure platform that enables teams to respond efficiently, collaborate securely, and maintain compliance without relying on compromised systems.
The Core Elements of Effective Incident Response
Incident response involves a combination of predefined procedures, experienced and well-trained people, and integrations with a wide range of security tools and services. While team collaboration plays an essential role in mitigating potential security incidents, organizations must recognize that their security response teams can’t rely on using the same systems that are under attack. Compromised infrastructure is not a place to manage a crisis. This is especially true for large organizations that juggle multiple incidents simultaneously.
For example, if a critical infrastructure operator relies on cloud-based tools for daily operations and security monitoring, an attack on that environment can severely limit the ability to respond effectively. Conventional communication tools also can pose security risks during an active breach. If these systems are compromised, attackers can intercept sensitive communications or disrupt coordination efforts. It’s hard to bounce unwanted entities from your systems when they know your next move.
Secure, collaborative incident response platforms offer an alternative that is resilient to external threats and provides uninterrupted, high-trust communication. They provide an isolated, out-of-band environment safe from eavesdropping.
The Benefits of a Dedicated Incident Response Platform
Modern security operations use a variety of tools: firewalls, endpoint detection and response systems, intrusion detection software, and cloud security platforms. However, these tools often function in silos. Security teams must manually make sense of different tools’ alerts and logs, which slows response times.
A dedicated incident response platform offers a unified, real-time view of cyber threats by integrating data from multiple sources. Analysts can identify abnormalities faster, triage incidents more effectively, and initiate containment procedures without delay in this consolidated view.
Speed counts when responding to an attack. A well-structured incident response strategy must incorporate automated workflows that enable organizations to react immediately to emerging threats. Pre-configured digital playbooks help teams follow reliable, approved, and compliant procedures when responding to different types of cyber incidents. Whether it’s a data breach, ransomware attack, or insider threat, automated workflows ensure that every step — from detection to resolution — is systematically executed.
Beyond ensuring procedural integrity, playbooks address one of the biggest challenges in incident response: staffing turnover and training. Real-life incidents are documented and then become highly effective training tools, guiding new staff through best practices, expected standards, and necessary steps in handling incidents. By providing clear, step-by-step instructions, playbooks help new team members quickly adapt, reducing onboarding time and improving overall team readiness. As a result, organizations can maintain operational resilience and knowledge continuity even amid staffing changes.
Prepare for Post-Mortem Audits
After resolving an incident, a security team’s work isn’t finished. They must review what happened and assess the effectiveness of their response.
A centralized incident response platform should automatically log all activities, decisions, and communications so teams can generate detailed reports. These reports can help identify procedural gaps to strengthen future security strategies and identify threat patterns that can improve future security responses. These reports also meet regulatory requirements with comprehensive response documentation. For example, federal agencies require robust auditing to comply with Federal Information Security Modernization Act requirements, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s incident tracking guidance, and other cybersecurity frameworks, while defense agencies must meet Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification standards.
A Strategic Imperative f or Cyber Resilience
Take heed of DHS’ warning. Organizations can be prepared for the growing wave of cyber threats in 2025 and beyond by adopting a secure, collaborative, and highly efficient incident response platform. Investing in proactive defense measures today will enhance national security and ensure operational continuity in the face of evolving adversarial tactics.
Now is the time to rethink how your organization approaches cybersecurity. Is your incident response platform ready for tomorrow’s threats?
About the Author
Dr. Bill Anderson is the Principal Product Manager at Mattermost and an expert in the security industry, with a rich background in operating, founding, and funding high-growth security companies. He holds a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo, where he specialized in cryptography.
Before joining Mattermost, Dr. Anderson served as the President of CIS Secure, where he successfully introduced a secure mobile platform solution for government defense and intelligence agencies in the U.S. and internationally. He is also recognized as the founder of Oculis Labs, an innovative data-in-use security company that catered to both the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Intelligence Community (IC), leading it through a successful acquisition by OptioLabs. At OptioLabs, he initially served as Chief Product Officer and later took on the role of CEO, where he launched groundbreaking security solutions for Android devices.
Dr. Anderson has also held executive positions at SafeNet Inc., Aether Systems, and Certicom, managing highly successful cryptography and communications product lines, including pioneering work in elliptic curve cryptography. Additionally, he serves as Vice Chairman of the board of directors for the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), where he supports early-stage technology investments.
He holds multiple patents, including innovations in computer display privacy and secure information systems. His patented technologies focus on physically securing information on computer monitors, using advanced facial recognition and priva
