Incident › Module 8 › Lesson 3
External Notify
External notification literacy — regulators, customers, partners, law enforcement — escalation rows on YOUR `$IR_LAB` tabletop; templates only.
Visual · t34_external_notify
External notify = named escalation rows. $IR_LAB. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
External notifications have timing and content gates — name who gets told what and when on YOUR lab tabletop, never unauthorized live notifications.
External notification literacy names: regulator notification path category (counsel-approved literacy stub), customer notification tier category, partner/vendor obligation category, law enforcement reporting gate category, and public disclosure coordination category. Analyst maps external notify matrix on `$IR_LAB` tabletop — audience row, trigger factor stub, approval owner, template reference from Module 8-1 — without sending live notifications, without naming unconfirmed attribution externally, without partner blast without legal review. Cyberlium teaches escalation vocabulary — tabletop matrix only on YOUR notes. Refused: unauthorized prod regulator/customer notifications, premature public attribution, live victim data in notices. Lab row: external notify matrix (audience, trigger, approval, template link).
1. Named notification rows
Regulator, customer, partner, law enforcement, public disclosure — five literacy anchors.
Each row links approval gate from legal and comms lessons.
Command guide
Try these commands — Named notification rows
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
FIRST — https://www.first.org/ CISA — https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware NIST SP 800-61 — https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-61/rev-2/final
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
Command — copy this
sudo apt install python3
macOS:
Command — copy this
brew install python3
Windows: Download https://python.org/downloads/
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
export IR_LAB=${IR_LAB:-$HOME/cyberlium-lab/t34-ir}
cat > "$IR_LAB/comms/external-notification-template.md" <<'EOF'
# External Notification Template — YOUR draft (legal review required)
**Audience:** Customers / regulators / partners (as applicable)
## Notice
We are investigating a cybersecurity incident affecting [scope].
We activated our incident response plan and engaged appropriate experts.
## Impact
[Known impact — factual; update as investigation proceeds]
## Customer actions
[Specific steps if credentials/data affected — per legal guidance]
## Contact
[email protected]
## Timeline
Discovered: [UTC] | Notice issued: [UTC]
Do not disclose before legal approval; tabletop uses fictional data only
EOFCommand — copy this
grep -E 'legal review|factual|tabletop' "$IR_LAB/comms/external-notification-template.md"
Primary tools to practice this lesson: grep, python3. Reference sites: FIRST (https://www.first.org/); CISA (https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware); NIST SP 800-61 (https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-61/rev-2/final). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Timing discipline
Document trigger factor stub — not arbitrary delay or rush without counsel.
Template references Module 8-1 holding statement — consistent messaging literacy.
3. Refused
No unauthorized live notifications; no unconfirmed attribution as public fact.
External notify literacy supports coordinated escalation — not panic blast.
4. What you ship: external notify matrix
Five audience rows + trigger + approval + template link + NEVER unauthorized live notify line.
5. What you record before the next lesson
External notify matrix path.
6. Wrong vs right: stranger networks vs YOUR IR tabletop
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
Send real regulator notification from personal email as 'external notify lab.'
Right
External notify matrix from `$IR_LAB` tabletop stub. Next: Comms Lab.
Mission: external notify matrix
1) Name five external notification audiences. 2) Trigger and approval per row. 3) Link comms templates from 8-1. 4) Write NEVER unauthorized live notification line.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor: “Customer tier notification — literacy split?”
Knowledge Check
APPLY: External notify literacy uses:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: Unauthorized live customer notifications are lab.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: External notify matrix includes:
Multiple choice