Incident › Module 3 › Lesson 2
Playbook Anatomy
Playbook anatomy literacy names triggers, objectives, phases, decision points, and comms hooks — read playbook structure on YOUR $IR_LAB notes.
Visual · t34_playbook_anatomy
Playbook anatomy literacy. $IR_LAB only. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Playbooks are incident recipes — literacy teaches section anatomy so you author tabletop playbooks on scenarios you own.
IR playbooks open with trigger conditions — what alert or report starts this playbook. Objectives state containment and recovery goals. Phases map to PICERL with decision points — e.g., escalate to P1 if lateral movement confirmed. Comms hooks name when to notify legal and executives. Appendices hold runbook links for YOUR org tools. Cyberlium outlines playbook anatomy on YOUR $IR_LAB — sketch one fictional phishing playbook skeleton. Next: Runbook Hygiene.
1. Playbook sections (named)
Trigger: alert types, report channels, severity threshold. Objectives: stop spread, preserve evidence, restore service. Phases: detection, analysis, containment steps with decision diamonds. Comms: internal status cadence, external notification gates. Appendix: runbook links for YOUR org EDR, firewall, ticketing.
On $IR_LAB, write playbook outline — trigger, two objectives, three phase headers for fictional phishing inject.
Command guide
Try these commands — Playbook sections (named)
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
NIST SP 800-61 — https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-61/rev-2/final SANS IR — https://www.sans.org/for-organizations/incident-response/ CISA playbooks — https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
Command — copy this
sudo apt install python3
macOS:
Command — copy this
brew install python3
Windows: Download https://python.org/downloads/
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
export IR_LAB=${IR_LAB:-$HOME/cyberlium-lab/t34-ir}
cat > "$IR_LAB/playbooks/playbook-anatomy-template.md" <<'EOF'
# Playbook Anatomy — YOUR template
## Metadata
- ID, version, owner, last reviewed, severity applicability
## Trigger conditions
- Detection sources, alert types, intake criteria
## Initial actions (first 30 min)
- Classify severity; notify IR lead; preserve logs
## Containment branch
- Decision tree reference — see containment/decision-tree.md
## Eradication & recovery
- Authorized steps only; backup validation
## Comms
- Template refs in comms/ folder
## Evidence & documentation
- Chain of custody notes; ticket IDs
## Escalation & handoff
- When to engage legal, exec, external CSIRT
EOFCommand — copy this
grep -E 'Trigger|Containment|Escalation' "$IR_LAB/playbooks/playbook-anatomy-template.md"
Primary tools to practice this lesson: grep, python3. Reference sites: NIST SP 800-61 (https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-61/rev-2/final); SANS IR (https://www.sans.org/for-organizations/incident-response/); CISA playbooks (https://www.cisa.gov/stopransomware). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Why anatomy literacy beats ad-hoc war rooms
Missing decision points cause premature containment or delayed escalation. Comms hooks forgotten until regulators ask. Versioned playbooks let tabletops test gaps safely.
Students outline lab playbooks on notes — production playbooks follow change control and tool-specific runbooks.
3. Lab boundary
Forbidden: playbooks that instruct stranger-network isolation or ransomware deployment. Allowed: playbook anatomy card — section outline with $IR_LAB fictional scenario.
Ship: playbook anatomy card for YOUR lab scenario. Next: Runbook Hygiene.
4. What you ship: playbook anatomy card for $IR_LAB
Section outline with trigger, objectives, phases. $IR_LAB named. chmod 600.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Date. Playbook anatomy card. $IR_LAB named. File t34-m03-l02-playbook-anatomy.txt chmod 600.
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
Write playbook with no triggers or comms hooks. Include ransomware payload steps.
Right
Write playbook anatomy card for YOUR $IR_LAB. Next: Runbook Hygiene.
Mission: outline playbook anatomy on YOUR lab
1) Define trigger, objectives, phases, comms, appendix. 2) Sketch one fictional phishing playbook skeleton. 3) Add one decision point with escalate condition. 4) chmod 600.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Decision diamonds prevent guesswork — write 'if X then escalate' before the drill.
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Playbook trigger section defines:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: Playbook phases should align with PICERL lifecycle.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Playbook anatomy literacy on Cyberlium avoids:
Multiple choice