Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams

Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams
Name	Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams
Abbreviation	FIRST
Formation	1990
Type	Non-profit international association
Headquarters	Global (distributed)
Region served	Worldwide
Membership	Computer security incident response teams, CSIRTs

Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams is an international coalition of Computer Emergency Response Teams, security practitioners, and incident handlers that coordinates operational responses to cybersecurity incidents and promotes best practices for Internet resilience. It convenes members from national Computer Security Incident Response Teams, corporate CERTs, academic SANS Institute-affiliated groups, and technology vendors such as Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to share threat intelligence, response techniques, and policy guidance. FIRST maintains working groups, develops standards for disclosure and incident handling, and fosters cooperation among entities including North Atlantic Treaty Organization, European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, Interpol, and regional CERTs.

Overview

FIRST functions as a membership-based network linking US-CERT, JPCERT/CC, AusCERT, CERT-EU, Korea Internet & Security Agency, CERT-IN, and private-sector teams such as those at Facebook, IBM, and Twitter. It focuses on incident response coordination, vulnerability disclosure frameworks, and capacity building in partnership with institutions like World Bank, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, OECD, and academic centers including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and Carnegie Mellon University. FIRST routinely engages with standards organizations such as Internet Engineering Task Force and International Organization for Standardization to align operational practices.

History

FIRST emerged from early Computer Emergency Response Team cooperation in the late 1980s and formalized as an association in 1990, contemporaneous with the rise of coordinated incident response practices seen at CERT Coordination Center and initiatives by DARPA. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, FIRST expanded alongside major incidents like the Morris worm, the ILOVEYOU outbreak, and large-scale operations attributed to groups highlighted in investigations by FBI, Europol, and NSA. The organization adapted through eras marked by the proliferation of Stuxnet, the growth of Advanced Persistent Threat campaigns attributed to state-sponsored actors, and the increasing role of cloud platforms from Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.

Organization and Membership

FIRST operates through a steering committee, elected officers, and subject-matter working groups that include chairs drawn from national CSIRTs, corporate teams, and academic labs such as CERT Coordination Center alumni, SANS Institute instructors, and representatives from Cisco Talos. Membership tiers accommodate full CSIRT members, vendor representatives, and academic affiliates from institutions like University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and ENISA. FIRST collaborates with regional organizations including Asia Pacific CERT groupings, African Union cybersecurity initiatives, and Latin American and Caribbean CERT networks, while honoring codes of conduct aligned with multilateral frameworks like Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.

Activities and Programs

FIRST runs incident response exercises, shared Indicators of Compromise (IoC) platforms, and capacity-building programs with partners such as Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, Google Project Zero, and Cisco Talos. Its programs include vulnerability disclosure guidance used by vendors like Apple Inc. and Oracle Corporation, mentorship initiatives modeled after CyberPatriot, and collaboration on automated sharing standards developed alongside IETF working groups and OASIS technical committees. FIRST supports response to major events investigated by entities such as Interpol and national law enforcement agencies, and enables cross-sector coordination between financial incumbents like SWIFT and critical infrastructure operators.

Conferences and Events

FIRST hosts annual conferences and regional meetings that attract participants from Black Hat, DEF CON, RSA Conference, ISACA, and Gartner events, providing training, plenaries, and incident coordination exercises. These gatherings feature speakers from European Commission, United Nations, national CSIRTs such as CERT-EU and US-CERT, and industry leaders from CrowdStrike, FireEye (Mandiant), Palo Alto Networks, and Trend Micro. FIRST also runs technical workshops with collaborators like IETF and MITRE and participates in tabletop exercises alongside NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.

Publications and Standards

FIRST publishes best-practice documents, playbooks, and guidelines for incident handling, coordinated vulnerability disclosure, and information sharing that reference frameworks from NIST, ISO/IEC 27001, and the Budapest Convention. It contributes to standards and protocols such as Structured Threat Information Expression developed by OASIS STI initiatives and aligns its disclosure recommendations with models used by MITRE ATT&CK and CVE. FIRST working group outputs are used by national CSIRTs, corporate security teams, and suppliers including Microsoft, Google, and Red Hat to harmonize response workflows.

Impact and Criticism

FIRST has enhanced global incident coordination, improved cross-border information sharing, and influenced adoption of standardized disclosure practices by major vendors and governments including initiatives at European Commission and United States Department of Homeland Security. Critics point to challenges around neutrality when vendor representatives from Amazon (company), Microsoft, and Google participate, potential exclusion of smaller states or independent researchers such as those affiliated with Chaos Computer Club or grassroots groups, and debates over transparency versus operational secrecy in cases involving law enforcement partners like FBI and Interpol. Ongoing scrutiny involves balancing rapid operational collaboration with accountability standards championed by organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Category:Computer security organizations