Developing an incident response plan

An incident response plan (IRP) is one of the most important components of incident management. The incident response plan determines the activities to be carried out in case of an incident. The incident response plan includes different processes for handling the incident, along with assigned roles and responsibilities for managing the incident.

Elements of an IRP

The security manager should understand the following stages when developing an incident response plan.

Preparation

Preparing the incident response plan in depth helps it execute smoothly. The following activities are carried out in the preparation phase:

• Defining processes to handle the incidents
• Developing criteria for deciding on the severity of the incident
• Developing a communication plan with stakeholders
• Developing a process to activate the incident management team

Identification and triage

In this phase, emphasis is put on the identification...