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What is Incident Response?
The organized approach to handling security breaches and cyberattacks, including preparation, detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.
When a security breach occurs, a structured incident response minimizes damage and recovery time.
The Six Phases
- Preparation: Plans, tools, and training before an incident occurs
- Identification: Detect and confirm the incident
- Containment: Stop the bleeding — isolate affected systems
- Eradication: Remove the threat from all systems
- Recovery: Restore systems to normal operation
- Lessons Learned: Document what happened and improve defenses
Personal Incident Response
If you're breached:
- Change passwords for affected accounts immediately
- Enable 2FA on all important accounts
- Check for unauthorized access or changes
- Monitor financial accounts for fraud
- Consider freezing credit
- Document everything for potential legal action
Related Terms
Data Breach
A security incident where protected, sensitive, or confidential data is accessed, stolen, or exposed by unauthorized individuals. Data breaches can result from hacking, insider threats, lost devices, or misconfigured systems.
Forensic Analysis
The scientific examination of digital devices and data to recover evidence, used by law enforcement and incident responders.
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