No organisation is completely immune to cyberattacks.
That’s why having an Incident Response Plan (IRP) is crucial — it enables quick identification, containment, and elimination of threats.
A good plan minimises financial, operational, and reputational losses, and shortens the time to restore systems to full functionality.
Why an Incident Response Plan Matters
The response plan is the foundation of an effective security strategy.
It allows:
- rapid response to attacks,
- limiting their impacts,
- maintaining consistency across technical, PR, and management teams.
Without a plan, chaos and poor decisions often occur in critical moments.
Threat Identification
The first step is recognising potential threats, such as:
- malware and ransomware attacks,
- phishing and social engineering,
- unauthorised access,
- human errors and system failures.
Identification helps determine which incidents pose the greatest risk to the company and what response scenarios to prepare.
Creating the Response Team
Form a dedicated Incident Response Team (IRT) consisting of:
- IT/security specialists,
- legal/PR representatives,
- senior management.
Define roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths clearly.
Detection and Analysis
Implement tools for real-time threat detection (SIEM, IDS/IPS, EDR).
Upon alert, analyse the incident to determine its scope, source, and impact.
Quick detection is key — the sooner you act, the less damage.
Containment and Eradication
Once identified, contain the threat to prevent spread (e.g., isolate systems, block access).
Then eradicate it completely — remove malware, close vulnerabilities.
Recovery
Restore systems and data from backups.
Test everything before full resumption to ensure no lingering threats.
Recovery should be gradual, with monitoring for anomalies.
Crisis Communication
Develop a communication plan for stakeholders: employees, customers, regulators.
Be transparent but controlled — provide accurate info without exposing details that could aid attackers.
Transparent and timely communication minimises panic and protects reputation.
Incident Documentation
Every incident must be thoroughly documented.
Record:
- dates and times of actions,
- decisions made and their outcomes,
- technical data on attack vectors,
- lessons from the response process.
Documentation serves as the basis for audits, insurers, and future risk analyses.
Plan Evaluation and Improvement
After the incident, conduct a “post-mortem” analysis:
- What worked well?
- What needs improvement?
- What changes to introduce to the plan?
Regular evaluation refines the IRP and increases organisational resilience to future incidents.
Testing the Incident Response Plan
A plan that’s not tested doesn’t work.
Organise simulation exercises (tabletop, red team/blue team) to check team readiness and identify weak points.
Tests should occur at least annually or after any major system change.
Best Practices
- Create a central incident registry (Incident Log).
- Ensure compliance with ISO/IEC 27035 and NIST SP 800-61.
- Integrate the response plan into the organisation’s overall security policy.
- Train all employees on incident reporting procedures.
Get in Touch
I help companies develop and implement effective incident response plans.
I offer IRP maturity analysis, team preparation, and simulation exercises based on real scenarios.
Email: biuro@wichran.pl
Phone: +48 515 601 621
Author: Piotr Wichrań – Court-appointed IT forensic expert, IT/OT cybersecurity specialist, licensed private investigator
@Informatyka.Sledcza