What is a NIST Incident Response Plan?

A NIST Incident Response Plan is essential to meeting the Response function of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF). 

• Repeatable process - without a robust incident response plan, employees and teams won't be able to respond recurrently or prioritize their time efficiently.
• Prepared for an emergency - security-related incidents occur without any warning. Therefore, it's vital to formulate a plan of action ahead of time.
• Coordination - keeping all the team members updated and on the same page amidst crises in big enterprises can be challenging. Incident response plans can help you achieve this successfully.
• Preserve crucial knowledge - incident response plans ensure best practices and critical knowledge to deal with a crisis aren't forgotten/overlooked over time. Your security team should incorporate lessons learned regularly.
• Identify gaps and bridge them - In mid-sized companies with limited technical maturity and staff, an incident response plan helps you identify gaps in your security tooling or process to address them before a crisis.
• Accountability and documentation - An incident response plan with clear documentation minimizes an organization's liability. Documentation enables you to showcase your response process to compliance authorities or auditors.
• Practice, practice, and practice - Incident response plans help you create a repeatable and transparent process, follow up on all incidents, and improve response activities' effectiveness and coordination over time.

Return to NIST Glossary