Write and test a security incident response plan

A genuinely written and tested security incident response plan addresses a real, important gap that becomes acutely apparent precisely at the worst possible moment — during an actual security incident, when clear, pre-established procedures matter most but are hardest to develop under the pressure and confusion an active incident creates.

The genuine testing component deserves particular emphasis, since a plan that exists only as an untested document can harbor gaps, unclear responsibilities, or impractical procedures that only become apparent when actually attempting to follow the plan during a genuine crisis — testing through tabletop exercises or simulated scenarios surfaces these gaps in a controlled setting rather than during an actual incident.

A genuinely useful plan addresses several real, specific elements — clear escalation procedures identifying who needs to be involved and notified, defined steps for containing and investigating a suspected incident, communication procedures for both internal stakeholders and, where legally required, affected customers or regulatory bodies, and post-incident review procedures for genuinely learning from whatever occurred.

This plan connects directly to several other missions discussed throughout this broader security work — the data breach notification plan and backup and recovery procedures each represent specific components that a comprehensive incident response plan should genuinely incorporate and coordinate with, rather than existing as entirely separate, disconnected planning exercises.