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NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 · IR-8

Incident Response Plan

US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) · cited in 29 of our lessons

Explanation

What it asks for. The organisation must develop an incident response plan that provides a roadmap for the capability, describes its structure, defines reportable incidents, assigns responsibilities and resources, and is approved, distributed, reviewed and updated, with the plan protected from unauthorised disclosure.

In practice. Good practice is a concise plan with roles, decision rights, escalation thresholds, communication templates and contact lists, backed by detailed playbooks. It should be tested through tabletop exercises at least once a year and updated afterwards. Auditors expect the approved plan, distribution records, exercise reports and change history. NIS2 and DORA both expect documented incident management procedures.

Common gaps. Plans are often too long to use under pressure or out of date with contacts and systems. They are rarely exercised with senior management involved.

Open SP 800-53 at NIST
The official text
a. Develop an incident response plan that: 1. Provides the organization with a roadmap for implementing its incident response capability; 2. Describes the structure and organization of the incident response capability; 3. Provides a high-level approach for how the incident response capability fits into the overall organization; 4. Meets the unique requirements of the organization, which relate to mission, size, structure, and functions; 5. Defines reportable incidents; 6. Provides metrics for measuring the incident response capability within the organization; 7. Defines the resources and management support needed to effectively maintain and mature an incident response capability; 8. Addresses the sharing of incident information; 9. Is reviewed and approved by [Assignment: organization-defined personnel or roles] [Assignment: organization-defined frequency] ; and 10. Explicitly designates responsibility for incident response to [Assignment: organization-defined entities, personnel, or roles]. b. Distribute copies of the incident response plan to [Assignment: organization-defined incident response personnel]; c. Update the incident response plan to address system and organizational changes or problems encountered during plan implementation, execution, or testing; d. Communicate incident response plan changes to [Assignment: organization-defined organization-defined incident response personnel (identified by name and/or by role) and organizational elements] ; and e. Protect the incident response plan from unauthorized disclosure and modification. Discussion: It is important that organizations develop and implement a coordinated approach to incident response. Organizational mission and business functions determine the structure of incident response capabilities. As part of the incident response capabilities, organizations consider the coordination and sharing of information with external organizations, including external service providers and other organizations involved in the supply chain. For incidents involving personally identifiable information (i.e., breaches), include a process to determine whether notice to oversight organizations or affected individuals is appropriate and provide that notice accordingly.

From NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, a work of the US government in the public domain.

Lessons that cite it

Real incidents where this item mattered: the latest 12 of 29.