What types of incidents should be included in an incident response plan?

An incident response plan is a crucial framework for organizations to effectively identify, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity incidents. Including all significant cybersecurity events that threaten data integrity, availability, or confidentiality is essential for creating a robust incident response strategy.

This broad inclusion is important because incidents can vary in nature and impact. By addressing all significant events, the organization ensures preparedness for a wide range of potential threats, from major data breaches to less obvious threats that may still compromise system integrity or lead to service interruptions. Each incident type can have cascading effects, and understanding the full spectrum of possible issues allows for more effective remediation and mitigation strategies.

In contrast, focusing solely on minor glitches in software omits many serious threats and can lead to vulnerabilities in the organization's security posture. Limiting the plan to only data breaches or unreported internal accidents would similarly neglect other significant risks that could arise and disrupt operations or compromise sensitive information. Therefore, adopting a comprehensive approach helps safeguard the organization against various cybersecurity incidents.