An organization's structured process for detecting, containing, investigating, and recovering from security incidents.
When a breach, ransomware infection, or other security event occurs, a clear incident response plan helps teams act quickly and avoid making things worse. Widely used frameworks describe phases such as preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned.
For example, if an employee's laptop shows signs of malware, the team might isolate it from the network, preserve evidence, determine how the infection happened and what data was accessed, remove the threat, restore systems from clean backups, and update defenses. Incident response also involves communication with leadership, legal teams, customers, and sometimes regulators. Regular tabletop exercises, where teams rehearse realistic scenarios, help ensure the plan works under pressure.
A documented plan for keeping essential business operations running during and after a disruption such as an outage, disaster, or cyberattack.
Cyber InsuranceAn insurance policy that helps cover financial losses from cyber incidents such as data breaches, ransomware, and online fraud.
Data BreachAn incident in which sensitive, protected, or confidential information is accessed, stolen, or disclosed without authorization.
RansomwareMalware that encrypts or steals a victim's files and demands payment, usually in cryptocurrency, to restore access or prevent leaks.
Security Information and Event ManagementA security system, known as SIEM, that collects and analyzes log data from across an organization to detect threats and support investigations.
Security Operations CenterA team and facility that monitors an organization's systems around the clock to detect, analyze, and respond to cybersecurity threats.
Threat IntelligenceEvidence-based information about cyber threats, attackers, and their methods, used to anticipate and defend against attacks.
XDRExtended Detection and Response: a security approach that combines data from endpoints, networks, email, cloud, and identity to detect and stop threats.
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