What is the purpose of incident response plans?

Incident response plans serve a critical function within cybersecurity frameworks by providing structured procedures for addressing and managing cybersecurity incidents. These plans are designed to outline specific steps that organizations need to take in the event of a security breach or threat, ensuring a quick and effective response to minimize damage and recover operations efficiently.

The core purpose of an incident response plan includes defining roles and responsibilities, establishing communication protocols, and detailing the steps to contain and mitigate the threat. This helps organizations prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from incidents while maintaining compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

In contrast, other options such as conducting performance reviews, creating user manuals, or documenting routine tasks do not address the immediate need to handle security breaches or crises, which is the primary focus of incident response plans. Thus, this structured approach is crucial for any organization aiming to enhance its cybersecurity posture and resilience against potential threats.