How to Build Your WISP – Step 3: Establishing a Plan for Responding to Security Incidents
No matter how strong your security measures are, incidents will happen. Whether it’s a lost laptop, a phishing attack, or a full-scale data breach, having a well-defined plan for responding to security incidents can mean the difference between quick recovery and prolonged chaos.
Why You Need an Incident Response Plan
A security incident isn’t just an inconvenience—it can result in financial loss, legal penalties, and reputational damage. A structured Incident Response Plan (IRP) helps you:
Minimize damage and data loss.
Meet regulatory requirements, including the FTC Safeguards Rule and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).
Reduce downtime and business disruptions.
Improve coordination and communication during an incident.
The Six Phases of Incident Response
Your Written Information Security Plan (WISP) should include a structured approach to handling security incidents. Here’s how to break it down:
1. Preparation
Develop a clear Incident Response Policy that defines roles, responsibilities, and procedures.
Establish a communication plan for internal teams and external stakeholders.
Maintain up-to-date backups and ensure critical data can be restored.
Conduct regular security training and tabletop exercises to simulate potential incidents.
Ensure security tools and monitoring systems are in place to detect threats early.
2. Identify the Incident
Train employees to recognize and report suspicious activity, such as phishing emails, unauthorized access attempts, or system anomalies.
Use security monitoring tools to detect and log potential threats.
Maintain a clear reporting process—employees should know who to notify and how to report incidents.
2. Contain the Threat
Short-term containment: Disconnect affected devices from the network and revoke compromised credentials.
Long-term containment: Apply patches, strengthen security controls, and isolate affected systems to prevent spread.
Access control updates: Ensure no unauthorized users have ongoing access.
3. Eradicate the Cause
Determine the root cause—was it malware, human error, or a third-party vulnerability?
Remove any malicious software, reset affected credentials, and review logs for suspicious activity.
Strengthen security measures to prevent recurrence.
4. Recover from the Incident
Restore data from backups if needed.
Reconnect systems and monitor for anomalies.
Communicate with stakeholders (clients, employees, regulators) as required.
5. Review and Improve
Conduct a post-incident review to document what happened and how the response was handled.
Identify weaknesses and update your security policies accordingly.
Incorporate lessons learned into future employee training.
Integrating Incident Response into Daily Operations
A security response plan shouldn’t just exist on paper—it needs to be actionable and incorporated into daily business practices:
Train Employees: Employees should be familiar with reporting procedures and response protocols.
Test Your Plan: Run incident response drills or tabletop exercises to ensure your team knows how to react.
Align with HR and IT: Onboarding and offboarding processes should ensure access controls are updated and incidents involving former employees are handled appropriately.
Documentation and Compliance
To meet regulatory requirements, your WISP Incident Response Plan should include:
A contact list for incident reporting and escalation.
Step-by-step instructions for containment, recovery, and communication.
Templates for documenting incidents, including date/time, actions taken, and outcomes.
Wrapping Up
Security incidents are inevitable, but an effective Incident Response Plan can reduce damage and ensure a swift recovery. By defining clear roles, response steps, and continuous improvements, your business can stay resilient against cyber threats.
If building an incident response plan feels overwhelming, Zeus InfoSec can help. Our structured approach ensures your response plan is practical, effective, and fully integrated with your WISP. A security plan is only as strong as your ability to respond—let’s make sure you’re prepared.
In the next post, we’ll cover Tracking Your Assets—because you can’t protect what you don’t know you have.
Still not sure where to start?
Check out Protect Your Business with Our Free Cybersecurity Checklist for Small Businesses or Free Cybersecurity Essentials eBook
