Incident Response (IR)

Incident response is the structured process to detect, contain, and recover from security incidents.

Updated: 2026-03-05

Definition

Incident Response (IR) is a set of procedures for handling security incidents: preparation, detection/analysis, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned.

Strong IR reduces downtime and limits damage by acting quickly and consistently.

Key points

Phases: prepare → detect → contain → eradicate → recover → learn
Needs playbooks and clear roles
Logging/visibility is required for effective IR

Common mistakes

No preparation (tools/contacts/runbooks missing).
Erasing evidence before collection (hurts investigation).

Related exams

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701)

Free Security+ SY0-701 mini test. Continue in the app for offline packs and detailed explanations.

Related terms

what is siem
what is edr
what is forensics

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