Incident Response Playbooks for Security Teams

A solid incident response playbook helps teams act quickly and consistently when a threat appears. It reduces confusion, preserves evidence, and speeds recovery. A good playbook is practical, written in plain language, and easy to follow under stress. It should be versioned, so improvements are tracked over time and new incidents can reuse lessons learned.

A playbook usually covers the critical stages from detection to lessons learned. It describes who does what, how to escalate, and how to communicate with stakeholders. It also includes templates for emails, tickets, and status notes. Tailor it to your organization’s size, tools, and legal requirements. Keep it lightweight enough to use during a live event, but complete enough to guide all responders.

What a good playbook includes

  • Purpose, scope, and success criteria
  • Roles and contact list
  • Escalation and notification paths
  • Triage and containment steps
  • Eradication, recovery, and validation
  • Evidence handling and chain of custody
  • Communication templates for status updates
  • Post-incident review and updates to the playbook

Example: Phishing incident playbook

  • Detect indicators: suspicious email, credential prompt, or unusual login
  • Triage: confirm affected accounts and potential data access
  • Contain: block phishing domain, reset compromised credentials
  • Eradicate: remove emails, scan endpoints, apply patches
  • Recover: reissue tokens, monitor for re-attack
  • Communicate: internal status, customer notices if required
  • Learn: document findings and update runbooks

Implementation tips

  • Practice with tabletop drills at least quarterly
  • Store playbooks in version control and link to incident tickets
  • Customize for your tech stack and legal requirements
  • Review after each real incident to capture lessons

Key Takeaways

  • A clear playbook speeds response and helps preserve evidence.
  • Include roles, escalation, and templates for quick action.
  • Regular practice and updates keep the playbook useful across teams.