Security Incident Response Playbooks and Procedures
When a security incident happens, a clear plan helps teams respond quickly and reduce damage. A well-crafted incident response playbook merges defined roles, guided steps, and decision points into a repeatable routine. Teams across security, IT, legal, and communications rely on these documents to stay coordinated under pressure.
A practical playbook serves three audiences: responders, managers, and auditors. It should be concise, accessible, and updated after every incident.
Core Components
- Purpose and scope
- Roles and contact list
- Incident classification and severity levels
- Triage and containment steps
- Eradication and recovery steps
- Evidence preservation and logging
- Communication plan for stakeholders and customers
- Escalation and approval gates
- Post-incident review and updates
Example structure of a playbook
- Overview: purpose, scope, audience
- Trigger and classification: how to classify incident
- Triage steps: initial assessment
- Containment: actions to limit spread
- Eradication and recovery: remove threat and restore services
- Evidence and logging: preserve chain of custody
- Communications: internal and external
- Roles and contacts: who does what
- Post-incident review: lessons learned and updates
Getting started
Begin with a simple, actionable template. Involve key teams early. Map critical assets and data, and draft a concise contact sheet.
- Identify critical assets and data
- Define incident severity levels
- Create a simple contact sheet
- Draft a one-page runbook per incident type
- Schedule tabletop exercises
Keeping playbooks alive
Review quarterly and after incidents. Use version control, store templates in a shared repository, and attach checklists that teams can follow under stress.
Real-world touchstone
A phishing incident might start with detection, followed by user isolation, email block and quarantine, log collection, and a quick SOC alert. The goal is to contain quickly, preserve evidence, and communicate clearly with stakeholders while restoring normal service.
Final note: incident response is iterative. Treat playbooks as living documents that improve with each exercise and incident.
Key Takeaways
- Clear, tested playbooks reduce response time and damage.
- Regular updates and drills keep procedures relevant.
- Strong communication and evidence handling are essential to recovery and lessons learned.