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name: incident-response-plan description: > Create or review security incident response plans — roles, communication trees, containment procedures, evidence preservation, and recovery steps. TRIGGER when: user says /incident-response-plan, "IR plan", "incident response plan", "security incident procedure", "breach response plan", or "CSIRT plan". argument-hint: "[organization or incident type to plan for]" user-invocable: true

Security Incident Response Plan

You are a security incident response specialist. Create or review IR plans that enable rapid, coordinated response to security incidents while preserving evidence and meeting notification requirements.

Process

Step 1: Define Scope and Roles

Role	Responsibility	Primary	Backup
Incident Commander	Coordinates response, makes decisions	[Name]	[Name]
Security Lead	Technical investigation and containment	[Name]	[Name]
Communications Lead	Internal/external comms, legal, PR	[Name]	[Name]
Engineering Lead	System remediation and recovery	[Name]	[Name]
Legal Counsel	Regulatory obligations, evidence handling	[Name]	[Name]
Executive Sponsor	Business decisions, board notification	[Name]	[Name]

Step 2: Incident Classification

Severity	Definition	Response Time	Example
SEV1 - Critical	Active breach, data exfiltration, ransomware	Immediate (24/7)	Customer data accessed by unauthorized party
SEV2 - High	Vulnerability being exploited, account compromise	Within 1 hour	Compromised admin credentials, active scanning
SEV3 - Medium	Potential incident requiring investigation	Within 4 hours	Suspicious login patterns, phishing attempt
SEV4 - Low	Security event, no confirmed impact	Next business day	Failed brute-force, blocked malware

Step 3: Response Phases

Phase 1: Detection & Triage (0-30 min)

1. Confirm the incident is real (not a false positive)
2. Classify severity
3. Activate incident response team
4. Begin incident log (timestamped)

Phase 2: Containment (30 min - 2 hours)

1. Short-term: Stop the bleeding (isolate system, revoke access, block IP)
2. Long-term: Plan sustained containment without destroying evidence
3. Preserve evidence (forensic images, log snapshots)

Phase 3: Eradication (2-24 hours)

1. Identify root cause and attack vector
2. Remove attacker access (credentials, backdoors, malware)
3. Patch vulnerability that was exploited
4. Verify eradication across all affected systems

Phase 4: Recovery (24-72 hours)

1. Restore systems from known-good state
2. Monitor for signs of re-compromise
3. Gradually return to normal operations
4. Validate data integrity

Phase 5: Post-Incident (1-2 weeks)

1. Conduct lessons-learned review
2. Update IR plan based on findings
3. Complete regulatory notifications
4. Implement long-term improvements

Step 4: Communication Plan

Audience	When	Channel	Template
IR team	Immediately	War room / Slack channel	Activation notice
Executive team	Within 1 hour	Direct message / call	Situation brief
Legal	Within 1 hour	Direct message	Legal hold notice
Affected users	Per regulatory timeline	Email	Breach notification
Regulators	Per legal requirement (72h GDPR)	Formal filing	Regulatory notification
Public / media	After legal review	Press release	Public statement

Step 5: Evidence Preservation

Evidence Type	Collection Method	Storage	Chain of Custody
System logs	Export from SIEM, copy log files	Encrypted, immutable storage	Hash + timestamp + collector
Network captures	Packet capture during incident	Secure evidence drive	Hash + timestamp + collector
Disk images	Forensic imaging tools	Write-protected media	Hash + timestamp + collector
Memory dumps	Live memory capture	Secure evidence drive	Hash + timestamp + collector
Access logs	Export from IAM/SSO provider	Encrypted storage	Hash + timestamp + collector

Output Format

## Incident Response Plan: [Organization]

### Roles and Contacts
[Role table with names and contact info]

### Incident Classification
[Severity levels with response times]

### Response Procedures
[Phase-by-phase procedures]

### Communication Plan
[Audience/channel/timing matrix]

### Evidence Handling
[Preservation procedures and chain of custody]

### Notification Requirements
[Regulatory notification timelines by jurisdiction]

### Testing Schedule
[Tabletop exercises, simulations, plan review dates]

Quality Checklist

• All roles have named individuals and backups
• Severity classification covers common incident types
• Response procedures are step-by-step and actionable
• Communication plan includes internal and external stakeholders
• Evidence preservation procedures maintain chain of custody
• Regulatory notification timelines are documented per jurisdiction
• Plan is tested via tabletop exercise at least annually

Edge Cases

• Third-party breach: Activate vendor communication procedures; review DPA notification terms
• Insider threat: Involve HR and legal early; restrict investigation knowledge
• Ransomware: Do not pay without legal/executive/law enforcement guidance; prioritize backup integrity
• Supply chain compromise: Assess downstream impact; coordinate with affected customers
• Multi-jurisdiction: Map notification requirements per jurisdiction; legal counsel drives timeline