Create an incident response plan

Create an Incident Response Plan

An incident response plan ensures your organization can quickly detect, contain, and remediate data breaches or security events. Both GDPR and CPRA require companies to notify regulators and, in some cases, affected individuals—making preparation critical.

Key Stages of an Incident Response Plan

1. Preparation

   • Define roles and responsibilities for incident handling.

   • Maintain updated contact lists (legal, security, PR, regulators).

   • Train staff on how to spot and escalate issues.

2. Identification

   • Monitor logs, alerts, and systems for anomalies.

   • Establish thresholds for what qualifies as a “security incident.”

   • Document the initial report and evidence.

3. Containment

   • Isolate affected systems to prevent spread.

   • Disable compromised accounts or revoke access keys.

   • Apply temporary fixes to limit exposure.

4. Eradication and Recovery

   • Remove malware or vulnerabilities.

   • Patch systems and restore from clean backups.

   • Verify normal operations and monitor for recurrence.

5. Notification

   • GDPR: Notify regulators within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach.

   • CPRA: Notify affected California residents “without unreasonable delay.”

   • Provide details on scope, type of data, risks, and mitigation steps.

6. Post-Incident Review

   • Conduct a root cause analysis.

   • Update playbooks, processes, and security controls.

   • Train teams based on lessons learned.

Example: Compromised API Key

• Detection: Monitoring flags unusual API traffic.

• Containment: Key revoked immediately; affected service isolated.

• Notification: Users informed of possible exposure within required timelines.

• Recovery: System patched, logs reviewed, and monitoring tightened.

Implementing Response in Practice

Incident log schema

CREATE TABLE incident_log (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  detected_at TIMESTAMP,
  description TEXT,
  severity TEXT,
  status TEXT,
  owner TEXT
);

Automated alerting

# Example: trigger Slack alert on suspicious activity
tail -f /var/log/auth.log | grep "Failed password" | ./send_slack_alert.sh

Notification template snippet

We are writing to inform you of a security incident detected on [date].
The incident involved [type of data], and we took immediate action to contain it.
We are providing this notice in accordance with GDPR/CPRA requirements

Quick Incident Response Checklist

• Define clear incident response roles and contacts

• Monitor systems and set alert thresholds

• Contain and isolate affected systems quickly

• Notify regulators and users within required timelines

• Document and review every incident for future prevention

Conclusion

A well-prepared incident response plan transforms chaos into controlled action. By detecting early, containing quickly, and communicating transparently, companies can meet regulatory obligations, reduce impact, and strengthen trust with customers and regulators.