List the stages in the incident response process.

• A. Preparation, recovery, assessment, and reporting
• B. Detection, reporting, recovery, and evaluation
• C. Preparation, identification, containment, and recovery
• D. Preparation, containment, recovery, and feedback

Answer: (C)

The correct answer identifies the stages in the incident response process as preparation, identification, containment, and recovery.

Preparation is the initial stage where organizations take proactive steps to ensure they are ready to respond effectively to an incident. This can involve developing incident response plans, training personnel, and implementing security measures.

Identification is the next crucial stage, where the organization detects and realizes that an incident has occurred. This involves analyzing signs of potential breaches or disruptions to establish the nature and scope of the incident.

Containment follows, allowing the organization to limit the damage caused by the incident. This might involve isolating affected systems to prevent further spread of the issue and ensuring that critical operations can continue while minimizing impact.

Finally, recovery aims to restore systems and services to normal operations and address any vulnerabilities identified during the incident. This stage often includes restoring data from backups, repairing systems, and ensuring that the lessons learned are incorporated into future incident response strategies.

This sequence is vital for effectively managing incidents and helps organizations improve their resilience against future threats.