This policy defines a clear and actionable process for detecting, reporting, and responding to information security incidents to minimize damage, protect data, and ensure swift recovery.
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Ensure Rapid Response
Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths to ensure incidents are reported, logged, and acted upon within predefined timeframes.
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Minimize Business Damage
Enable swift containment of damage, data recovery, and service restoration through a structured response process, even without a dedicated security team.
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Meet Legal Deadlines
Comply with regulatory obligations like GDPR's 72-hour breach notification rule and NIS2/DORA reporting requirements.
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Prevent Recurrence
Implement post-incident reviews, root cause analysis, and corrective actions to learn from incidents and strengthen your security controls.
Read Full Overview
The Incident Response Policy for SMEs is an essential framework designed to ensure swift and effective handling of cybersecurity incidents. It outlines a comprehensive approach to manage various types of security breaches, including unauthorized access, malware infections, and data loss. By defining clear roles and responsibilities, this policy ensures that incidents are promptly reported and efficiently managed, minimizing the potential impact on business operations. Key features of this policy include the establishment of a structured incident response plan that aligns with international standards such as ISO 27001:2022 and regulatory requirements like GDPR and NIS2. This alignment not only helps in achieving compliance but also assures stakeholders of the organization's commitment to maintaining robust cybersecurity practices. The policy mandates the involvement of key personnel such as the General Manager and IT providers in incident detection and management. It emphasizes the importance of logging incidents, conducting root cause analyses, and implementing corrective actions to prevent future occurrences. By incorporating these practices, SMEs can enhance their resilience against cyber threats and reduce the likelihood of recurrence. Furthermore, the policy includes specific procedures for notifying affected parties, such as customers and regulatory bodies, in compliance with legal obligations. This ensures transparency and maintains trust with stakeholders, which is critical during and after a security incident. Implementing this policy provides SMEs with a sense of relief and confidence, knowing they have a robust framework to address and mitigate cybersecurity incidents. It enables them to focus on their core business activities, secure in the knowledge that their incident response capabilities are reliable and effective.
What’s Inside
- Purpose, Scope, and Objectives
- Roles and Responsibilities (GM, IT Provider, Staff)
- Governance & Incident Categorization
- Incident Reporting Process & Timelines
- Standard Response Steps (Containment, Recovery)
- Post-Incident Review and Lessons Learned
- Enforcement, Compliance, and Audit Readiness
Built for Leaders, By Leaders
This isn't just a document; it's a defensible business tool. Written by certified cybersecurity experts, this policy is designed to be practical for small and medium enterprises. It provides clear, actionable steps that you can implement without a large security team, giving you the confidence that your incident response process is effective and compliant under audit.
Framework Compliance
🛡️ Supported Standards & Frameworks
This product is aligned with the following compliance frameworks, with detailed clause and control mappings.
| Framework | Covered Clauses / Controls |
|---|---|
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 |
Clauses 6.1, 6.3, 8.1
|
| ISO/IEC 27002:2022 |
Controls 5.24, 5.25
|
| NIST SP 800-53 Rev.5 |
IR-4, IR-5, IR-6
|
| EU GDPR |
Article 33
|
| EU NIS2 |
Article 23
|
| EU DORA |
Article 17
|
| COBIT 2019 |
DSS02
DSS04
|
Part of a Complete ISMS Toolkit
This policy is one of 37 documents in our complete ISMS for SME Toolkit, designed for comprehensive compliance.
100%
ISO 27001:2022
95%
EU NIS2
90%
EU GDPR
85%
EU DORA
Related Policies
This policy must be applied in coordination with the following SME policies to create a complete incident management framework.
Information Security Policy (P1S)
Sets the overall expectations for security, including incident handling.
Governance Roles & Responsibilities Policy (P2S)
Establishes authority and accountability for incident escalation and response.
Access Control Policy (P4S)
Enables immediate revocation of access rights during incident response.
Information Security Awareness and Training Policy (P8S)
Ensures all employees can identify and report security incidents effectively.
Data Protection and Privacy Policy (P17S)
Guides legal breach notification procedures under GDPR.
Logging and Monitoring Policy (P22S)
Provides the necessary tools and visibility for detecting and analyzing security events.
Evidence Collection and Forensics Policy (P31S)
Supports investigation and legal defensibility of incident-related actions.
About This Policy
The Incident Response Policy for SMEs provides a structured, actionable framework for managing security incidents from detection to resolution. It is designed to help your organization respond swiftly and effectively to threats like malware, data breaches, and phishing attacks. This policy is critical for minimizing operational disruption, financial loss, and reputational damage associated with a cyber attack.
Covering all employees, contractors, and IT systems, this policy establishes clear roles, responsibilities, and procedures for reporting, containing, and recovering from security incidents. It ensures compliance with key regulatory requirements, including GDPR, NIS2, and DORA breach notification rules. By implementing this policy, your SME can build a resilient security posture and demonstrate due diligence to auditors, customers, and partners.
