The question asks for the components of an incident response plan, which are best represented by the phases of the incident response lifecycle. The correct sequence is established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The lifecycle begins with Preparation, where the organization establishes its incident response capabilities. This is followed by Detection and Analysis to identify and validate an incident. The next phase, Containment, Eradication, and Recovery, focuses on limiting the incident's impact, removing the threat, and restoring systems to normal operation. The final phase is Post-Incident Activity, which involves analyzing the incident and the response to improve future security and incident handling efforts. Option A accurately reflects this established four-phase model.

B. This option incorrectly places Recovery before Containment and Eradication. An incident must be contained and the threat eradicated before systems can be safely recovered.

C. This option incorrectly places Recovery after Post-Incident Activity. System recovery is a critical step to restore business operations and must occur before the final lessons-learned phase.

D. This option incorrectly places Containment last among the active response phases. Containment is the immediate priority after detection to prevent further damage.

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2012). Computer Security Incident Handling Guide. Special Publication (SP) 800-61 Rev. 2. Section 2.3

"Incident Response Life Cycle

" page 7. The document states

"The life cycle has four phases: 1. Preparation; 2. Detection and Analysis; 3. Containment

Eradication

and Recovery; 4. Post-Incident Activity." Figure 2-1 visually depicts this exact flow.

2. Tøndel

I. A.

Line

M. B.

& Gjøsæter

T. (2008). A Comparative Study of Incident Response Methodologies. In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Information-Warfare and Information-Security (ICIW 2008). Section 3.1

"The NIST Methodology

" page 370. This paper reviews various methodologies and describes the NIST model with the phases: Preparation

Detection & Analysis

Containment

Eradication & Recovery

and Post-Incident Activity.

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Software Engineering Institute. (2016). Defining the Process for Incident Response. CERT Division. Retrieved from course materials related to incident management. The CERT model

which heavily influenced the NIST framework

outlines a similar process: Prepare -> Protect -> Detect -> Triage -> Respond. The "Respond" phase encompasses containment

eradication

and recovery

aligning with the NIST structure.