What does Incident Response (IR) primarily address?

Incident Response (IR) is a critical component of cybersecurity management that focuses on how organizations prepare for, detect, and respond to security incidents. In this context, handling violations of security policies is central to the purpose of IR. When a security breach occurs or when there are violations of policies—such as unauthorized access, data breaches, or malware infections—IR aims to provide a structured and systematic approach to addressing these incidents. This includes identifying the nature and scope of the incident, containing it to prevent further damage, eradicating the threat, and recovering from the incident to restore normal operations.

The effectiveness of incident response efforts not only helps in limiting potential damage but also plays a significant role in ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and safeguarding organizational assets. Incident response allows organizations to quickly respond to security threats, thereby reducing recovery time and costs while enhancing overall security posture.

In contrast, the other options do not relate directly to the objectives of Incident Response. Promotion of staff wellness programs centers on employee well-being and does not connect to immediate security threats. Evaluation of financial performance pertains to assessing the monetary aspects of a business and is unrelated to handling security incidents. Building customer relations focuses on improving interactions with clients rather than addressing the technical and procedural challenges presented by security incidents.