In cybersecurity, what does the term incident response refer to?

Incident response refers to the actions taken after a breach has occurred to mitigate damage and ensure that the impact on the organization is minimized. This involves a systematic approach to managing the aftermath of a security incident or breach, which can include identifying the nature of the incident, containing the threat, eradicating the source of the breach, and recovering any lost systems or data. Effective incident response aims to restore normal operations as quickly and efficiently as possible while also providing insights into how the breach occurred to improve future defenses.

This definition aligns precisely with the concept of incident response, focusing on actions taken post-breach rather than the initial detection of threats, evidence gathering, or data loss prevention strategies like encryption. Other options represent important aspects of cybersecurity but do not encapsulate the broader incident response framework that is crucial for managing and learning from security incidents.