ISO 27001 Incident Response Policy Template: Free Download + Guide

Why Incident Response Is Critical for ISO 27001

ISO 27001:2022 dedicates specific Annex A controls to information security incident management. Without a documented incident response process, you cannot demonstrate that your organization can detect, respond to, and learn from security events.

Annex A control A.5.24 (Information Security Incident Management Planning and Preparation) requires you to establish and communicate incident response procedures. Controls A.5.25 (Assessment and Decision on Information Security Events), A.5.26 (Response to Information Security Incidents), and A.5.27 (Learning from Information Security Incidents) cover the complete incident lifecycle.

This guide walks you through building an incident response policy that satisfies auditors and genuinely protects your organization when incidents occur.

What Your Incident Response Policy Must Cover

1. Purpose and Scope

Define what constitutes a security event versus a security incident:

• Security event: Any observable occurrence in a system or network that could indicate a security issue (e.g., failed login attempt, unexpected system restart)
• Security incident: A security event that has been assessed and confirmed to compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information

Your policy should cover all information assets within the ISMS scope.

2. Incident Classification

Define severity levels with clear criteria:

3. Incident Response Phases

Phase 1: Detection and Reporting

Document how incidents are detected:

• Automated monitoring and alerting (SIEM, IDS/IPS, endpoint detection)
• User reports through a defined channel (email, ticketing system, phone)
• Third-party notifications (customers, vendors, security researchers)

Every employee must know how to report a suspected incident. Your policy should specify a single, clear reporting channel.

Phase 2: Triage and Assessment

When an event is reported:

1. Log the initial report with timestamp, reporter, and description
2. Assess whether the event is a confirmed incident
3. Classify severity using the defined criteria
4. Assign an incident handler based on severity and type
5. Notify relevant stakeholders per the escalation matrix

Phase 3: Containment

Immediate actions to prevent the incident from spreading:

• Short-term containment: Isolate affected systems, block malicious IPs, disable compromised accounts
• Evidence preservation: Capture logs, memory dumps, disk images before remediation destroys evidence
• Communication: Notify affected parties as required by the escalation matrix

Phase 4: Eradication and Recovery

Remove the root cause and restore normal operations:

• Remove malware, patch vulnerabilities, reset compromised credentials
• Restore systems from verified clean backups
• Validate system integrity before returning to production
• Monitor closely for signs of re-compromise

Phase 5: Post-Incident Review

ISO 27001 specifically requires learning from incidents (A.5.27):

• Conduct a post-incident review within 5 business days of resolution
• Document root cause analysis
• Identify corrective actions to prevent recurrence
• Update risk register if new risks are identified
• Share lessons learned with relevant teams

4. Escalation Matrix

5. Communication Procedures

Define communication templates and protocols for:

• Internal stakeholder notifications
• Customer notifications (if data is compromised)
• Regulatory notifications (GDPR requires 72-hour notification for personal data breaches)
• Law enforcement engagement criteria
• Media and public communication (for significant incidents)

6. Evidence Handling

Document requirements for:

• Chain of custody procedures
• Log retention requirements (minimum retention period)
• Forensic image creation procedures
• Secure storage of incident evidence
• Destruction procedures after retention period expires

Incident Response Metrics

Track and report these metrics to demonstrate continual improvement:

Common Audit Findings

No documented process. Having a policy is not enough - you need evidence that the process is followed consistently. Maintain an incident log with proper records.

No testing. Run tabletop exercises at least quarterly to test your response procedures. Document the scenarios, participants, findings, and improvements.

Incomplete post-incident reviews. Every incident (not just critical ones) should have a documented review. This is how you demonstrate learning (A.5.27).

Missing legal and regulatory requirements. Your policy must reference applicable breach notification requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, contractual obligations).

Build Your Incident Response Capability

The ISO 27001 Document Pack includes a complete Incident Response Policy template with pre-built severity classifications, escalation matrices, and communication templates. All documents are in editable Word format with no watermarks.

For organizations using the Risk Management platform, security incidents can be tracked directly alongside your risk register, ensuring complete traceability from incident to risk to treatment.

Get the Document Pack - $99