Can the catalogue help with UK GDPR incident response planning?

Yes. It can help with GDPR-related incident handling by highlighting sections such as breach assessment, notification, evidence logging, and regulator communication.

Is an incident response plan only for cyber security incidents?

The catalogue can support cyber security planning, but an incident response plan may also cover operational, data, supplier, physical, or reputational incidents.

What is the difference between a section catalogue and a full incident response plan?

A section catalogue lists possible components of a plan, while a complete incident response plan is a finished document tailored to a specific organisation.

Can small UK businesses use this incident response plan catalogue?

Yes. Small businesses can use the catalogue to identify essential response procedures without creating an overly complex document.

What roles should be included in an incident response plan?

Common roles include incident owner, response team members, IT lead, legal contact, communications lead, data protection contact, and senior management approver.

Does the catalogue include data breach response sections?

Yes. The catalogue can include sections covering ICO notification, affected individual communication, internal reporting, and evidence preservation.

How can this catalogue help with compliance and audit preparation?

It helps identify sections relevant to standards and frameworks such as ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials, UK GDPR, and internal governance requirements.

Can I use the catalogue to build a customised incident response plan?

Yes. You can use it as a guide to select, customise, or generate incident response plan sections suitable for your organisation.

How often should a UK incident response plan be reviewed?

Plans should be reviewed at least annually, and after major incidents, technology changes, regulatory updates, or organisational restructuring.

Where can I generate a full incident response plan document?

The main category page can generate a full incident response plan document using AI based on your selected requirements and organisational context.

EN-GB>Governance>Incident Response Plan>United Kingdom Incident Response Plan Catalogue

Incident Response Plan Section Catalogue In The United Kingdom

Created: 9 Jun 2026

Explore this section catalogue to quickly find relevant incident response plan content, improve preparedness, and align documentation with UK needs. It complements the AI Generated Incident Response Plan for use in the United Kingdom category page.

Section name	Purpose	Inclusion priority	Typical outputs
Preparation
Plan Scope And Objectives	Defines covered systems, incident types, objectives, assumptions, and plan limits.	Essential	Scope statement, objectives, exclusions, review schedule.
Incident Response Roles And Responsibilities	Allocates decision-making, technical, legal, communications, and business responsibilities.	Essential	RACI matrix, role descriptions, duty rota.
Incident Commander Authority	Confirms who leads the response and what emergency powers they hold.	Essential	Authority statement, delegation record, decision mandate.
Emergency Contacts And Call Tree	Provides current internal and external contacts for urgent response activation.	Essential	Contact list, escalation tree, out-of-hours rota.
Detection and reporting
Plan Activation Criteria	Defines triggers for starting formal incident response procedures.	Essential	Activation decision, incident reference, mobilisation notice.
Incident Reporting Channels	Explains how staff, contractors, suppliers, and users report suspected incidents.	Essential	Report form, hotline record, helpdesk ticket, email alert.
Assessment and triage
Initial Triage	Confirms whether an event is an incident and identifies immediate priorities.	Essential	Triage notes, preliminary impact rating, first actions list.
Incident Classification	Categorises incidents by type, severity, impact, and urgency.	Essential	Classification code, severity level, priority rating.
Severity Levels And Escalation Thresholds	Sets criteria for escalating incidents to management, legal, or crisis teams.	Essential	Severity matrix, escalation log, management alert.
Business Impact Assessment	Assesses operational, financial, customer, legal, and reputational consequences.	Essential	Impact assessment, affected services list, priority decisions.
Personal Data Breach Assessment	Determines whether the incident involves a UK GDPR personal data breach.	Essential	Breach assessment, affected data categories, risk decision.
ICO Notification Decision	Determines whether the ICO must be notified within 72 hours.	Essential	ICO decision record, notification form, reasons for delay.
Affected Individual Notification	Decides whether individuals must be told about a high-risk breach.	Essential	Notification script, recipient list, delivery evidence.
Breach Register Entry	Records personal data breaches and reasons for notification decisions.	Essential	Breach register, risk rationale, accountability evidence.
Legal Advice And Privilege Management	Sets when lawyers are engaged and how privileged material is protected.	Recommended	Legal instructions, privilege protocol, advice record.
Evidence Preservation	Preserves logs, devices, images, and artefacts for investigation and assurance.	Essential	Evidence log, forensic image, chain-of-custody record.
Chain Of Custody	Tracks who collected, accessed, transferred, and stored evidence.	Recommended	Custody form, access log, evidence transfer record.
Technical Investigation	Identifies attack vectors, affected assets, indicators, and root causes.	Essential	Investigation notes, timeline, indicators of compromise, findings.
Affected Asset Identification	Lists systems, devices, accounts, data stores, and services affected.	Essential	Affected asset list, owner list, dependency map.
Detection and reporting
Log Collection And Retention	Collects and protects relevant logs for analysis and later review.	Essential	Log bundle, retention note, SIEM export, access record.
Assessment and triage
Threat Intelligence Enrichment	Uses trusted intelligence to understand attacker methods and likely risks.	Recommended	Threat brief, IOC comparison, risk update.
Containment
Containment Strategy	Chooses short-term and long-term steps to stop further harm.	Essential	Containment plan, approved actions, residual risk note.
Network Isolation	Disconnects or segments affected networks while preserving evidence.	Recommended	Isolation record, firewall changes, network diagram update.
Account Suspension And Credential Reset	Stops misuse of compromised accounts, credentials, tokens, and keys.	Essential	Reset log, disabled accounts list, token revocation record.
Privileged Access Review	Reviews administrator access for compromise, abuse, or excessive permissions.	Recommended	Admin account list, access changes, approval record.
Malware Containment	Limits malware execution, lateral movement, and command-and-control activity.	Essential	Quarantine list, blocked indicators, endpoint actions log.
Ransomware Response	Coordinates containment, recovery, communications, and ransom decision governance.	Essential	Ransomware playbook, recovery decision, extortion log.
Detection and reporting
Phishing And Business Email Compromise Response	Handles malicious emails, credential theft, mailbox compromise, and payment fraud.	Recommended	Email headers, takedown request, mailbox audit, fraud alert.
Containment
Exploited Vulnerability Response	Responds to exploited weaknesses in software, configuration, or exposure.	Recommended	Vulnerability record, patch plan, compensating controls.
Assessment and triage
Supplier Incident Coordination	Coordinates response where suppliers, processors, or cloud providers are involved.	Essential	Supplier notices, SLA review, processor update, action tracker.
Detection and reporting
Processor And Controller Notification	Manages breach notices between controllers, processors, and sub-processors.	Essential	Processor notice, controller update, contract notice log.
Assessment and triage
Contractual Notification Obligations	Identifies customer, lender, insurer, and partner notification duties.	Recommended	Contract review, notice tracker, deadline calendar.
Sector Regulator Notification	Assesses whether FCA, PRA, Ofcom, or other regulators must be informed.	Recommended	Regulatory assessment, notification draft, submission evidence.
NIS Incident Reporting Assessment	Checks whether incident reporting is required under UK NIS rules.	Recommended	NIS assessment, competent authority notice, service impact record.
Law Enforcement Reporting	Sets criteria for reporting cybercrime, fraud, extortion, or theft.	Recommended	Action Fraud report, crime reference, police correspondence.
Detection and reporting
NCSC Reporting	Identifies when and how to report significant cyber incidents to NCSC.	Recommended	NCSC report, incident reference, advice record.
Containment
Internal Communications	Controls staff messages, instructions, and updates during the incident.	Essential	Staff briefing, FAQ, communications approval log.
External Communications	Manages customer, partner, media, and public communications.	Essential	Holding statement, customer notice, media lines, approval record.
Communications Approval Workflow	Requires legal, executive, and communications approval before release.	Recommended	Approval log, message version history, sign-off record.
Media Handling	Sets spokespersons, press lines, monitoring, and enquiry handling.	Optional	Press statement, Q&A, media log, spokesperson brief.
Customer Support Readiness	Prepares support teams for queries, complaints, and protective advice.	Recommended	Call scripts, FAQs, complaint log, escalation route.
Crisis Management Interface	Links incident response to executive crisis management arrangements.	Recommended	Crisis escalation, executive briefing, command structure.
Assessment and triage
Board And Executive Reporting	Provides senior leaders with risk, impact, decision, and recovery updates.	Recommended	Executive brief, board update, decision paper.
Incident Decision Log	Records key decisions, owners, reasons, timings, and approvals.	Essential	Decision log, action log, approval evidence.
Containment
Action Tracking	Tracks assigned response tasks, owners, deadlines, and completion status.	Essential	Action tracker, task updates, overdue item list.
Situation Reports And Meeting Cadence	Sets reporting frequency, attendees, agenda, and situation report format.	Recommended	Sitrep, meeting notes, attendance log, action updates.
Eradication and recovery
Business Continuity Coordination	Connects incident response with continuity plans for critical operations.	Essential	Continuity invocation, workaround plan, service priority list.
Disaster Recovery Invocation	Defines when technical recovery plans are invoked for affected systems.	Essential	DR invocation record, recovery runbook, service restoration plan.
Backup Integrity Verification	Checks backups are available, uncorrupted, uncompromised, and restorable.	Essential	Backup test result, restore point decision, integrity evidence.
Eradication Plan	Removes malware, unauthorised access, vulnerabilities, and persistence mechanisms.	Essential	Eradication steps, remediation tickets, closure evidence.
Patch And Configuration Remediation	Applies security fixes and configuration changes to remove weaknesses.	Essential	Patch records, configuration changes, vulnerability closure report.
System Rebuild And Hardening	Rebuilds compromised assets to a trusted and hardened state.	Recommended	Rebuild log, hardening checklist, baseline image record.
Recovery Prioritisation	Restores services in agreed order based on risk and business impact.	Essential	Recovery priority list, restoration schedule, owner approvals.
Recovery Validation	Confirms restored systems are secure, functional, and monitored.	Essential	Validation checklist, test results, service restoration sign-off.
Post-Recovery Monitoring	Monitors for reinfection, attacker return, or residual compromise.	Recommended	Monitoring plan, alert review, residual risk report.
Data Restoration And Reconciliation	Restores data and reconciles transactions, records, and integrity gaps.	Recommended	Restore report, reconciliation log, data gap list.
Containment
Payment Fraud Response	Coordinates bank contact, payment freezes, fraud reporting, and recovery attempts.	Optional	Bank notice, fraud report, payment recall record.
Detection and reporting
Cyber Insurance Notification	Ensures insurer notification and panel provider requirements are followed.	Recommended	Insurer notice, claim reference, panel appointment record.
Containment
Emergency Procurement And Spend Approval	Authorises urgent purchase of specialists, tools, infrastructure, or support.	Optional	Purchase approval, supplier engagement, cost tracker.
Assessment and triage
External Specialist Engagement	Defines when to engage forensic, legal, PR, recovery, or security specialists.	Recommended	Statement of work, engagement letter, specialist report.
Containment
Remote Working Incident Handling	Manages incidents involving home networks, personal devices, or remote access.	Optional	Remote access log, device instruction, user guidance.
Assessment and triage
Cloud Service Incident Handling	Coordinates response for cloud platforms, SaaS tenants, and shared responsibility gaps.	Recommended	Cloud logs, provider case, tenant configuration review.
Insider Incident Handling	Manages incidents involving staff, contractors, or trusted users.	Optional	HR referral, access review, investigation notes, evidence log.
HR And Disciplinary Coordination	Coordinates employee investigation, suspension, interviews, and disciplinary routes.	Optional	HR case note, interview record, suspension decision.
Detection and reporting
Physical Security Incident Linkage	Links cyber response to lost devices, theft, tampering, and premises breaches.	Optional	Lost device report, wipe confirmation, police reference.
Containment
Data Subject Requests During Incidents	Coordinates urgent rights requests arising from breach communications or complaints.	Optional	DSAR log, response plan, complaint escalation.
Review and improvement
Incident Records Management	Defines retention, access, storage, and ownership of incident records.	Recommended	Record index, retention decision, access list.
Post-Incident Review	Reviews causes, decisions, response performance, and improvement opportunities.	Essential	Lessons learned report, root cause analysis, improvement plan.
Corrective Action Plan	Tracks security, process, training, contractual, and governance improvements.	Essential	Remediation tracker, owners, due dates, closure evidence.
Incident Metrics And Reporting	Measures detection, response, recovery, impact, and improvement performance.	Recommended	MTTD, MTTR, incident trend report, KPI dashboard.
Preparation
Testing And Exercising	Schedules tabletop exercises, simulations, and technical response tests.	Essential	Exercise plan, scenario, attendance record, improvement actions.
Incident Response Training	Ensures staff and responders know reporting and response duties.	Recommended	Training record, attendance list, awareness materials.
Plan Maintenance And Review	Defines ownership, review cycle, version control, and update triggers.	Essential	Version history, review record, change log, approval note.
Template Library	Stores ready-to-use notices, checklists, forms, and scripts.	Recommended	ICO draft, customer notice, triage form, call script.
Eradication and recovery
Residual Risk Acceptance	Records accepted risks where full remediation is delayed or impractical.	Recommended	Risk acceptance, mitigation plan, executive approval.
Review and improvement
Responder Debrief And Welfare	Captures responder feedback and manages fatigue during prolonged incidents.	Optional	Debrief notes, rota changes, welfare actions.
Assessment and triage
DPO Or Privacy Lead Involvement	Defines when privacy specialists advise on breach risk and notifications.	Essential	DPO advice, privacy risk note, notification recommendation.
Review and improvement
DPIA Reassessment	Checks whether processing risks and controls need reassessment after incidents.	Recommended	Updated DPIA, control changes, residual risk decision.
Assessment and triage
Ransom Payment And Sanctions Check	Assesses legal, sanctions, insurance, and governance risks of ransom decisions.	Recommended	Sanctions check, ransom decision paper, legal advice record.
Review and improvement
Threat Information Sharing	Shares relevant indicators and lessons with trusted cyber communities.	Optional	Shared IOCs, advisory note, community posting.
Assessment and triage
Legal Hold And Claims Preservation	Preserves documents and evidence for disputes, claims, and investigations.	Optional	Legal hold notice, preservation list, custodian record.
Review and improvement
Incident Closure Criteria	Defines conditions for closing the incident and returning to normal governance.	Essential	Closure checklist, sign-off, final incident report.

What Should A UK Incident Response Plan Include?

A UK corporate incident response plan should cover the full incident lifecycle: preparation, detection, assessment, containment, eradication, recovery, and review. The most important sections are those that create audit-ready evidence: incident classification, escalation criteria, decision logs, communications approvals, personal data breach assessment, ICO notification decisions, recovery validation, and post-incident lessons learned.

When Does An Incident Become A Reportable Personal Data Breach?

For UK GDPR purposes, an incident response plan should include a specific section for assessing whether an incident is a personal data breach and whether it must be notified to the ICO within 72 hours. The plan should also require records of non-notified breaches, because accountability duties apply even where notification is not made.

Which Sections Are Most Important For Directors And Senior Management?

Senior management need clear sections on incident roles, severity levels, escalation thresholds, legal privilege, regulatory notification, customer communications, business continuity, and board reporting. These sections help ensure urgent commercial decisions are recorded, approved, and aligned with UK data protection, cyber governance, and contractual obligations.

How Should The Plan Support Evidence And Audit Requirements?

The dataset shows that a strong plan should not only describe actions, but also specify outputs. Key outputs include incident tickets, triage notes, forensic preservation records, notification assessments, containment decisions, recovery sign-offs, communications logs, and post-incident improvement trackers.

What Makes An Incident Response Plan Practical Rather Than Theoretical?

The plan should assign ownership for each phase, define decision points, and include templates for high-pressure tasks. Practical UK plans usually include contact lists, call trees, severity matrices, supplier escalation routes, ICO notification workflows, law enforcement referral criteria, and tested recovery procedures.

Incident Response Plan Section Catalogue

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FAQs

What is an Incident Response Plan Section Catalogue in the United Kingdom?

It is a structured reference page listing common sections used in UK incident response plan documents, helping users understand what an effective plan may include.

Who should use this incident response plan section catalogue?

What sections are usually included in a UK incident response plan?

How does this catalogue support incident response plan generation?

Is this incident response plan catalogue specific to the UK?

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