What does "containment" refer to in incident response?

Containment in the context of incident response specifically refers to the strategies and actions taken to limit the scope and impact of a security incident. This is a critical phase in the incident response process, as it focuses on preventing further damage and avoiding the spread of the incident to other systems or data.

The aim of containment is to isolate affected systems, halt ongoing attacks, and protect unaffected assets. For example, this may involve disconnecting compromised systems from the network, implementing temporary network segmentation, or applying emergency patches to mitigate vulnerabilities. The objective is to ensure that while the incident is being thoroughly investigated and resolved, the overall security posture of the organization is preserved as much as possible. By effectively containing the incident, organizations can minimize potential losses and facilitate a more smoother remediation process.

In contrast, other options focus on different aspects of incident management. Eliminating threats pertains more to eradication strategies, analyzing data breaches involves post-incident analysis and lessons learned, and informing stakeholders is related to communication and reporting efforts during and after the incident response process. Each of these components is crucial, but the essence of containment lies specifically in its focus on limiting damage during an incident.