What is the main goal of the containment phase in incident response?

The main goal of the containment phase in incident response is to prevent further damage and spread of the incident. This phase is critical as it aims to isolate affected systems and limit the attacker’s access to an organization’s network and resources. By effectively containing the incident, security teams can mitigate immediate risks, protect sensitive data, and ensure that any ongoing malicious activities are halted. This step is essential before moving onto the eradication and recovery phases, as it establishes a controlled environment to analyze the incident without the risk of it worsening.

In contrast, analyzing the attack vector is more appropriate for the later investigation or analysis stages, where in-depth understanding of how an attack occurred is crucial for future prevention. Legal actions may be relevant afterward but are not part of the primary focus during containment. Backing up all data before proceeding could be a necessary activity, but it is typically more aligned with recovery efforts, as the priority during containment is to stop the ongoing incident rather than focus on data preservation.