# NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 IR-4 — Incident Handling - Source: https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-4-incident-handling - Section: [Compliance](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance) › [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5) › IR — Incident Response - Last updated: 2026-06-05 - Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com) **NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5**·Control `IR-4`·high·Component: **Incident Response** ## What this control requires > Implement an incident handling capability covering preparation, detection, analysis, containment, eradication, and recovery, coordinating with contingency planning and incorporating lessons learned. This control supports the Incident Handling Framework capability within the Incident Response family. > > — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5, Control IR-4 ### In plain English Implement an incident handling capability covering preparation, detection, analysis, containment, eradication, and recovery, coordinating with contingency planning and incorporating lessons learned. In practice, this means you can prove you detection management-level controls on a defined cadence. ## Why it matters SP 800-53 is the catalogue every U.S. federal authorisation (FedRAMP, FISMA, CMMC) and most regulated industries point at. A missing control surfaces as a Plan of Action & Milestones (POA&M) item that an Authorizing Official must approve before the Authority To Operate is granted or renewed. This control is rated **high**. Auditors expect a named owner, a remediation SLA, and a tooling artefact that evidences continuous operation. ## What an auditor looks for A 3PAO (FedRAMP) or Independent Assessor (NIST RMF) tests against NIST SP 800-53A assessment procedures. For each control they expect a documented implementation that addresses every assessment objective (Examine, Interview, Test) and an implementation summary in the System Security Plan. Within **Incident Response**, the assessor will trace your implementation back to the catalogue reference (Control IR-4) and look for objective evidence on the latest two assessment cycles. ## How to implement #### Incident Response **Runbook.** Maintain a runbook keyed by incident type with named roles (IC, comms, scribe), an out-of-band comms channel, and a 72-hour timeline for external notification. **Tabletop.** Run a quarterly tabletop exercise (ransomware, insider, supply-chain) and feed gaps back into the runbook. ### Operational checklist - **Detection.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Response.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Control.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Contingency.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Recovery.** Document the trigger, the owner and the cadence. - **Scope:** management, analysis, recovery, capability, implement, response, detection. ## Evidence to collect - **Ticketing Workflow.** `ticketing_workflow` evidence Workflow metrics (ServiceNow, Jira) show approvals and remediation. Focus: Incident Handling. ## Common pitfalls - Runbooks that name a role but no person, or list a paging channel that no longer exists. ## How it maps to other frameworks Computed from shared tags, control component and key-operation subjects — handy when you are reconciling controls across an audit. - [**NIST SP 800-171 Rev. 3 3.6.1** — Incident Handling](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3/3-6-1-incident-handling) - [**SOC 2 (2017 TSC) CC7.5** — Security Incident Recovery Activities](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria/cc7-5-security-incident-recovery-activities) - [**CIS Controls v8 11.5** — Test Data Recovery](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/cis-controls-v8/11-5-test-data-recovery) - [**ISO/IEC 27001:2022 A.5.27** — Learning from information security incidents](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022/a-5-27-learning-from-information-security-incidents) - [**BSI C5:2020 OPS-21** — Involvement of Cloud customers in the event of incidents](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/bsi-c5-2020/ops-21-involvement-of-cloud-customers-in-the-event-of-incidents) ## Related controls in NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5 - [**Control IR-3(2)** — Coordination With Related Plans](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-3-2-coordination-with-related-plans) - [**Control IR-4(15)** — Public Relations And Reputation Repair](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-4-15-public-relations-and-reputation-repair) - [**Control IR-4(7)** — Insider Threats -- Intra-Organization Coordination](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-4-7-insider-threats-intra-organization-coordination) - [**Control CP-2(1)** — Coordinate With Related Plans](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/cp-2-1-coordinate-with-related-plans) - [**Control IR-6** — Incident Reporting](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-6-incident-reporting) - [**Control IR-7(1)** — Automation Support For Availability Of Information And Support](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5/ir-7-1-automation-support-for-availability-of-information-and-support) ## References - [NIST Computer Security Resource Center — NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5](https://csrc.nist.gov/Projects/risk-management/sp800-53-controls) - Catalogue identifier: `Control IR-4` Topics: incident responsechange managementbackup recovery ## Related compliance guidance - [NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: a practical implementation guide for cloud teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-53-rev-5): Start with the full NIST SP 800-53 implementation guide — scope, roadmap, evidence and how the assessment runs. - [NIST SP 800-171 and CMMC: a practical guide to protecting CUI in the cloud](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/nist-sp-800-171-rev-3): If your obligation is protecting CUI in your own systems for a federal or defence contract, this derived subset — not the full catalogue — is the requirement. - [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Most commercial SaaS already hold a SOC 2 Type 2, and FedRAMP 20x Class A is designed for providers that have one.