What this control covers
Develop, document, and disseminate incident response policies and procedures, assign a managing official, and review/update them periodically or after specific events to ensure compliance and effective incident response. This control supports the Incident Response Management System capability within the Incident Response family.
Why it matters
Risk is the language an executive team understands; this control connects technical reality to board-level decisions and budget allocation.
How to implement
AWS
Codify the policy intent as SCPs, AWS Config conformance packs, and Security Hub standards so the cloud enforces what the document says.
Azure
Codify in Azure Policy initiatives (built-in regulatory compliance for CIS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA) and assign at management-group level.
GCP
VM Manager (OS patch + config management) and Artifact Registry vulnerability scanning integrate with Cloud Build to block vulnerable images.
GitHub
Subscribe to secret-scanning alerts and Dependabot security advisories; require triage SLAs by severity. For exposed secrets, rotate at the cloud provider FIRST then revoke at GitHub — order matters.
On-premises
Maintain a policy library with a documented review cadence (annual minimum); store in your GRC tool with attestation tracking. Map each policy to controls so an audit pull cites the exact policy clause.
Evidence to collect
policy_document— A signed, version-controlled policy stating leadership intent and the named owner.
Signed policy or standard documents the safeguard. Focus: Policy And Procedures.
Quick checklist
- Policy — Procedures / Management
- Review — Procedures / Management
- Response — Procedures / Management
- System — Procedures / Management
- Control — Procedures / Management
- Compliance — Procedures / Management
Related articles on this site
- NIST 800-171 3.12.4 Develop, document, and periodically update system security plans that describe system boundaries, system environments of operation, how security requirements are implemented, and the relationships with or connections to
- CMMC 2.0 CA.2.157 Develop, document, and periodically update system security plans that describe system boundaries, system environments of operation, how security requirements are implemented, and the relationships with or connections to ot
- NIST 800-171 3.3.3 Review and update logged events.
- NIST 800-171 3.2.1 Ensure that managers, systems administrators, and users of organizational systems are made aware of the security risks associated with their activities and of the applicable policies, standards, and procedures related to