Know when to talk to legal, users, managers, directors - secuguru/security-terms GitHub Wiki

Knowing when to involve legal teams, users, managers, and directors is essential for effective incident management in cybersecurity:

1. Legal Team:

• When: As soon as an incident involves potential breaches of laws, regulations, or contractual obligations. This includes privacy incidents involving personally identifiable information (PII), intellectual property exposure, or regulatory compliance issues.
• Why: Legal can help assess compliance obligations, guide responses to regulatory bodies, and mitigate potential liabilities.

2. Users (Affected or Potentially Affected):

• When: Only when it’s confirmed that their data or services have been impacted or might be at risk.
• Why: Transparency is critical, especially for maintaining trust and meeting legal obligations (such as data breach notification laws). Timing is crucial; notifying users too early or too late can create confusion or reputational damage.

3. Managers (Direct Supervisors or Team Leaders):

• When: Early in the incident lifecycle, as soon as the incident is confirmed to require a response.
• Why: Managers need to know promptly so they can allocate resources, support the incident response, and keep their teams informed and on standby as needed.

4. Directors (Executive-Level, e.g., CISO or CTO):

• When: For significant incidents that could impact the organization’s reputation, operations, or finances.
• Why: Directors need the full scope to make informed, high-level decisions about resource allocation, public statements, and overall incident response strategy.

This approach ensures that each stakeholder is engaged at the right time, helping to keep the incident response streamlined, efficient, and legally compliant.