Definition
An incident is any event that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of information or information systems. This includes unauthorized access, data breaches, malware infections, denial-of-service attacks, and system failures. In practice, incidents require a structured response to contain the damage, eradicate the threat, and recover affected systems. Effectively managing incidents is crucial for minimizing business disruption, protecting sensitive data, and maintaining customer trust. For example, a ransomware attack encrypting all company files would be classified as a critical security incident. Unlike an alert, which is a notification of a potential issue, an incident is a confirmed security event that has already occurred or is actively happening. This concept is fundamental to cybersecurity certifications like CompTIA Security+, CySA+, and CISSP.