Which of the following is NOT an element of an effective incident response plan?

An effective incident response plan is structured around several core components that ensure organizations can efficiently identify, manage, and mitigate incidents. The elements typically consist of preparation, identification, containment, eradication, recovery, and lessons learned.

Public relations management, while important in the broader context of organizational response and reputation management during a crisis, is not a fundamental element of the technical incident response process itself. The primary focus is on addressing the incident through defined steps such as preparation, containment of the threat, and eradication of the root cause. Public relations efforts, although critical to managing communication and perception, do not directly influence the technical handling of an incident, thus making it less essential as an element of an incident response plan.

Preparation involves establishing policies, procedures, and training to equip teams before an incident occurs. Containment aims to limit the impact of an incident, while eradication focuses on removing the threat. Each of these elements plays a crucial role in ensuring that an organization can respond to incidents effectively, whereas public relations is a supportive function that follows the technical response.