CISA Lacked an Incident Response Plan During Its Own Security Breach

The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) admitted it did not have an incident response plan ready when it experienced a security breach, forcing it to improvise its playbook mid-incident. The revelation, reported by TechCrunch, highlights a critical planning gap even at the agency responsible for advising others on cybersecurity preparedness. Experts warn that writing response procedures during an active attack leads to poor decisions under stress, unclear team roles, and loss of forensic evidence. Security professionals recommend that organisations of all sizes prepare a simple one-page runbook in advance, covering detection, containment, evidence preservation, communication, recovery, and post-mortem review. CISA's public admission has been noted as a rare example of institutional transparency that others can learn from.