ISC2 CC Business Continuity, DR & Incident Response Practice Question
A small retail company is developing its first incident response plan. The owner asks which phase of the incident response lifecycle involves developing policies, assigning roles, and acquiring tools. Which phase should be recommended?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse the preparation phase with later phases, such as detection or post-incident activity, where policies and tools are used but not initially developed.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Preparation
The preparation phase is where organizations develop incident response policies, define team roles, and acquire tools and resources. It is the foundation of the incident response lifecycle. Detection and analysis, containment/eradication/recovery, and post-incident activity are subsequent phases that depend on preparation. For a small retail company starting from scratch, preparation is the essential first step.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Containment, eradication, and recovery
Why it's wrong here
Containment, eradication, and recovery are phases that occur after an incident is detected. They involve limiting damage, removing the threat, and restoring systems. These phases rely on the policies, roles, and tools established during preparation. The owner is asking about the foundational phase, not the active response phases. Therefore, this option is incorrect for the scenario.
- ✓
Preparation
Why this is correct
Preparation is the first phase of the incident response lifecycle. It involves establishing policies, defining roles and responsibilities, training personnel, and acquiring necessary tools and resources. For a small retail company, this phase ensures they are ready to handle incidents before they occur. Without preparation, response efforts are ad hoc and likely ineffective, making this the correct recommendation.
- ✗
Post-incident activity
Why it's wrong here
Post-incident activity involves reviewing the incident, documenting lessons learned, and improving the incident response plan. It happens after recovery is complete. While it may lead to updates in policies and tools, the initial development of those elements occurs during preparation. The owner's question is about the starting point, so post-incident activity is not the right phase.
- ✗
Detection and analysis
Why it's wrong here
Detection and analysis is the phase where incidents are identified and investigated. It occurs after preparation and focuses on monitoring, alerting, and determining the scope of an incident. While policies and tools are used during this phase, they are developed during preparation. The owner's question about developing policies and acquiring tools points to the earlier phase, not detection and analysis.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
Key term
Incident response
Incident response is the structured approach an organization uses to identify, contain, and recover from cybersecurity incidents like data breaches or ransomware attacks.
Key term
Detection
Detection is the process of identifying potential security incidents or anomalies by analyzing system data, logs, and network traffic.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CC exam.