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Incident Response | Guidance from ASD
First Published:
October 31, 2025
Content Written For:
Small & Medium Businesses
Large Organisations & Infrastructure
Government
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Summary
Cyber incidents are no longer a “what-if”; they are a “when”. As the Australian Signals Directorate observes, malicious cyber activity against Australian national and economic interests is increasing in frequency, scale and sophistication. The right incident response capability turns an adverse event into a contained disruption, rather than an existential crisis. This article translates ASD’s official incident response guidance into a practical playbook for Australian organisations. It covers planning, activation, containment, recovery, review, reporting and governance so you know what to prioritise, why it matters and how to act.
Key findings
- An up-to-date and tested Cyber Incident Response Plan (CIRP) is foundational.
- Clear roles and communications channels including CIRT and board-level oversight materially influence outcomes.
- Reporting early to ASD/ACSC matters not only for support, but for national threat-sharing and regulatory standing.
- Post-incident review is not optional — it underpins continuous improvement and testing of your response capability.
Be Ready Before You’re Breached
CyberPulse helps Australian organisations design and test ASD-aligned Incident Response Plans (CIRPs) that actually work when it counts. We can help develop, document and test your Incident Response Plan, and also offer Incident Response Retainers, which can include:
✔ IRAP-informed templates
✔ 24/7 on-call retainer options
✔ Executive & CIRT simulations
Why incident response matters for Australian organisations
Australia’s digital infrastructure and connected enterprise assets are under relentless attack. The ACSC-ASD advise that adversaries pivot faster than ever, exploiting internet-exposed systems and public vulnerabilities. A well-constructed incident response capability mitigates damage, reduces downtime, helps meet regulatory obligations, protects reputation and preserves stakeholder trust. Organisations that rely purely on prevention without planning for response are structurally weak.
Key components of ASD’s incident response guidance
Preparing and planning
ASD’s “Cyber security incident response planning: Executive guidance” sets the foundation. It asks organisations: Have you identified critical systems? Do you have a business continuity plan? Is your CIRP up-to-date and tested? Are your service-provider contracts aligned to incident-response obligations? The practitioner version adds that your CIRP must align with emergency/crisis and business continuity arrangements.
Activation & triage
ASD defines a cyber incident as “a single or series of unwanted or unexpected cyber security events that has a significant probability of compromising business operations”.
Examples: suspicious privileged account lockouts, unauthorised access attempts, ransomware attacks. Early detection and classification is key: this drives decisions on CIRT activation, escalation to SEMT, and reporting to government agencies.
Containment, eradication & recovery
Drawing from the ACSC cyber incident response plan template: build playbooks for common incident types (e.g., ransomware, DoS, supply-chain), preserve evidence, isolate systems, restore operations in scope.
Post-incident review & improvement
ASD’s guidance emphasises a formal post incident review (PIR) and updates to the CIRP, playbooks and training as part of a continuous improvement cycle.
Reporting obligations & coordination with ASD/ACSC
Reporting cyber incidents to ASD/ACSC is not simply reactive, it enables triage, government assistance and contributes to Australia’s national threat picture. Under ASD’s limited-use obligation, information provided cannot be used for regulatory enforcement.
Your contract with service providers (including cloud and IT managed service providers) must articulate incident-reporting requirements, log retention and forensic artefact availability. Do not assume the provider’s incident response capability replaces your organisational CIRP.
Building your CIRP: an Australian decision framework
Steps:
1: Classify and prioritise assets: Map business-critical systems, data, interdependencies.
2: Map roles and responsibilities: Define CIRT (operations), SEMT (strategy/executive), legal/comms, and link to board oversight. Use the ACSC template role‐cards.
3: Define incident classification & escalation: Align to ASD/ACSC incident categorisation matrix.
4: Develop response playbooks – ransomware, DoS, supply-chain, insider threat.
5: Test, exercise, review – conduct simulations, update CIRP regularly.
6: External coordination – ensure aligned with CIMA (Cyber Incident Management Arrangements) for national-scale incidents.
Governance, roles & communication during an incident
During an incident: the CIRT responds operationally; the SEMT assesses business impact and decides major actions; communications must be pre-approved; media statements drafted swiftly. The board must be briefed timely. The ACSC template emphasises communications, recovery goals and post-incident review.
Checklist: implementable tasks for next 90 days
- Review and update the CIRP to align with ASD/ACSC guidance.
- Conduct a tabletop exercise involving CIRT, SEMT and legal/comms.
- Confirm service provider contracts include incident-reporting obligations and forensic artefact access.
- Define incident classification categories and link to escalation triggers.
- Engage board/senior executives on incident readiness and post-incident review learnings.
Turn ASD Guidance into a Working Incident Response Capability
An incident plan on paper is not enough. CyberPulse’s Incident Response Planning and Retainer Services give you:
- Rapid mobilisation when an incident occurs
- Playbooks aligned to ASD and ACSC guidance
- Tested communication and escalation pathways
- Access to experienced responders and forensics partners
Speak with our Incident Response Team to discuss your readiness level or request a fixed-price retainer proposal.
About CyberPulse
CyberPulse is a security-first compliance partner helping organisations reduce cyber risk, build resilience and achieve certification with confidence. Founded by former CISOs and security leaders, we align technical depth with real-world context to deliver measurable outcomes across advisory, managed services, compliance and threat defence.
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