Handling Computer Security Incidents: NIST Issues Updated Guidelines

Published

March 27, 2008

Author(s)

Shirley M. Radack

Abstract

This bulletin summarizes information disseminated in revised NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-61-1, Computer Security Incident Handling Guide: Recommendations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Written by Karen Scarfone and Tim Grance of NIST and by Kelly Masone of Booz Allen Hamilton, SP 800-61-1 provides practical guidance to help organizations establish an effective incident response program, analyze and respond to information security incidents, and reduce the risks of future incidents. The bulletin covers the procedures and solutions for detecting, analyzing, prioritizing, and handling incidents, and presents NIST's recommendations concerning the establishment of incident response capabilities, the procedures for incident handling and reporting, the relationships between the incident response team and other groups, and the continual monitoring of incident response activities.

Citation

ITL Bulletin -

NIST Pub Series

ITL Bulletin

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

Computer system security, incident handling, information systems security, information technology, risk management, security threats, US-CERT

Citation

Radack, S. (2008), Handling Computer Security Incidents: NIST Issues Updated Guidelines, ITL Bulletin, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=152110 (Accessed October 13, 2025)