What is the primary purpose of the incident response plan described in the PCI DSS requirements?

• A. To respond immediately to a system breach
• B. To document patch management schedules
• C. To conduct annual risk assessments
• D. To notify executives after incidents

Answer: (A)

The incident response plan is about acting fast and in an organized way when a security incident occurs. Its main goal is to guide the team from detection through containment, eradication, and recovery, while preserving evidence and coordinating communications so cardholder data is protected and normal operations resume quickly. This readiness prevents further data exposure and limits downtime, which is why immediate response to a breach is the best description of the plan’s purpose.

Documents about patch schedules belong to vulnerability management, not the incident response plan. Conducting annual risk assessments is part of broader risk management, not the immediate response to incidents. Notifying executives is an important communication task, but it isn’t the primary purpose—the core function is to ensure a rapid, controlled reaction to stop the incident and minimize impact.