What is a major consequence of lacking an incident response plan?

Lacking an incident response plan significantly impacts the organization's ability to effectively manage and recover from security incidents. Without a structured and predefined plan, organizations are often unprepared to handle security breaches or cyberattacks. This lack of preparation can lead to chaos and confusion during an incident, resulting in longer recovery times as teams scramble to identify the issue, communicate effectively, and mitigate the damage.

When an incident occurs and there's no established protocol, teams may waste time determining who is responsible for what, how to remediate the issue, and how to communicate with stakeholders. The absence of a clear response strategy means that the organization might struggle to contain the incident, leading to exacerbated damage and prolonged downtime. In contrast, organizations with robust incident response plans can execute a coordinated response, leading to quicker restoration of services and data integrity.

In comparison, other options do not directly correlate as major consequences of not having an incident response plan. Increased costs of employee training, for example, is related to training initiatives rather than the operational impact of incidents. Likewise, enhanced compliance with regulations and faster recovery from incidents are outcomes typically associated with effective planning and preparedness, which would not be present in the absence of an incident response framework.