Post-Incident Review: How to Turn Cyber Attacks into Learning Opportunities
You’ve heard the line: it’s not if a cyber attack occurs, but when.
So, it happened. Your team responded, resolved the issue, and cleaned up the environment. Now what? Is it time to get back to business as usual?
Not quite.
Now is the time to conduct a Post-Incident Review (PIR) (sometimes called an incident postmortem)—a structured way to turn the incident into a learning opportunity, and in some cases, to meet legal requirements.
In 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission enacted new disclosure rules for public companies. Within four business days of a material cybersecurity incident, companies must disclose key details to investors, including:
- What happened (type of incident)
- When it occured
- How bad it was (impact on finances, operations, or data)
- What it’s doing about it (remediation efforts)
Even if your organization isn’t publicly traded, reviewing these elements along with technical details as part of a post-incident review (also known as a post-breach review) process is a smart and strategic move.
What is a post-incident review?
A post-incident review is a structured meeting held shortly after a cybersecurity incident, ideally within seven days of closure. The purpose? To understand what happened, evaluate the response, and identify ways to strengthen your security program going forward.
These meetings bring together incident responders and key stakeholders. A facilitator should guide the conversation through a clear agenda, while a project manager or notetaker captures takeaways and action items.
Key elements of what is post incident review
To get the most value from your review, be sure to cover the following core areas:
- Root cause analysis
- Response performance evaluation
- Impact analysis
- Lessons learned / next steps
1. Root cause analysis cybersecurity
Understanding how and why the incident happened is critical. This often involves asking tough questions:
- What gaps or weaknesses contributed to the attack?
- Were the right tools in place?
- Could existing tools have been better configured or monitored?
2. Response performance evaluation
It’s important to truthfully evaluate how the incident was managed. This is not about assigning blame. It’s about improving your incident response for the future.
- What went well during the response?
- What could have been done better?
- Were documented processes followed? Were there any gaps?
- Were SLAs or response times met? If not, why?
And because communication is essential during an incident:
- Did teams communicate effectively under pressure?
- Were roles and responsibilities clearly understood and followed?
3. Impact analysis
Cyber incidents cause both measurable and immeasurable damage. Each area should be reviewed in the post-incident review meeting:
Financial
This includes direct losses (e.g., stolen funds, regulatory fines, contract penalties) as well as indirect costs (e.g., lost sales during downtime, reduced efficiency). Part of the post-incident review should include an estimate of the overall financial impact to report to executive management.
Reputational
Was there media coverage or customer backlash? Your communications or PR team should assess reputational impact and prepare a response plan if needed.
Productivity
Were employees unable to work due to account lockouts or system downtime? Even if hard to quantify, it’s important to review and discuss future workarounds.
4. Lessons learned / next steps
After examining the cause, response, and impacts, identify clear next steps. Each action item should have clear action items and incident remediation steps:
- A designated owner
- A timeline for completion
- A plan for follow-up
Once key changes are in place, conduct a tabletop exercise to test the updated processes, with special attention to the incident that triggered the review.
Why post-incident reviews matter
Post-Incident Reviews can transform high-stress moments into opportunities for resilience. They provide clarity on where defenses failed and how to close gaps.
Learning opportunity #1: Improve your response
If a cyber attack succeeded once, it could happen again, unless you adjust. Even with new defenses, future attacks may succeed in different ways. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s resilience.
- Can your team respond faster?
- Can communication be improved?
- Can your processes be tightened?
Learning opportunity #2: Reduce risk
Some risks may have been invisible before the incident. Now, with the benefit of hindsight and analysis, you can close gaps in your tools, policies, and processes, often uncovered during a cybersecurity risk assessment.
Learning opportunity #3: Build a learning culture:
Blame doesn’t help anyone. A productive review creates a culture of learning, where employees are more vigilant, systems are better secured, and your overall program matures.
Prepare now – before the next incident!
Your organization likely has an incident response plan, but do you have a plan for what comes after?
Don’t wait until an attack to scramble through your review process. Plan ahead to ensure your post-incident review is structured, actionable, valuable, and part of strengthening overall security incident management.
If you’re ready to strengthen your response and resilience, we’re here to help. Our experts and virtual CISO services can guide you through building a structured post-incident review program.
Cyber Defense Group’s Outcomes-Based Security® Programs ensures reviews drive measurable improvement.
Frequently asked questions about post incident reviews
What is a Post-Incident Review?
A Post-Incident Review (PIR) is a structured meeting held after a cybersecurity incident to analyze what happened, assess the response, and identify improvements.
Why are Post-Incident Reviews important?
They turn incidents into learning opportunities, reduce future risks, and strengthen both technical defenses and organizational culture.
When should a Post Incident Review Process be conducted?
Best practice is within 24–72 hours of resolving an incident, and no later than seven days, to ensure details are fresh and accurate.
Who should attend a Post-Incident Review?
Incident responders, IT/security leaders, executives, legal, PR/communications, and other stakeholders who can provide insights or act on outcomes.
What are the key steps in a Post Incident Review?
- Document the incident timeline
- Analyze the root cause
- Evaluate response performance
- Assess business impacts
- Define lessons learned from a cyber incident and action items