IRO-12: Public Relations & Reputation Repair
Mechanisms exist to proactively manage public relations associated with incidents and employ appropriate measures to prevent further reputational damage and develop plans to repair any damage to the organization's reputation.
Renumbered: Formerly IRO-16 in SCF 2025.4.
Code reused: In SCF 2025.4 and earlier, IRO-12 was Sensitive / Regulated Data Spill Response. That control is now IRO-20.
Control Question: Does the organization proactively manage public relations associated with incidents and employ appropriate measures to prevent further reputational damage and develop plans to repair any damage to its reputation?
General (4)
| Framework | Mapping Values |
|---|---|
| NIST 800-53 R5.2 | IR-04(15) |
| NIST 800-82 R3 | IR-04(15) |
| NIST CSF 2.0 (source) | RC.CO-04 |
| NIST Privacy Framework 1.0 | CM.AW-P8 |
US (1)
| Framework | Mapping Values |
|---|---|
| USA Federal FINRA 2007 | 248.30(a)(4)(i) |
EMEA (2)
| Framework | Mapping Values |
|---|---|
| EMEA EU EBA GL/2019/04 | 3.7.5.91 |
| EMEA EU NIS2 2022 | Article 23.2 |
APAC (2)
| Framework | Mapping Values |
|---|---|
| APAC India SEBI CSCRF 2024 | RC.CO.S1 |
| APAC Singapore CCOP CII 2026 | 7.2.1 7.2.2 7.2.2(a) 7.2.2(b) 7.2.2(d) 7.2.2(f) 7.2.3 7.2.4 |
Capability Maturity Model
Level 0 — Not Performed
Practices are non-existent, based on the inability to demonstrate an implemented and operational capability. A reasonable person would conclude the control is not being performed.
Level 1 — Performed Informally
Incident Response (IRO) domain capabilities are ad hoc and inconsistent. Capability criteria associated with this control may include: ▪ Policies, standards & procedures associated with IRO domain capabilities provide limited coverage due to the depth and breadth of the existing documentation. ▪ Incident response-related activities are decentralized (e.g., a localized/regionalized function) and uses non-standardized methods to implement secure, resilient and compliant practices. ▪ IT and/or cybersecurity personnel use an informal process to facilitate incident management operations that cover preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication and recovery.
Level 2 — Planned & Tracked
Incident Response (IRO) capabilities are requirements-driven, but are not standardized across the entity (e.g., local/regional level consistency). Capability criteria associated with this control reasonably expect the following criteria to exist: ▪ Policies and standards associated with IRO domain capabilities are formally documented and centrally-managed by the entity. ▪ Standardized Operating Procedures (SOP) associated with DCH domain capabilities are documented and maintained by process owners. ▪ IT and/or cybersecurity personnel work with business stakeholders and process owners to appropriately scope and reasonably implement cybersecurity and data protection controls associated with IRO domain capabilities to address applicable statutory, regulatory and/or contractual requirements for Technology Assets, Applications, Services and/or Data (TAASD). ▪ Incident response-related controls are primarily administrative and preventative in nature (e.g., policies, standards and procedures & guidelines). ▪ Incident response management may be a defined function (e.g., team or department) or assigned as an additional duty to existing IT and/or cybersecurity personnel. ▪ IT and/or cybersecurity personnel operate an incident response capability using a documented and tested Incident Response Plan (IRP) to facilitate incident management operations that cover preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication and recovery.
Level 3 — Well Defined
Incident Response (IRO) capabilities are standardized across the entity for applicability to People, Processes, Technologies, Data and/or Facilities (PPTDF) to ensure consistency for Technology Assets, Applications, Services and/or Data (TAASD). Capability criteria associated with this control reasonably expect the following criteria to exist: ▪ Policies and standards associated with IRO domain capabilities are formally documented and centrally-managed by the entity's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) team, or similar function. ▪ Cybersecurity personnel operate an incident response capability using a documented and tested Incident Response Plan (IRP) to facilitate incident management operations that cover preparation, detection and analysis, containment, eradication and recovery. ▪ An incident response team, or similar function, is appropriately staffed and supported to implement and maintain IRO domain capabilities. ▪ Technology is leveraged to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of incident response operations (e.g., incident management software). ▪ The entity's Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) team, or similar function, works with business stakeholders and process owners to appropriately scope and reasonably implement cybersecurity and data protection controls associated with IRO domain capabilities to address Minimum Compliance Requirements (MCR) (e.g., applicable statutory, regulatory and/or contractual requirements) and Discretionary Security Requirements (DSR) (e.g., entity-required controls). ▪ An implemented and operational capability exists to proactively manage public relations associated with incidents and employ appropriate measures to prevent further reputational damage and develop plans to repair any damage to the organization's reputation.
Level 4 — Quantitatively Controlled
Utilize SCR-CMM Level 3 criteria definitions: ▪ There are no defined Level 4 criteria, since it is reasonable to assume a quantitatively-controlled process is not necessary to operationalize this control. ▪ While it may be possible to develop “metrics-driven” capabilities for this control, the criteria would be organization-specific to define.
Level 5 — Continuously Improving
Utilize SCR-CMM Level 3 or Level 4 (if available) criteria definitions: ▪ There are no defined Level 5 criteria, since it is reasonable to assume a continuously-improving process is not necessary to operationalize this control. ▪ Level 5 capabilities should be considered “world-class” where the control builds on Level 4 capabilities, but are continuously improving through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Machine Learning (ML) technologies. ▪ While it may be possible to develop responsive capabilities for this control through the use of AI and/or ML technologies, the criteria would be organization-specific to define.
Assessment Objectives
- IRO-12_A01 public relations associated with an incident are managed.
- IRO-12_A02 measures are employed to repair the reputation of the organization.
Evidence Requirements
- E-IRO-11 Incident Reporting Capability
-
Documented evidence of a capability to provide situational awareness of incidents to internal stakeholders and generated necessary reporting to affected clients, applicable third-parties and regulatory authorities.
Incident Response
Technology Recommendations
Micro/Small
- Basic incident response plan
- Designate incident response contact
Small
- Documented incident response plan
- Incident log
- Designated IR team
Medium
- Formal incident response program
- IR playbooks
- Tabletop exercises
Large
- Enterprise incident response program
- 24/7 SOC monitoring
- SOAR platform
Enterprise
- Enterprise SOC with SIEM/SOAR (e.g., Splunk SOAR, Palo Alto XSOAR)
- IR retainer
- Threat hunting