# Incident Classification, Severity, and SLAs
One-sentence definition: Categorize incidents and assign severity to drive response time and resources.
## Key Facts
- Categories (malware, insider, data loss, DDoS, auth compromise).
- Severity levels (P1–P4) map to SLAs for triage/response/comms.
- Predefine notification chains (legal, exec, PR, privacy).
- Review severities post-incident; adjust criteria as needed.
- **Verify:** check official (ISC)² CBK and current exam outline.
## Exam Relevance
- Pick consistent severity to avoid under/over-response.
**Mnemonic:** “**Name it, rank it, act**.”
## Mini Scenario
Q: Data exfil seen—who to notify?
A: Privacy/legal immediately per P1 comms plan.
## Revision Checklist
- Two category examples.
- SLA concept.
- Notification chain.
## Related
[[Incident Response Lifecycle (NIST-Style)]] · [[Playbooks and SOAR Automation]] · [[Business Continuity Operations and Crisis Communications]] · [[Operational Metrics and KPIs (MTTD MTTR Coverage)]] · [[Security Operations Center (SOC) Fundamentals]] · [[Domain 7 - Index]]