Incident: A security incident is any event that negatively affects the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of data or disrupts IT operations. Incidents can range from data breaches, malware infections, unauthorized access, to service outages, requiring immediate attention and response to mitigate potential damage and restore normal functions. It’s important to note that an incident can also include non-cybersecurity events that impact IT operations. While there may not be a breach occurring, NIST states there can be technical or even financial issues that set back a project and would meet the criteria for an incident.