What does effective containment in an incident response plan aim to do?

Effective containment in an incident response plan focuses on halting the incident from spreading to protect the organization's assets, data, and systems from further harm. This is a critical step in incident management because, if an incident is allowed to proliferate, it can lead to wider damage, increased recovery costs, and prolonged downtime. By containing the incident, responders can minimize the impact and scope, allowing for a more manageable recovery process.

This approach ensures that resources can be focused on the immediate threat without exacerbating the situation. Once containment is achieved, further steps such as eradication, recovery, and post-incident analysis can be undertaken. This containment principle is essential for maintaining the integrity and security of critical infrastructure during a security event. The other options, while potentially important in an overall incident response strategy, do not directly address the primary focus of containment, which is to limit the damage and prevent further harm during an active incident.