Passing the Baton: Shift Handovers within Cybersecurity Incident Response Teams

2026-01-12

AI Summary

This study addresses the lack of effective handover guidance in current cybersecurity incident response teams, which undermines response continuity and operational efficiency. Through a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured interviews with practitioners, this work proposes the first systematic framework for cybersecurity handover protocols. The framework innovatively incorporates post-incident debriefing and service status modules, while integrating critical elements such as endorsement cues, procedural evolution, and individual differences. Iteratively refined through multiple rounds of feedback, the resulting handover guidelines have garnered strong endorsement from frontline responders, who also contributed supplementary recommendations. This research establishes a practical foundation for enhancing handover quality and improving team coordination in cybersecurity operations.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine Teams
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Scheduling under Uncertainty
• Application Domains: Security

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Consent frameworks and practices on the web
• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Web evaluation methodologies and metrics

Abstract

Effective shift transitions are crucial for cybersecurity incident response teams, yet there is limited guidance on managing these handovers. This exploratory study aimed to develop guidelines for such transitions through the analysis of existing literature and consultation with practitioners. Two draft guidelines (A and B) were created based on existing literature and online resources. Six participants from the UK and international incident response teams, with experience in shift handovers, were interviewed about handover structure, challenges, training practices, and their views on the draft guidelines. The collected data indicate the importance of signposting, evolving handover procedures, individual differences in handover style and detail, and streamlining the handover procedure. Participants agreed the drafts included all relevant details but suggested adding a post-incident review section and a service section for outages or technical difficulties. This study establishes a foundation for enhancing transition practices in cybersecurity incident response teams.

Problem

• cybersecurity incident response
• shift handover
• team transition
• handover guidelines
• incident response coordination

Innovation

• shift handover
• cybersecurity incident response
• transition guidelines
• team coordination
• operational continuity