Which phase focuses on reducing risks before incidents occur?

• A. Mitigation
• B. Preparedness
• C. Response
• D. Recovery

Answer: (A)

Reducing risks before incidents occur is about preventive controls and strategies that lower the chance of an incident or lessen its impact. This proactive effort is called mitigation. It includes activities like risk assessments, applying security patches, hardening systems, network segmentation, access controls, and backups—measures designed to prevent problems or reduce their severity before anything goes wrong. Preparedness, in contrast, is about being ready to act if something happens—training, drills, and having playbooks and resources on hand. Response covers actions taken during an incident to contain and manage it, and recovery focuses on restoring services and learning from the event after it occurs. So, the phase that centers on reducing risk prior to incidents is mitigation.