What are your SLAs for notifying customers of a security incident affecting their data?
Explanation & Context
Understanding the Question:
This question is asking about your organization's Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for informing customers when there is a security incident that impacts their data. An SLA is a formal commitment that outlines the level of service expected between a service provider and its clients. In this context, the SLA specifies how quickly and in what manner your organization will notify customers if their data is compromised in a security incident.
Why It Matters:
Timely notification of security incidents is crucial for several reasons. First, it allows customers to take immediate action to protect themselves, such as changing passwords or monitoring their accounts for suspicious activity. Second, it demonstrates transparency and accountability, which can help maintain customer trust. Finally, many regulations and industry standards require organizations to notify affected parties within a specific timeframe following a security incident. Failure to do so can result in legal and financial consequences.
Example of Evidence:
To demonstrate fulfillment of this question, you might provide a documented SLA that outlines the specific timeframes and methods for notifying customers of a security incident. For instance, the SLA might state that customers will be notified within 24 hours of detecting a security incident via email and a posted notice on your website. Additionally, you could include records or logs of past notifications to show how you have adhered to these SLAs in practice.
Example Responses
Example Response 1
Our SLAs commit to notifying customers of any security incident affecting their data within 48 hours of detection. Notifications are sent via email and are also posted on our status page for transparency.
Example Response 2
We maintain stringent SLAs for security incident notifications, committing to inform customers within 24 hours of detection through multiple channels including email, SMS, and updates on our dedicated security incident page.
Example Response 3
As our software is deployed on-premises at customer sites, the responsibility for managing and responding to security incidents, including notifications, lies with the customer. Therefore, this SLA does not apply to our service model.

