Incident Response: Disclosing Breach of PII and PHI

C.

When a breach of personal identifiable information (PII) and protected health information (PHI) occurs, it is crucial to determine who to disclose the incident to and when. This decision should not be left to the discretion of the incident response team, as there are laws and regulations that govern the reporting of such incidents.

Therefore, option A "the responder's discretion" is not the best choice in this scenario.

Option B "the public relations policy" is also not the best choice, as the public relations policy may not cover the specific requirements for reporting a breach of PII and PHI.

Option D "senior management's guidance" is an important factor, but it is not sufficient on its own. Senior management's guidance should be based on the organization's communication plan and legal requirements.

Therefore, the best answer is option C "the communication plan." The communication plan should be part of the incident response plan and should outline the steps to take when a breach of PII and PHI occurs, including who to notify and when. The communication plan should be based on legal and regulatory requirements, which vary by jurisdiction, industry, and type of data breached. The communication plan should also take into account any contractual obligations, such as data breach notification requirements in service level agreements (SLAs) or business associate agreements (BAAs).

In summary, disclosing a breach of PII and PHI should be based on the communication plan, which should be part of the incident response plan and outline the steps to take when such an incident occurs. The communication plan should be based on legal and regulatory requirements and take into account any contractual obligations. Senior management's guidance is important, but it should be based on the organization's communication plan and legal requirements.