My Personal Cyber Incident Response Plan

Course: UK 103. Cybersecurity for College Life
Related Lesson: Week 11 Day 2. Cyber Incident Response & Recovery
Due: Sunday at 11:59 PM on Canvas
Points: 25

Assignment Overview

Cyber incidents can happen to anyone. In this assignment, I want you to think ahead and develop a simple, personal plan for what you'd do if your account or device were compromised. The goal isn't to be perfect or overly technical, but to help you feel prepared, calm, and confident if something goes wrong.

This plan is for you. It should reflect your actual habits, devices, and comfort level.

Learning Goals

By completing this assignment, you will:

• Practice responding calmly to a cybersecurity incident.
• Identify who to contact and what actions to take first.
• Reflect on how cybersecurity choices impact others.
• Build confidence in handling stressful digital situations.

This assignment aligns with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (Respond and Recover) and helps develop responsible digital habits.

Assignment Instructions

Create a 1–2 page document that answers the prompts below. Use complete sentences, keep your language simple and honest. Bullet points are acceptable.

Part 1. Incident Scenario

Briefly describe one realistic cyber incident that could happen to you as a student. Choose one:

• Clicking on a phishing email
• Losing a phone or laptop
• Someone accessing your UK account without permission

In 3–4 sentences, answer:

• What happened?
• How would you know something was wrong?

Part 2. My First Actions

List the first three actions you would take after realizing something was wrong. For each action, explain why it matters.

Part 3. Who I Would Contact

Identify:

• Who you would contact at the University of Kentucky
• How you would contact them (email, phone, website)

In 2–3 sentences, explain why asking for help is an essential part of responding to a cyber incident.

Part 4. Recovery and Next Steps

In 1–2 short paragraphs, describe:

• How you would keep an eye on your accounts or information afterward
• One habit you would change to lower future risk

This could include changing passwords, paying closer attention to emails, or using security tools more regularly.

Part 5. Reflection. Responsibility and Community

Answer this question in one short paragraph:

How could your response to a cyber incident help protect other students, instructors, or staff at UK?

There is no “right” answer. This is about thoughtful reflection.

Submission Guidelines

• Submit through Canvas as a Word document, Google Doc, or PDF.
• Use your own words.
• Generative AI tools should not be used for this assignment but may be used to brainstorm. If you choose to do so, please cite your resource.

Grading Criteria

APA 7 Formatting Requirements

All written components of this assignment must follow APA 7 formatting guidelines unless otherwise noted.

• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Double-spaced text
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• Student title page is not required for this assignment
• Page numbers are not required

If you reference outside sources, include in-text citations and a references page formatted according to APA 7 standards.

When in doubt, keep your formatting simple and readable. The focus of this assignment is thoughtful reflection and planning, not perfect formatting.

Assignment Purpose and Placement

This assignment is designed to be used immediately following the lesson on Cyber Incident Response and Recovery. At this point in the course, students have been introduced to common cybersecurity threats and are ready to practice applying response strategies in a low-stakes, reflective way. The objective of this assignment is to help first-year students build confidence in responding to cybersecurity incidents by identifying appropriate actions, support resources, and recovery strategies. By asking students to create a personal incident response plan, the assignment encourages both practical decision-making and reflection on ethical responsibility, supporting the development of long-term, responsible digital habits.