Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Practice Exam

The step that involves maintaining plans in the NIST SP 800-34 contingency planning process is plan maintenance. This step is crucial because it ensures that the contingency plans remain current and effective over time. Regular maintenance involves reviewing and updating the plans to reflect changes in the organization, including alterations in business processes, technological advancements, or lessons learned from plan testing and actual incidents. Plan maintenance typically includes activities such as conducting periodic reviews, updating contact information, revisiting resource requirements, and incorporating feedback from testing or real-world activation of the plans. By keeping the plans up to date, organizations can improve their responsiveness to incidents, ensuring that personnel are prepared and the appropriate resources are available when needed. In contrast, plan development focuses on the initial creation of the plans, plan testing is aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of the plans through drills and exercises, and plan activation relates to the implementation of the plans during an actual incident. Each of these phases plays a vital role in the overall contingency planning process, but plan maintenance specifically addresses the ongoing need to revise and enhance the plans to adapt to changing conditions and new information.