Security Incident Rate
Number of security incidents per month
Current Value
4.8
-10% from previous period
Industry average: 6.5
Calculation Method
Average number of security incidents per month, calculated over a rolling 3-month period. Incidents are defined as events that require formal response procedures.
Significance
This KPI tracks the frequency of security incidents requiring formal investigation and response. A decreasing trend suggests improvements in security controls, monitoring, and prevention capabilities.
Definition
Security Incident Rate measures the frequency of security events that meet your organization's threshold for formal incident declaration and response. It excludes minor events handled through standard procedures but includes all incidents requiring investigation or remediation beyond normal processes.
Significance
A decreasing incident rate generally indicates improving security posture, though it must be considered alongside detection capabilities - a drop in incidents could reflect either better controls or degraded detection.
This KPI helps security teams identify trend changes that might indicate emerging threats, control gaps, or operational issues. It also provides a baseline for measuring the effectiveness of security initiatives over time.
Calculation Method
Calculation includes:
- Count all security incidents that meet your organization's incident definition
- Calculate monthly average over rolling 3-month period
- Compare to same period in previous year for seasonality
- Categorize by severity, cause, and affected systems
Benchmark
Industry average: 6.5 incidents per month
Best practice target: Year-over-year decrease in incident rate while maintaining or improving detection capabilities