Incident records are the logs, notes, screenshots, ticket updates, and timeline entries collected during or after a security incident. They help defenders reconstruct what happened: which system was first affected, what user accounts were touched, what commands or malware were observed, and how the response progressed.
They matter because attacks are often messy and partial. Good records preserve evidence for forensic analysis, legal review, and later threat hunting, even after systems are rebuilt. In ransomware cases, incident records can show how far the intrusion spread, what data may have been accessed, and which controls failed. Strong records also support better containment and recovery by helping teams avoid repeating the same mistakes.