Incident response

Ransomware & Data Breach Analysis

Preserve the record while the response moves: initial access, persistence, lateral movement, affected systems, potential data access and the limits of what can be known.

Incident response plan beside a hotline handset.

The engagement

Analyze evidence while operations recover

Containment and forensic analysis happen on the same clock. A response that restores systems but destroys volatile evidence can make later notification, insurance, regulatory and litigation decisions harder.

GDF integrates evidence preservation with operational response. The examination follows the intrusion across identity, endpoints, network, cloud and affected business systems, producing an evidence-based timeline and a decision record for counsel and leadership.

Scope

  • Rapid forensic triage

    Prioritize volatile and short-retention evidence while containment and restoration decisions are underway.

  • Endpoint and server analysis

    Examine execution, persistence, credential access, lateral movement and payload artifacts.

  • Identity and cloud examination

    Review authentication, administrative, mailbox and cloud audit records across the incident window.

  • Network and security telemetry

    Correlate firewall, EDR, DNS, proxy, VPN and other available telemetry with host findings.

  • Data-access assessment

    Test claims of access or exfiltration against logs, staging artifacts, transfer records and known gaps.

  • Counsel and insurer reporting

    Technical chronology, scope statements, limitations and briefings designed for parallel decision tracks.

Methodology

How incident response works

  1. Stabilize

    Preserve the evidence most likely to disappear while supporting safe containment priorities.

  2. Scope

    Follow identities, hosts, network paths and cloud events to bound the incident.

  3. Test

    Corroborate actor claims and internal assumptions against the available technical record.

  4. Document

    Maintain a dated chronology, findings, limitations and remediation evidence for later scrutiny.

Evidence commonly examined

Evidence reviewed

  • Memory, endpoints and affected servers
  • Identity, VPN and cloud audit logs
  • EDR and security-platform telemetry
  • Firewall, DNS, proxy and network records
  • Malware, scripts and persistence artifacts
  • Backup, restoration and response records

What you can expect

What you receive

  • Incident evidence and decision log
  • Initial-access and activity timeline
  • Affected-system and data assessment
  • Technical report and executive/counsel briefings

Frequently asked

Common questions

Should we rebuild affected systems immediately?

Business needs may require restoration, but preserve relevant volatile data, images and logs first where feasible. The sequence should be agreed by response leadership.

Can you prove that data was not taken?

Usually no examiner can prove a universal negative. We identify evidence of access or transfer, the sources reviewed, their coverage and the blind spots that limit the conclusion.

Do you work with breach counsel and cyber insurers?

Yes. We provide independent technical facts; counsel and the insurer make legal and coverage decisions.

Talk with an examiner

Discuss the matter and the next step.

Call to discuss timing, scope and the safest way to share information. Do not send evidence or credentials by email.

24/7 hotline: 1-800-868-8189

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