Investigations

In order to remedy a cyber security breach, it is important to discover what caused it, understand how it happened, and adapt to what the breach tells you about the overall integrity of your system. However, modern data sharing and data storage systems are incredibly complex networks of physical hardware and multifaceted software, each of which in turn are incredibly complex constructions that individually require significant expertise to understand and work within.

Needless to say, investigating a data breach is not something a layperson should attempt to work through on their own, especially given the potential importance of compromised data and the severe—and sometimes permanent—consequences a mistake or misstep could create. When it comes to executing effective cyber security investigations, there is no substitute for the services of an experienced cyber security firm.

The Four Key Ways to Acquire Evidence of a Breach

In order to effectively analyze the aftermath of a targeted cyber attack, there are several critical processes a cyber security team should undergo to gather data and details about the attack. All these components combine to create a full and detailed picture of what happened, how it happened, and what can be done to prevent similar attacks in the future.

Network Forensics

Every cyber security breach involves some external actor—whether it is a human hacker or a virus that infiltrated the system autonomously—entering a private system and doing something unwanted within it. Tracking and analyzing network traffic is an important part of ensuring any ensuing investigation into a potentially compromised system can identify when suspicious events occur within that system, as well as the source of any attacks.

Memory Forensics

Certain malware is specifically designed to never install anything onto a physical drive and never have a recognizable signature that anti-malware programs are programmed to spot and counteract. Being able to inspect a system while it is in operation is often the best way to detect this kind of malware and its effect it may have on processes dependent on random access memory (RAM).

Host-Based Forensics

Once a source of a data breach is confirmed, the next step is to identify what specific host systems were compromised. Unlike network forensics, host-based forensics focuses on specific networked computers that may have been impacted by a breach, as well as user accounts and other such features that the attacker may have compromised or used to facilitate their own goals.

Enterprise Sweep

As an extension of host-based forensics, scanning multiple host systems to determine the spread of a breach may be necessary during a cyber security investigation. This process can also help identify specific compromised assets that may need to be fixed during or after the breach is addressed.

The Complete Investigative Picture

Like a criminal investigation, a cyber security investigation typically does not involve just one methodology of evidence gathering. Continued surveillance of compromised systems and even in-person interviews with suspected malicious actors may be necessary to get a complete view of what happened during a breach.

Likewise, it is important not just to be able to identify that a breach did in fact occur, but also to effectively analyze the consequences. A professional cyber security team could provide this level of analysis in a way that is easily understandable and summative of what a company or individual needs to do going forward to bolster their cyber defense against future attacks.

Get Help with Cyber Security Investigations from Experienced Professionals

The security of your data should never be an afterthought—and if you experience a data breach, neither should your response to it. Get in touch with our seasoned cyber security experts to ensure any investigations you need to undertake after a breach are professional, thorough, and most importantly effective.