Security Guide
When is incident response needed?
Incident response is needed as soon as there are indications of an active or past compromise. This guide helps you determine whether you are facing a real security incident right now – and what matters next.
Quick decision
Very likely an incident
Ransomware, suspicious admin logins, ongoing data exfiltration, or security alerts.
Possible incident
Unclear alerts, compromised accounts, unusual system behavior.
Still prevention
No concrete indications, but security gaps or missing visibility.
When is incident response necessary?
- Ransomware or malware findings
- unusual admin logins
- cloud account takeover
- possible data exfiltration
- EDR / SIEM escalations
- third-party notifications
Incident response is required as soon as you can no longer confidently say what is happening in your environment.
From real-world cases
In real incident response engagements, the same entry points appear again and again:
- compromised M365 accounts due to MFA fatigue
- forgotten admin access in test or staging systems
- lateral movement due to missing network segmentation
- over-privileged cloud API tokens
In well over half of cases, initial access happened weeks before the incident is detected.
Signals & risks from real incidents
unusual login patterns
suddenly disabled security controls
new admin accounts
suspicious network connections
data access outside business hours
unexplained system crashes
Often these signals are already part of an ongoing attack – just not recognized as such yet.
Technical indicators (examples)
anomalous sign-ins in Azure AD (impossible travel, unfamiliar IP ranges)
- suspicious PowerShell executions
- LSASS access attempts
- unusual outbound traffic on non-standard ports
What incident response delivers – and what it does not
- containment of active attacks
- forensic reconstruction
- actionable technical facts
- foundation for recovery & compliance
- automatic security
- a replacement for monitoring
- business decisions
- legal advice
Preparation (if possible)
- security alerts / screenshots
- affected systems or accounts
- short timeline
- actions already taken
- technical contact person
- decision-making authority
Typical process after your request
- Initial technical situation assessment (30–60 minutes)
- Scope definition
- Forensic preservation
- Containment
- Root cause analysis
- Recovery support
- Final report with recommendations
Our methodology aligns, among others, with:
- NIST SP 800-61 (Incident Handling Guide)
- MITRE ATT&CK Framework
- ISO/IEC 27035
Decision guidance
- active attacker indicators
- possible data exfiltration
- critical systems affected
- no clear cause
- no signs of compromise
- only technical vulnerabilities
- no data exfiltration
- stable systems
Conclusion
Incident response does not start only with ransomware.
It starts as soon as control and visibility are lost.
If you cannot say with confidence whether your environment is compromised,
that alone is enough reason to initiate incident response.
This guide was created by security engineers with hands-on experience in cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments. It does not replace an individual forensic analysis or legal advice.
Your request goes directly to an incident responder – not to sales.
You will receive an initial technical assessment within a few hours.
Get your incident assessed