Incident Response Case Studies

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Sector: Manufacturing

Incident Type: Ransomware / Data Encryption
Timeline: 72-hour incident window

Summary: A mid-sized UK manufacturer was struck by ransomware that encrypted a file server and halted production lines. IRG was asked to assist under a retainer and we responded within 90 minutes.

Actions Taken:

• Immediate isolation of affected devices and tooling deployment.
• Identification of the intrusion vector (phishing email with malicious Excel macro).
• Communication guidance for internal and regulatory updates (ICO notification).
• Post-incident improvement: MFA rollout and hardening of VPN gateways.
   

Outcome: Production fully restored, zero data exfiltration confirmed, and ISO 27001 audit successfully passed post-incident.

Sector: Financial Services
Incident Type: Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Timeline: 36-hour investigation and containment

Summary: The CEO’s mailbox was compromised via a password reuse attack leading to fraudulent payment requests being sent to clients.

Actions Taken:

• Immediate account lockdown.
• Full M365 audit: message trace, rules review, forwarding detection.
• Discovery of malicious forwarding rule and credential reuse from previous data breach.
• Implementation of conditional access, MFA enforcement, and staff phishing re-education.
   

Outcome: No financial loss occurred; clients notified proactively. IRG delivered a board-level report aligned to FCA PS21/3, improving regulatory posture.

Sector: Non-profit / Charity
Incident Type: Third-Party Application Breach
Timeline: 5-day review and validation

Summary: A third-party CRM used by a national charity was breached, exposing limited donor records.

Actions Taken:

• Confirmed no internal lateral movement within the charity’s network.
• Drafted ICO notification and donor communication.
• Advised on vendor assurance re-certification and backup strategy.
   

Outcome: No financial or reputational damage. The charity later used IRG to facilitate a Tabletop Exercise and IR plan refresh.

Sector: Private Individual / Public Figure
Incident Type: Data Exposure & Fake Profile Impersonation

Summary: A public figure’s credentials were found in a stealer log. Multiple fake social accounts were created.

Actions Taken:

• Stealer log verification and password reset campaign.
• OSINT checks across dark web, Telegram, and social platforms.
• Coordinated takedown requests with platform providers.
• Delivered secure communication guidance and long-term monitoring setup.
   

Outcome: Impersonations removed within 72 hours, credential exposure mitigated, and subject’s risk profile re-baselined.