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Access Denied. Ransomware attack. DFIR

48 hours After A Cyber-Attack with DFIR

When Every Minute Matters.

It’s a typical Monday morning when your phone starts buzzing – not once but repeatedly. Hundreds of alerts flood in from the Security Operations Centre.

The content of the message – “unusual outbound traffic detected”, “systems are lagging”, and much worse “access is denied”. A ransom note flashes on your screen, then on your colleagues’. Within minutes, your entire organisation is locked out of its systems.

What do you do? Who do you call?

Panic starts spreading like wildfire. Is it ransomware? Is customer data exposed? How much loss would you be facing?

This is the defining moment. How you respond in the first 48 hours will decide:

  • how much damage your organisation suffers,
  • how fast you recover, and
  • how much trust you retain.

The good news: with the right preparation, you can act fast and smart.

Why the First 48 Hours Are Critical.

The first 48 hours after a cyber-attack are like the “golden hours” in medicine. The window where quick and right response saves your business.
In this period, attackers may still have access, evidence is still fresh, and containment can prevent the breach from spreading.

Every delay increases:

  • Data loss risk
  • Downtime and cost of recovery
  • Regulatory penalties and harm to reputation

That is where Incident Response (IR) and Digital Forensics (DF) come in.

Incident Response (IR) vs Digital Forensics (DF)

  • Incident Response is your first line of defence – identifying, containing, removing the threat and recovering from the attack.
  • Digital Forensics is the investigative layer – examining evidence, identifying how the attack occurred, and ensuring that it cannot happen again.

Together, DFIR (Digital Forensics & Incident Response) teams transform chaos into control – managing the crisis, gathering evidence, and preparing your business for recovery.

The First 48 Hours: Step-by-Step Response Plan

1.     Hour 0–6: Detect and Contain

Objective: Stop the bleeding.

  • Disconnect affected systems from the network. Do not shut them down as it may cause loss of critical evidence.
  • Identify and disable compromised user accounts and revoke credentials.
  • Engage your Incident Response Retainer provider at once. They can start forensic triage remotely within minutes. (Gartner’s List of Digital Forensics and Incident Response services)
  • Secure all system logs and alert data; do not delete anything.
  • Notify leadership and initiate your Incident Response Plan (IRP).

Example: In the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack (2021), containment was delayed by a few hours. It caused a total pipeline shutdown and regional fuel shortages. Early isolation could limit business disruption.

2.     Hour 6–24: Investigate and Assess

Objective: Understand what happened and what’s affected.

  • Your DFIR team begins forensic analysis:
    • Identify how the attacker entered (phishing, RDP, zero-day, etc.)
    • Map out compromised systems and data accessed.
    • Preserve volatile evidence (RAM captures, system logs, network traffic).
  • Activate legal and communications teams to manage internal and external messaging.
  • Begin evidence documentation for insurance or law enforcement if needed.

Example: In the Uber breach (2022), attackers used stolen credentials from a contractor. Forensic review revealed reused passwords and lack of MFA. This incident later shaped stronger authentication policies.

3.     Hour 24–48: Eradicate and Recover

Objective: Remove the attacker and restore business operations safely.

  • Patch vulnerabilities and close exploited entry points.
  • Remove malware, malicious scripts, and unauthorised accounts.
  • Restore systems from clean, verified backups.
  • Closely monitor restored environments for reinfection signs.
  • Draft a first incident report outlining root cause, actions taken, and next steps.

Example: After the Marriott breach (2018), digital forensics teams uncovered that hackers had been active since 2014. This is why post-attack investigation is as important as containment.

The Cost of Waiting Until It’s Too Late

Without an Incident Response Retainer, organisations often lose 12–48 hours just finding and onboarding help.
By that time, ransomware can spread laterally, data can be sold, and your system logs may already be overwritten.

A DFIR retainer ensures you have:

  • 24/7 access to experienced forensic investigators
  • Predefined response procedures and contacts
  • Faster containment and reduced data loss
  • Lower downtime
  • Lower risk to reputation and brand image

Real-world insight: A UK-based client reduced ransomware downtime from five days to 12 hours with rapid containment by 3B Data Security’s retainer team within 90 minutes.

Proactive Prevention: How DFIR Helps You Stay Ready

  • Regular forensic readiness assessments ensure logs and data are properly stored for fast investigation.
  • Incident response exercises (tabletop simulations) prepare teams for real-world attack scenarios.
  • Threat hunting helps detect dormant or stealthy threats before they activate.
  • Root cause analysis from past incidents informs proactive patching and process hardening.

In short, DFIR isn’t just reactive. It’s a preventive discipline that hardens your defences through evidence-based insight.

Where to Get Help

If your organisation faces a breach or wants to prepare for one, digital forensics and incident response service is only a call away.

Final Thoughts: Preparation Beats Panic

Within the first 48 hours, your every action, every decision counts. Time is of the essence. Organisations that plan, prepare, and partner with experts recover faster, cheaper, and with greater resilience.

An Incident Response Retainer isn’t an expense. It’s an insurance policy for your digital reputation. In cybersecurity, it’s always better to be over-prepared than be under-prepared.

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Bharti Tudu

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