Forensic investigation and evidence handling after an incident — root cause, scope of compromise, and a chain of custody that holds up for legal or regulatory review.
Scope
- Root cause & timeline reconstruction — how the compromise actually happened, in sequence
- Evidence collection & chain of custody — handled to a standard that holds up in legal or regulatory proceedings
- Scope-of-compromise assessment — exactly what was accessed, exfiltrated, or altered
- Malware & artifact analysis where relevant to the investigation
- Expert findings report, written for both technical and legal/regulatory audiences
The Problem
Why this matters
In the hours after a suspected breach, well-meaning IT staff often destroy the evidence trail before anyone realizes an investigation will need it — rebooting a compromised server, reimaging a laptop, or deleting suspicious files. By the time a forensic investigator is called in, the very evidence that would prove what happened (and what didn't) is already gone.
Industry Pain Points
What most teams are stuck with today
- First responders unintentionally destroy volatile evidence before a forensic process begins
- No documented chain of custody, so evidence can't be relied on for legal or regulatory proceedings
- Scope-of-compromise is guessed at rather than actually determined — nobody can say with confidence what was or wasn't accessed
- Findings are needed for both a technical remediation team and legal/regulatory counsel, in two different languages
Methodology
How the engagement runs
Why Threat ResQ
What you're actually paying for
Chain of custody that holds up
Evidence handling follows a documented, defensible process from the moment we're engaged — not an afterthought once legal asks for it.
Evidence-based scope, not guesswork
We determine what was actually accessed or exfiltrated with evidence, which matters directly for accurate breach notification decisions.
Reports for two audiences at once
Findings are written to serve both your technical remediation team and legal/regulatory counsel, without forcing you to commission two separate reports.
Works alongside incident response
Forensics and incident response are typically engaged together — the same team investigating root cause is coordinating containment, not working from a different playbook.
FAQ
Common questions
When should we call in digital forensics versus just incident response?
Call forensics in whenever you'll need to prove what happened — for legal action, regulatory breach notification, insurance claims, or HR/disciplinary proceedings. Many engagements need both forensics and incident response together.
What's the biggest mistake organizations make before forensics arrives?
Rebooting or reimaging compromised systems, or deleting suspicious files, before evidence is preserved. If you suspect a breach, isolate the affected system rather than 'cleaning it up' yourself.
Can your findings be used in legal proceedings?
Yes — evidence is collected and documented with a chain of custody designed to hold up under legal or regulatory scrutiny.
How do you determine what data was actually exfiltrated?
Through log analysis, network traffic reconstruction, and system artifact examination — we report what the evidence actually shows, not an assumption based on what was theoretically accessible.
Talk to us about Digital Forensics.
30 minutes, no scripted pitch.