Sherlocked Security – Incident Response Retainer
Be Ready When It Matters Most – Proactive and Reactive Incident Response Support
1. Statement of Work (SOW)
Service Name: Incident Response Retainer (IRR)
Client Type: SaaS, FinTech, Enterprises, Cloud-Native Platforms, Startups
Service Model: Annual Subscription – Proactive & On-Demand Support
Compliance Alignment: NIST 800-61, ISO/IEC 27035, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA
Incident Coverage Includes:
- Web & API Attacks (Injection, IDOR, Token Abuse)
- Malware and Ransomware Incidents
- Insider Threats & Credential Leaks
- Cloud Account Takeover & Misuse
- Phishing & Social Engineering Response
- Data Breach Triage and Forensics
2. Our Approach
[Preparation] → [Detection & Analysis] → [Containment] → [Eradication] → [Recovery] → [Post-Incident Review] → [Playbook Tuning]
3. Methodology
- Pre-Incident: Asset Mapping, Threat Modeling, Playbook Development
- Incident Detection: Log & Alert Correlation, Threat Intelligence Enrichment
- Incident Triage: Prioritization, Scope Validation, Impact Assessment
- Forensics: Artifact Collection, Memory/Disk/Log Analysis
- Containment: Network Segmentation, Access Revocation, IOC Blocking
- Recovery: System Restoration, Patch & Rehardening Guidance
- Reporting: Root Cause, Timeline, Regulator Notification Support
- Retrospective: Lessons Learned, Playbook Updates, Tabletop Exercises
4. Deliverables to the Client
- Custom IR Playbook aligned to your environment
- Quarterly IR Health Checks & Simulations
- Full Incident Report with Root Cause Analysis
- IOC (Indicators of Compromise) Lists
- Communication Templates for Legal/PR/Stakeholders
- Regulatory Breach Notification Support (Optional)
- Forensic Timeline and Evidence Chain of Custody
- Containment and Recovery Recommendations
- Retrospective Summary & Lessons Learned
5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)
- Designated Points of Contact (Security, Legal, DevOps)
- API Access to Logging & Monitoring Infrastructure (SIEM, EDR, Cloud logs)
- Escalation Matrix and Internal Communication Protocols
- Defined Incident Severity Matrix and Notification Thresholds
- Secure Out-of-Band Communication Channel (e.g., Signal, Matrix, ProtonMail)
- Quarterly Access Validation & IR Plan Review
6. Tools & Technology Stack
- Velociraptor, GRR, KAPE (Endpoint Forensics)
- Suricata, Zeek (Network Traffic Analysis)
- MISP, OpenCTI, VirusTotal (Threat Intel & Enrichment)
- AWS/Azure/GCP IR Toolkits (Cloud Forensics)
- ELK Stack / Splunk / Sumo Logic (SIEM Integration)
- TheHive, Cortex (Case & IOC Management)
- Custom Scripting for IOC Extraction and Containment Automation
7. Engagement Lifecycle
- Onboarding & Playbook Development
- Asset & Risk Mapping
- Retainer Hours Reserved (Quarterly Pool)
- Threat Monitoring & Readiness Check-ins
- Incident Trigger & Activation
- Triage, Containment & Forensics
- Recovery & Root Cause Analysis
- Final Report & Retrospective
- Quarterly Tabletop & Review Sessions
8. Why Sherlocked Security?
| Feature | Sherlocked Advantage |
|---|---|
| 24/7 IR SLA with Rapid Activation | Response SLA of <4 hrs (High Severity) |
| Deep Forensics & Malware Analysis | In-house tooling and memory analysis capability |
| Legal & Regulatory Advisory | GDPR, PCI-DSS, HIPAA alignment with breach notifications |
| Cloud-Native IR Expertise | AWS, Azure, GCP IR playbooks and forensic tooling |
| Secure Collaboration Channels | Encrypted OOB comms via Signal, Matrix, etc. |
| Retainer Hours with Flexibility | Use hours for IR or Tabletop Simulations |
9. Real-World Case Studies
Ransomware in Healthcare SaaS
Issue: EDR triggered ransomware behavior on key application servers.
Impact: Partial data encryption and exfiltration.
Our Role: Activated IR playbook, isolated infected systems, and conducted forensic timeline analysis.
Outcome: Identified initial access vector, contained lateral movement, coordinated regulator disclosures.
Cloud Account Compromise in FinTech
Client: FinTech company with multi-region AWS deployment
Findings: Stolen IAM credentials used for unauthorized infrastructure changes.
Outcome: Traced access from compromised employee laptop, rotated credentials, rebuilt IAM policies.
10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure
- Client Onboarding & Contact Mapping
- Quarterly IR Plan Review and Tabletop Exercise
- Live Incident Activation and Severity Scoping
- Artifact Collection & Timeline Construction
- Host and Network Forensics
- Cloud Audit Trail Analysis
- Containment Execution and Threat Eradication
- Root Cause & IOC Reporting
- Recovery & System Rehardening
- Retrospective & Lessons Learned Debrief
11. Incident Response Retainer – Readiness Checklist
1. Pre-Incident Setup
- IR playbook signed off and distributed
- Stakeholders and escalation contacts updated
- Access to SIEM, EDR, cloud logging confirmed
- OOB communications channel tested
- Internal teams trained via tabletop exercises
2. During Incident Response
- Incident triggered via defined severity thresholds
- IOC triage and scope containment initiated
- Forensics team dispatched (remote or on-site)
- Communications plan activated (internal/external)
- Legal and PR briefed with templates provided
3. Post-Incident Response
- Root cause identified and verified
- IOC list generated and shared with detection systems
- Full timeline of attack constructed
- Recovery guidance shared with IT/DevOps
- Regulator and affected party notifications (if required)
- Retrospective with fix tracking and playbook tuning
4. Communications & Escalation
- [ ] Internal communication protocols (email, Slack, SMS fallback)
- [ ] Secure external communication channels (VPN, encrypted email, Signal)
- [ ] Pre-approved public and media response templates
- [ ] Escalation matrix with SLAs by severity level
- [ ] Communication drill or tabletop exercise conducted in past 6 months
5. Readiness Validation
- [ ] IR tabletop exercises or red team simulations conducted
- [ ] Past incident reports reviewed for lessons learned
- [ ] Third-party penetration tests include incident detection validation
- [ ] Automation scripts/playbooks tested with SOAR/SIEM
- [ ] Forensic tools and response kits validated and accessible
6. Legal, Regulatory & Contractual
- [ ] Data breach notification laws mapped by region and industry
- [ ] Legal counsel briefed on cyber incident response
- [ ] Insurance coverage for cyber incidents verified
- [ ] Regulatory authorities’ contact details documented
- [ ] Customer/data subject communication templates prepared
7. Continuous Improvement
- [ ] Post-incident review process defined
- [ ] Lessons learned integrated into IR plan/playbooks
- [ ] Incident metrics tracked (MTTD, MTTR, etc.)
- [ ] Feedback loop from IR partner to internal processes