Post-Breach Operations

5 automated security scanners

Budget Allocation Shifts

Purpose: The Budget Allocation Shifts Scanner is designed to identify shifts in budget allocation and resource reallocation following security incidents by analyzing public records, news articles, job postings, and SEC filings for mentions of emergency spending, investment pattern changes, and resource reassignments.

What It Detects:

Emergency Spending Mentions: Identifies instances where the company mentions increased spending on cybersecurity or other critical areas post-breach.
Resource Reallocation Statements: Detects statements indicating reallocation of resources from non-security to security-related activities.
Investment Pattern Changes: Looks for changes in investment strategies or priorities towards cybersecurity measures.
Job Postings for New Security Roles: Identifies new job postings related to security roles that may indicate increased hiring in the security department.
SEC Filings for Financial Impact: Analyzes SEC filings for mentions of financial impacts and changes in budget allocation due to security incidents.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): The primary domain to analyze, such as “acme.com”.
company_name (string): The company name for statement searching, such as “Acme Corporation”.

Business Impact: This scanner is crucial for organizations aiming to enhance their cybersecurity posture by promptly addressing budgetary changes and resource reallocations post-incident. It helps in understanding the financial implications and strategic shifts taken by companies following security breaches.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Severe financial impacts on performance due to breach, immediate need for enhanced cybersecurity measures.
High: Noticeable shift in budget allocation towards cybersecurity, potential exposure to increased risk.
Medium: Slight change in investment or hiring focus towards security, moderate risk mitigation needed.
Low: Minimal changes observed, lower informational impact unless broader trends suggest vulnerability.
Info: Informal mentions without significant financial or operational implications, primarily for awareness and future planning.

Example Findings:

“Acme Corporation has allocated an additional $5 million in emergency spending on cybersecurity measures following a recent data breach.”
“Following the breach, Acme Corporation shifted resources to prioritize cybersecurity investments, altering its financial priorities significantly.”

Vendor Relationship Changes

Purpose: The Vendor Relationship Changes Scanner is designed to identify potential risks associated with changes in a company’s technology stack, vendor relationships, and security certifications. By analyzing public records, OSINT sources, and news articles, this scanner detects indications of security provider termination, rapid vendor switching, contract renegotiation, and disclosures related to the technology stack and certification claims.

What It Detects:

Security Provider Termination: Detection of statements indicating termination or discontinuation of a security provider.
Rapid Vendor Switching: Identification of frequent changes in technology vendors or service providers.
Contract Renegotiation: Detection of mentions related to contract renegotiations with vendors or service providers.
Technology Stack Disclosure: Changes in the technology stack mentioned in job postings, news articles, or other public sources.
Certification Claims: Changes or mentions related to security certifications such as SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and HIPAA compliance.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): Primary domain to analyze (e.g., acme.com) - This is the main website of the company for which you want to perform the analysis.
company_name (string): Company name for statement searching (e.g., “Acme Corporation”) - Used to search relevant statements and documents related to the company’s operations.

Business Impact: Monitoring changes in vendor relationships and technology stack is crucial as it can directly impact a company’s security posture, compliance requirements, and operational continuity. Rapid or unexpected changes may indicate strategic shifts that could affect future performance and reliability of services.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Conditions that pose an immediate threat to the organization’s operations, requiring urgent attention and potentially critical business decisions.
- Examples: Significant termination of a major security provider without clear transition plans or significant contractual changes with high implications for service continuity.
High: Conditions that are highly likely to cause serious problems if not addressed promptly, affecting key aspects of the organization’s operations.
- Examples: Frequent switching between vendors without substantial benefits or renegotiating critical contracts leading to potential service disruptions.
Medium: Conditions that may lead to some negative consequences but can often be mitigated with available resources and tools.
- Examples: Minor changes in technology stack disclosures not currently impacting operations significantly.
Low: Conditions that are unlikely to have a significant impact on the organization’s operations, typically requiring minimal attention unless they escalate.
- Examples: Mention of potential compliance certifications without immediate implementation or contractual adjustments with minor implications.
Info: Informational findings provide context but do not directly affect operational risk levels.
- Examples: General mentions of technology stack in job postings that are not indicative of current usage or significant changes.

Example Findings:

“We have terminated our relationship with VendorX, which will necessitate a review of our security protocols.”
“Acme Corporation has adopted AWS as its primary cloud provider for enhanced security and compliance.”
“Renegotiating contract with ServiceProviderY to secure better terms that align with strategic objectives.”

Security Leadership Changes

Purpose: The Security Leadership Changes Scanner is designed to identify shifts in organizational priorities and potential vulnerabilities in security governance by detecting changes in security leadership, such as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) replacements and restructuring of the security team. This tool aims to provide insights into recent announcements, job postings, SEC filings, and other relevant sources to track alterations in security leadership and their implications for the organization’s security posture.

What It Detects:

CISO Replacement Detection: Identifies recent announcements or news articles about a new CISO appointment, including indications from LinkedIn profiles and SEC filings.
Security Team Restructuring: Scans for updates on company websites and organizational charts indicating changes in the security team structure.
Responsibility Shifts: Monitors job postings for new security roles that might suggest shifts in responsibilities as well as news articles discussing changes in security policies or procedures.
Subdomain Discovery and Monitoring: Utilizes Certificate Transparency logs to discover new subdomains associated with recent organizational changes, which are then analyzed for any security-related activities or announcements.
News and Media Coverage: Scrapes news articles from various sources to identify mentions of security leadership changes, including job board postings related to the company’s security team.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): The primary domain to analyze, such as acme.com.
company_name (string): The name of the company for statement searching, e.g., “Acme Corporation”.

Business Impact: Changes in security leadership can significantly impact an organization’s risk profile and ability to protect sensitive information. Detecting these changes early allows for proactive measures to be taken to shore up any vulnerabilities that may arise from such transitions.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Significant executive changes, especially at the CISO level, or public disclosures indicating critical risks in security governance.
High: Notable restructuring of the security team without clear explanations or indications of enhanced security measures.
Medium: Minor adjustments in job postings for new security roles that might indicate evolving responsibilities but do not pose immediate high risk.
Low: Informal mentions in news articles and minor changes in organizational charts that are consistent with normal business operations.
Info: Discovery of new subdomains or incidental mentions that do not directly correlate to significant risks but may warrant further investigation for informational purposes.

Example Findings:

“Acme Corporation appointed John Doe as the new CISO, indicating a shift in security priorities.”
“Recent restructuring of the security team at Acme Corporation is noted, potentially affecting its risk posture.”

Audit Scope Modifications

Purpose: The Audit Scope Modifications Scanner is designed to detect potential attempts by organizations to downplay the severity or extent of a security incident. By analyzing public records and open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources, this scanner identifies indicators such as assessment postponement, scope narrowing, and methodology changes. This helps in understanding the true impact and implications of security incidents on an organization’s operations.

What It Detects:

Assessment Postponement Indicators: Detection of phrases indicating delayed assessments, such as “we are currently conducting” or “a full investigation is underway.”
Scope Narrowing Patterns: Identification of language that limits the scope of an assessment, such as “limited to specific systems” or “did not include certain departments.”
Methodology Changes: Recognition of changes in the methodology used for assessments, indicated by phrases like “we have revised our approach” or “our methods have evolved.”
Breach Mentions and Security Incidents: Detection of mentions related to data breaches or security incidents using patterns such as “data breach,” “security incident,” “unauthorized access,” and “compromised.”
Technical Stack Disclosure: Identification of technology stack disclosures that might indicate changes in infrastructure, using phrases like “experience with AWS,” “proficiency in Terraform,” or “knowledge of Splunk.”

Inputs Required:

domain (string): Primary domain to analyze (e.g., acme.com)
company_name (string): Company name for statement searching (e.g., “Acme Corporation”)

Business Impact: This scanner is crucial as it helps in uncovering the true extent of security incidents, enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions about response strategies and risk management. It ensures transparency and integrity in reporting by detecting any attempts to obfuscate the impact of a security incident.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Conditions that directly indicate significant compromises or breaches with high potential for severe damage to an organization’s operations, reputation, or compliance status.
High: Conditions suggesting substantial risks such as broad scope limitations without clear justification, which could be indicative of suppressed information about the incident’s severity.
Medium: Conditions that point to moderate risk, possibly involving some form of concealment or selective disclosure related to the assessment in question.
Low: Informal mentions or minor deviations from standard reporting practices that do not significantly impact the understanding of the security posture but may still warrant attention for completeness and transparency.
Info: Non-critical findings such as routine language usage in public statements, which does not directly affect risk perception but contributes to a comprehensive analysis.

Example Findings:

“We have revised our approach significantly post-incident, focusing only on the immediate affected systems.” - Indicates scope narrowing and methodological change at a high severity level.
“An investigation into unauthorized access attempts is ongoing, with more details expected soon.” - Shows assessment postponement and ongoing incident handling at a medium severity level.

Control Implementation Surges

Purpose:
The Control Implementation Surges Scanner is designed to detect rapid tool deployment, sudden policy changes, and rushed security measures that may indicate a response to a recent breach or security incident. This helps identify if the organization is taking proactive steps in response to a threat or merely reacting hastily.

What It Detects:

Rapid Tool Deployment: Detection of new repositories on GitHub related to security tools deployed within a short timeframe, along with identification of recent commits and pull requests indicating rapid changes in security infrastructure.
Sudden Policy Changes: Analysis of SEC filings for mentions of sudden policy changes or updates related to cybersecurity, as well as examination of LinkedIn posts and company news for announcements of new security policies or compliance measures.
Rushed Security Measures: Search for recent job postings on tech job boards that mention urgent hiring needs in cybersecurity roles, along with detection of new security advisories or vulnerability disclosures from the organization within a short period.
Subdomain Discovery Anomalies: Monitoring Certificate Transparency logs for sudden increases in subdomains registered, which may indicate rapid deployment of new services or tools.
Breach History Correlation: Cross-referencing breach history from HaveIBeenPwned with recent security activities to identify correlations between breaches and subsequent actions.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): Primary domain to analyze (e.g., acme.com)
company_name (string): Company name for statement searching (e.g., “Acme Corporation”)

Business Impact:
This scanner is crucial as it helps organizations assess their cybersecurity posture in real-time, enabling them to respond appropriately to potential threats and ensuring that security measures are not hastily implemented merely to react to an incident. It provides valuable insights into the organization’s proactive or reactive approach to cybersecurity.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Conditions where there is a sudden increase in subdomains registered without clear explanation, indicating rapid deployment of new services or tools which could lead to significant security risks.
High: Sudden policy changes that do not align with the organization’s usual practices, potentially signaling unpreparedness or lack of foresight in addressing cybersecurity threats.
Medium: Urgent hiring for cybersecurity roles without clear justification might indicate a pressing need to address existing vulnerabilities or breaches, requiring immediate attention.
Low: Minimal impact on security posture from new repositories or commits related to security tools, indicating normal operational practices.
Info: Informational findings such as minor changes in policies or routine updates that do not pose significant risks but are indicative of ongoing cybersecurity efforts.

Example Findings:

Detection of multiple new subdomains registered within a month without prior notice could indicate a need for immediate investigation into potential breaches or unauthorized access points.
A sudden spike in job postings mentioning urgent hiring for cybersecurity experts, possibly due to recent data breaches or heightened threat levels, would require swift action and review of existing security measures.