Stopping the spread of a sophisticated spear phishing attack

For Business, For Legal Professionals, For MSP’s | 4 Jul 2023

A case study on work that Notion Digital Forensics have completed.

Case Study Overview

Notion Digital Forensics responded to a critical cybersecurity incident affecting a professional services firm whose marketing director fell victim to a sophisticated phishing scheme. The attacker gained unauthorized access to the company’s Microsoft Office 365 environment, compromised thousands of business contacts, and launched a targeted phishing campaign against those extracted contacts.

Objectives

The investigation aimed to determine the scope of the breach, identify what information was compromised, and establish whether the intrusion had propagated throughout the organization. The team prioritized rapid communication with affected parties and provided the customer with actionable intelligence to contact potential victims of the follow-up phishing attacks.

Methodology

The forensic team conducted comprehensive analysis using advanced digital forensics tools to trace the breach origin. They examined Office 365 logs and targeted employee systems to map the breach’s trajectory and business impact. The investigation also involved coordinating with Google and Microsoft to blacklist malicious phishing URLs.

Key Findings

• The initial breach source was identified and contained
• The intrusion remained isolated to the compromised account
• Specific stolen data was documented and catalogued
• No lateral movement throughout the organization was detected

Outcomes

Through rapid intervention and forensic expertise, the business regained system control and restored customer confidence. The coordination with major technology providers helped prevent additional victims from falling prey to the criminal scheme.