I am writing this article to document some information and steps anyone can use to detect and mitigate compromise on their Windows systems. This article will not be highly technical but a resource on Windows systems breach detection and mitigation that someone can use to check the company procedures and quickly identify policies that should be in place and what should be included in those.
At least 600 million attacks per day were officially recorded in Windows systems based on Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024, without including the number of attacks that Microsoft is unaware of, which certainly raises the number much higher. Such attacks have a significant cost, with the global average data breach cost of $4.96 million per incident based on IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report. Also, Studies estimate a 3-5% revenue drop, which might increase the price by losing clients or impacting the company’s stock if it is in the stock market.
There are two steps the Detection & Mitigation.
In Detection, we can include the following Categories:
Network Traffic Analysis
Analyzing traffic lets us pinpoint unusual outbound connections and check for large data transfers.
User and Account Monitoring
Failed login attempts and unknown new user accounts might be an indication of a breach as well.
Software and Services Audit
Installed software, startup programs, suspicious processes, and unauthorized services need investigation.
Log And Event Analysis
One of the most definite sources of information is the Windows Event Viewer, which should be correctly modified to record any login attempts and privilege escalation. Using the correct tool to analyze and report these proactively has significant value in your prevention policies.
Threat Detection Tools
Every company uses at least one Antivirus with or without advanced protection shields included. Ensure you have a custom policy defined for any software used and notifications properly configured for suspicious behavior.
In Mitigation, we can include the following Categories:
Isolation and Recovery
The first step that you should take when a compromised system is detected. Isolate any compromised OS and restore or rebuild the system.
Incident Response
If you do not have an internal cybersecurity team, engage with experts in forensic analysis to find the entry point and structure a defense strategy to prevent the same breach from reoccurring.
Here are some tools that are freely available to anyone and can significantly help to enhance security and track breaches:
Microsoft Security Response Center
Open Source Security Platform
SysInternal Suite
Key Takeaways:
Preparing for an attack is the best way to avoid or reduce its impact. Make sure you have your policies and systems ready for such cases. When a crisis hits, the roles and responsibilities become often blurry, and the time to take action is impactful. Inform and train your staff about the procedures that will take place during such an event. Also, train them regularly to indicate and avoid such attempts. Remember that most breaches do not come from technical-aware employees. Periodically audit your systems and stay informed of emerging threats. In this article you can see how you can get the benefits of an open source security platform.
If the above sounds confusing, very technical, or just time consuming for you current capacity, we are here to help Contact us by Clicking Here. We are helping businesses to stabilizing and optimizing their environments. We also offer monitoring as a service if you just want us to keep an eye and alert you if something has indications of the will stop working soon. Here is an article related to monitoring
 | About Alexios Pappas – Alexios Pappas has worked internally in IT Departments in multi-role technical and management positions for many years. In parallel, Alexios led IT multinational projects across several countries globally as an IT Freelancer. He repeatedly got Top Rated Plus distinction and also 100% satisfaction rate for over one and a half-decade, resulting from the Client’s feedback. Since 2015 he has been focused on informing and helping Businesses that want to improve and excel in their IT Section. |
