The problem
A sophisticated cyberattack does not start with ransomware. It starts with reconnaissance, an attacker quietly mapping the environment, identifying servers, and locating targets before striking. This early phase is nearly invisible without the right monitoring in place.
Over two consecutive days, a suspicious process was detected running on a production server, a Windows utility commonly abused by attackers to discover network structure and identify targets for lateral movement.
What we did
The activity was flagged automatically the moment it occurred. We investigated what ran, when, from where, and under what credentials. We assessed whether it was legitimate administrative work or something more serious, documented our findings, and ensured no further suspicious activity followed.
The outcome
Whether the intent was malicious or not, the client had something invaluable: awareness. A documented detection, a professional assessment, and the knowledge that if it had been the opening move of an attack, we were already watching.
Why it matters
By the time most businesses notice an attack, it is already in its final stages. Catching it at reconnaissance means stopping it before it ever becomes a breach.