Investigation Documentation

Track timeline, actions taken, and evidence systematically

Investigation Documentation

Incident investigation creates the audit trail proving your response was appropriate and effective. Document everything in real-time.

Investigation Timeline

Build chronological incident record:

  • Initial detection: When and how the incident was discovered
  • Containment actions: Steps taken to limit damage
  • Investigation activities: Forensic analysis, log review, interviews
  • Communication events: Who was notified and when
  • Resolution actions: How the incident was remediated
  • Verification: Confirmation that threat is eliminated

Every timeline entry is automatically timestamped.

[Screenshot: Incident Timeline] Placeholder: Chronological event log with timestamps

Evidence Collection

Gather supporting evidence:

  • System logs: Authentication logs, access logs, error logs
  • Screenshots: Suspicious activity, configuration changes, error messages
  • Network captures: Traffic analysis, intrusion detection alerts
  • Email communications: Phishing attempts, social engineering
  • Physical evidence: Photos of hardware tampering, access logs

Upload evidence files to the incident's evidence locker.

Investigation Notes

Document findings in structured updates:

  • What was discovered: Factual observations
  • How it was discovered: Investigation methodology
  • Significance: What this finding means for the incident
  • Next steps: Additional investigation needed

[Screenshot: Investigation Update Form] Placeholder: Add update dialog with evidence attachment

Root Cause Analysis

Identify why the incident occurred:

  • Immediate cause: What directly caused the incident
  • Contributing factors: Conditions that enabled the incident
  • Underlying causes: Systemic issues that need addressing
  • Control failures: Which security controls failed or were missing

Impact Assessment

Document incident impact:

  • Systems affected: List of compromised or impacted assets
  • Data exposure: What data was accessed or exfiltrated
  • Business disruption: Service downtime or operational impact
  • Financial impact: Direct costs and productivity losses
  • Regulatory implications: GDPR, NIS2, or other notification requirements

[Screenshot: Impact Assessment] Placeholder: Impact documentation form with affected entities

Chain of Custody

Maintain evidence integrity:

  • Who collected: Person who obtained the evidence
  • When collected: Timestamp of evidence collection
  • Storage location: Where evidence is secured
  • Access log: Who viewed or analyzed the evidence

This chain of custody proves evidence wasn't tampered with.

Next Steps