Security Incident Report - Unauthorized Access

This report documents an unauthorized access incident that occurred at AcmeTech Solutions.
The purpose of this document is to provide a clear record of what happened, how it was handled, and what improvements are needed.

1. Incident Overview

Incident ID: ATS-IR-2025-091
Date & Time Detected: 2025-09-08 02:14 UTC
Reported By: Intrusion Detection System (IDS) alert
Detected By: SOC Level 1 Analyst (J. Kim)
Incident Handler: Security Engineer (M. Patel)

2. Incident Description

Type of Incident: Unauthorized access attempt
Description: The IDS flagged repeated failed login attempts on the corporate VPN from an external IP address, followed by a successful login using a valid employee account.
Affected Systems/Assets:
- VPN Gateway (vpn.acmetechsolutions.com)
- Employee account: j.smith[at]acmetechsolutions.com
Initial Impact Assessment:
- Possible credential compromise
- No evidence of data exfiltration at the time of detection

3. Timeline of Events

Date & Time (UTC)	Event Description	Person/Team Responsible
2025-09-08 02:14	IDS alert triggered for brute-force attempts	IDS / SOC
2025-09-08 02:16	SOC analyst escalated incident to Tier 2	SOC Analyst
2025-09-08 02:20	Compromised account disabled	Security Engineer
2025-09-08 02:35	VPN logs reviewed, no lateral movement detected	SOC Team
2025-09-08 03:00	Password reset enforced for affected user	IT Support
2025-09-08 03:45	Investigation concluded, account secured	Security Engineer

4. Actions Taken

Containment Measures: Disabled compromised account immediately upon detection.
Eradication Steps: Blocked the attacker's IP address at the firewall.
Recovery Actions: Forced company-wide VPN password reset and reviewed MFA logs.
Communications Made:
- Internal: SOC notified IT and HR teams.
- External: No customer notification required (no confirmed data exposure).

5. Evidence Collected

Logs: VPN gateway access logs (exported to SIEM).
Screenshots: IDS alert screenshot attached.
Network Captures: None (no active malicious traffic during containment).
Chain of Custody Notes: Logs archived securely with hash verification for integrity.

6. Resolution

Root Cause Identified: Employee reused corporate password on external service that was breached.
Permanent Fix Applied: Enforced strict MFA policy for all VPN accounts.
Systems Restored on: 2025-09-08 03:45 UTC
Verification Performed By: SOC Lead (A. Johnson)

7. Lessons Learned

What worked well: IDS effectively detected brute-force activity; SOC responded within 5 minutes.
What could be improved: Faster escalation path for VPN-related alerts.
Policy/Procedure Updates Needed: Mandatory security awareness training on password hygiene.
Additional Security Controls to Implement: Enable anomaly-based detection for unusual login patterns.

8. Reporting & Compliance

Regulatory Notifications Required: No (no personal data exfiltration confirmed).
Authorities Notified: None.
Customers/Partners Notified: None.
Deadline for Compliance Reporting: Not applicable.