Post-Breach Hardening
Root cause analysis and targeted remediation roadmap closing every gap the attacker exploited — and those they scoped but did not use.
Post-Breach Hardening
A breach is a proof of concept — it demonstrates exactly which controls failed, which detection capabilities were absent, and which architectural assumptions were wrong. Organisations that treat breach recovery as simply restoring from backup miss the most valuable intelligence a breach can provide: a precise map of their actual security posture.
Intelliroot's Post-Breach Hardening service transforms breach findings into a systematic, prioritised hardening programme. We close every gap the attacker exploited — and every gap they identified but chose not to use — using the evidence from the forensic investigation to guide a targeted, high-impact remediation effort that raises the cost of re-compromise dramatically.
Re-Compromise Is Common Without Targeted Hardening
Attackers Return to Familiar Environments
Threat actors who successfully compromise an organisation often return — either directly or by selling access to other criminal groups. Without closing every identified attack path and improving detection capabilities, re-compromise is a matter of when, not if.
AD Compromise Requires Complete Rebuild
Active Directory that has been compromised by an attacker with Domain Admin access cannot be trusted. Skeleton Key attacks, Golden Ticket persistence, and backdoored GPOs can survive standard remediation. True remediation frequently requires a new AD forest built with security-hardened design from the start.
Detection Gaps Must Be Closed
Breaches that persisted undetected for weeks or months reveal detection capability gaps. Post-breach hardening must include deployment of EDR, SIEM use case development, and detection engineering to ensure equivalent attacker techniques are detected in future.
Insurance Requires Demonstrable Improvement
Cyber insurers responding to breach claims typically require evidence of meaningful security improvement before renewing coverage or maintaining premium levels. Post-breach hardening provides the documented improvement evidence that insurers and boards require.
What We Harden
Identity & Active Directory
AD tiering model implementation, privileged access workstations, LAPS deployment, Kerberoasting/AS-REP mitigation, and new forest build where AD is fully compromised.
Network Segmentation
Network segmentation review and redesign, lateral movement path elimination, East-West firewall rules, and microsegmentation for critical systems.
Detection & Response Capability
EDR deployment and tuning, SIEM use case development, detection rules for attacker techniques observed during the breach, and SOC alert triage process improvement.
Backup & Recovery Architecture
Backup architecture hardening — immutable backups, offline copies, 3-2-1-1 strategy, backup account segregation, and recovery time validation.
Our Approach
- 01
Breach Findings Review
Review forensic investigation findings to map every attacker technique, lateral movement path, and exploited vulnerability. Build a comprehensive picture of the actual attack surface used.
- 02
Hardening Prioritisation
Prioritise hardening actions by re-compromise risk reduction impact. Sequence work to address highest-risk gaps first while maintaining operational continuity.
- 03
Identity & AD Hardening
Credential hygiene, privileged access restructuring, AD security controls deployment. New forest build and migration where existing AD is irrecoverably compromised.
- 04
Network & Endpoint Hardening
Network segmentation improvements, endpoint hardening, EDR deployment, and application allowlisting on critical systems.
- 05
Detection Engineering
Develop and deploy SIEM detection rules and EDR custom detections targeting the specific techniques used by the attacker. Validate detection coverage through purple team testing.
- 06
Validation & Reporting
Purple team validation of hardening effectiveness. Deliver post-hardening report documenting all changes made, residual risks, and the ongoing security improvement roadmap.
Deliverables
Post-Hardening Report
Comprehensive report documenting all hardening actions taken, evidence of implementation, residual risks, and the ongoing security improvement roadmap.
AD Security Assessment & Rebuild Plan
Documented AD security posture assessment and, where required, a phased AD rebuild and migration plan with new forest design specification.
Detection Rule Package
SIEM and EDR detection rules developed for the specific attacker techniques observed during the breach, with tuning documentation and false positive guidance.
Security Improvement Roadmap
Board-ready roadmap of security improvements with prioritisation, estimated effort, and expected risk reduction — suitable for insurer and board presentation.
Request a Security Assessment
Tell us about your environment and security objectives. We'll design a bespoke assessment and deliver a detailed proposal within 48 hours.