Case Study 001
Cyber Incident Response: Building Infrastructure to Quell AIO Fallen at a Tier-One Financial Institution
Client
Tier-One Financial Institution
Size
5,000+ employees, 2000 branches nationwide
Duration
Jan 2025 - April 2025
Location
Lagos, Nigeria
Client Overview
A tier-one financial institution required a comprehensive cyber incident response strategy following infrastructure challenges. Our team was engaged to investigate, contain, and rebuild their security infrastructure to prevent future incidents while maintaining business continuity.
Business Challenge
The financial institution faced a complex security crisis requiring immediate attention:
- Critical need to investigate and contain a sophisticated cybersecurity incident affecting core banking infrastructure
- Urgent requirement to maintain business continuity while addressing security vulnerabilities across 2000+ branches
- Complex multi-layered security architecture requiring coordinated response across multiple systems
- Need to implement comprehensive monitoring and detection capabilities to identify threats in real-time
- Requirement to establish robust incident response procedures while ensuring regulatory compliance
Security Risks
- Exposure to ransomware attacks due to legacy infrastructure
- Inefficient threat detection and response capabilities
- Lack of centralized security monitoring across distributed branch network
- Potential for prolonged downtime affecting customer services
- Risk of data breach due to inadequate access controls
- Non-compliance with regulatory requirements for incident detection and response
The Solution
We deployed a comprehensive incident response and security infrastructure rebuilding strategy:
Discovery & Assessment (Week 1-3)
- Conducted thorough infrastructure audit to identify all vulnerabilities and affected systems
- Performed comprehensive network and endpoint analysis across all 2000 branches
- Mapped existing security architecture and identified critical gaps
- Assessed regulatory compliance status and requirements
- Developed detailed remediation roadmap with prioritized action items
Deployment & Configuration (Week 4-12)
- Deployed enterprise-grade SIEM solution for centralized security monitoring
- Configured advanced threat detection and response capabilities
- Implemented multi-layered security controls across network infrastructure
- Established 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) monitoring
- Deployed endpoint detection and response (EDR) across all systems
- Configured automated incident response workflows
Testing & Validation (Week 13-16)
- Conducted comprehensive penetration testing to validate security controls
- Performed security posture assessments across all branches
- Validated incident detection and response procedures
- Tested business continuity and disaster recovery capabilities
- Conducted security awareness training for IT and security teams
Implementation Highlights
Discovery & Assessment (Week 1-3)
Comprehensive infrastructure and security audit
- Identified over 150 critical vulnerabilities across the infrastructure
- Mapped complete network topology across 2000+ branches
- Documented existing security controls and their effectiveness
- Assessed compliance gaps against CBN and international standards
- Created prioritized remediation plan with timeline and resources
Deployment & Configuration (Week 4-12)
Enterprise security infrastructure implementation
- Deployed Splunk Enterprise Security for centralized log management
- Configured 24/7 SOC monitoring with automated threat detection
- Implemented CrowdStrike Falcon for endpoint protection
- Deployed Palo Alto Networks Next-Gen Firewalls at all critical junctions
- Integrated all security tools into unified SOAR platform
Testing & Validation (Week 13-16)
Comprehensive security validation and team training
- Conducted red team exercises to test detection capabilities
- Validated incident response procedures through simulated attacks
- Tested backup and disaster recovery procedures
- Trained 50+ security and IT staff on new tools and procedures
- Documented all processes and created incident response playbooks
The Results
Measurable Outcomes
Risk Reduction: Eliminated 95% of identified critical vulnerabilities
Enhanced security posture across all 2000 branches nationwide
Achieved Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) of under 15 minutes
Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) reduced to under 1 hour
Zero successful security incidents post-implementation
99.9% uptime maintained during entire deployment
Successfully detected and blocked 500+ subsequent attack attempts
Key Improvements
- Compliance Achievements: Achieved full CBN cybersecurity framework compliance
- Met ISO 27001 security management requirements
- Established comprehensive audit trails for regulatory reporting
- Implemented controls meeting PCI DSS requirements
Operational Efficiency
- Operational Efficiency: 70% reduction in security false positives through AI-driven analytics
- Automated 80% of routine security monitoring tasks
- Reduced security incident investigation time by 60%
- Streamlined security operations workflows
Team Enablement
- Team Enablement: Trained and certified 50+ staff on security tools
- Established in-house incident response capabilities
- Created comprehensive security documentation and playbooks
- Built sustainable security operations program
"The team's response was exceptional. They not only addressed the immediate crisis but helped us build a world-class security infrastructure. We now have complete visibility across our entire network and the confidence to detect and respond to threats in real-time."
Network Operations Team
Tier-One Financial Institution
Technologies Deployed
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
SOC as a Service
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
Next-Generation Firewalls
Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems
Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR)
Threat Intelligence Platforms
Vulnerability Management Solutions