Try this first
- 1Unplug the UTP cable, or turn Wi-Fi off (airplane mode is simplest). Do not power down.
- 2Got Defender for Endpoint or another EDR? Use 'Isolate device' in the console. Blocks all traffic except the management channel.
- 3Stick a label on the laptop: 'DO NOT POWER ON, DO NOT SIGN IN, IT CONTACT'. Stops a well-meaning colleague from 'just having a look'.
- 4Keep the laptop in a lockable space until someone with investigation experience can look. Do not take home, do not hand to a colleague.
- 5Document who has the laptop, from when, serial number. Store the doc on a different device.
When to bring us in
On suspicion of active attack (data exfiltration, ransomware): call us right away, do not investigate yourself first. Time is the difference between one laptop and the whole network.
See also
- I think I clicked a phishing linkNo shame, happens to everyone. The next fifteen minutes matter.
- A colleague's account is acting strangelySending mail in their name, rules hiding folders, unusual sign-ins. Suspicious.
- Lost the MFA app: new phone, no backup codesClassic problem after a phone upgrade. You are not the first to be locked out.
None of the above fits?
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