Hacking investigation at ABC Company

Website compromise investigation — Investigation, remediation and hardening.

Background

Sigma Marketing Solutions Pvt. Ltd. (anonymized; older published materials also used “ABC Company” for the same engagement) is an Ahmedabad marketing firm serving healthcare clients. Their website is both a marketing site and a client portal.

Problem

A cyber-attack gave unauthorized access. The internal IT team detected the incident and asked me to investigate.

What I examined

Server logs and system files
Intrusion path back to a source IP address
System structure with the internal IT team

A source IP can locate a network origin. It is not, by itself, proof of who operated the attack.

What I implemented

Patched the vulnerability that allowed access
Updated related software
Two-factor authentication for critical access
Regular security audits and stronger monitoring for unusual activity

Outcome

The entry method was identified and closed. What we could show about client-data exposure stayed limited to the evidence available during the investigation.