Data Breach Response & Forensic Reporting
Compressed breach detection from 210 days to 2 hours — with automated regulatory reporting that qualified for GDPR fast-response exemptions.
100×
faster breach detection
2h
to root cause (was 210 days)
3×
faster incident response
100%
root cause identified on all incidents
Role
Lead Technical Business Analyst — Security & Compliance
Timeline
Q3–Q4 2023 · 5 months
Delivery context
The Problem
Median breach detection time of 210 days left the organisation exposed to regulatory fines and reputational damage. The forensics process was manual, disconnected, and produced reports that regulators couldn't act on quickly. GDPR and CCPA fast-response exemptions required documented evidence collection within hours, not weeks.
My Contribution
I led the requirements analysis for the breach forensics platform, mapping current-state breach response workflows and documenting data access audit requirements across all source systems. I defined the GDPR and CCPA regulatory reporting specifications and facilitated compliance team workshops to validate that the automated incident timeline met audit documentation standards. I authored the data lineage documentation required for the evidentiary chain in regulatory submissions and coordinated with the security and legal teams to ensure the platform output qualified for fast-response regulatory exemptions.
The Solution
Requirements-led forensics platform: breach response workflow mapping, data access audit requirements across source systems, GDPR/CCPA reporting specifications, evidentiary chain documentation design, and compliance team validation workshops.
Results
- Detection time: 210 days → 2 hours (100× improvement)
- Root cause identified in 100% of incidents
- Full attacker timeline generated automatically
- 3× faster incident response
- Qualified for GDPR/CCPA fast-response exception, reducing fines
Regulatory reporting requirements need to be defined before the forensics system is designed, not retrofitted after. The evidentiary chain documentation — what data, in what form, with what timestamps, in what chain of custody — determined the entire data architecture. Getting legal and compliance to specify that in the requirements phase was what made the GDPR exemption possible.
Tech Stack
Compliance
Security
Tools
Methodology
Related
How this project connects to the rest of my work.
Services
Work phases this project exemplifies
- 02 · DefineBRDs, user stories, acceptance criteria — translating the problem framing memo into a measurable business case with KPI baselines, target outcomes, and acceptance criteria stakeholders can sign off on
- 04 · DeliverAgile execution, backlog ownership, UAT, defect triage
- 06 · ValueKPIs tracked, outcomes measured, platform scales
Proof metrics
Related projects
- Cloud Security Posture & Compliance AutomationAchieved 87% fewer security incidents and continuous SOC2/ISO compliance — reducing audit prep from 40 hours to 2 hours.
- API Security & Threat Detection ProgrammeSlashed attack detection time from 200+ days to under 5 minutes and automated remediation for 94% of incidents.