Experiencing a cyber incident right now?  Call our 24/7 emergency line: (+44) 20 3951 4401   ·  Emergencies only
Cyber Incident Response

Clarity.
Speed.
Recovery.

When a cyber incident strikes, the difference between swift resolution and prolonged organisational crisis is the right response — deployed immediately, led by certified experts who have done this thousands of times before.

24/7
On-call incident response — every day of the year, including holidays
1,000s
Incidents responded to globally across every major sector and attack type
< 1 hr
Guaranteed engagement start for retainer clients — contractually committed
3
Simple retainer tiers — from rapid-access safety net to fully embedded readiness
Active incident? Do not wait. Call our emergency line on (+44) 20 3951 4401 now.
Readiness Before the Crisis

The best time to engage your incident response team is before you need them.

Major cyber incidents place intense stress and scrutiny on even the most experienced internal teams. Questions come from every direction — the board, legal counsel, regulators, insurers, the press. The organisations that navigate this best share one characteristic: they prepared.

A pre-contracted incident response retainer transforms your position entirely. Your response team already knows your environment, your key contacts, your critical systems and your regulatory obligations. When an incident is declared, response begins from a place of knowledge — not from zero.

"The key to incident response is not reaction — it is anticipation. The element of surprise is the attacker's greatest advantage. A retainer removes it."

Musketeers Security offers three straightforward retainer tiers — designed to give every organisation, regardless of size or sector, guaranteed access to certified, experienced responders the moment they are needed.

  • Guaranteed SLA from the first callContractually committed response times. Our retainer clients are prioritised above all ad-hoc engagements, guaranteed.
  • Pre-briefed on your environmentOnboarding before an incident means our team knows your architecture, teams and critical assets — so time is never wasted at the start of a response.
  • Auditable evidence chain from the startEvery engagement is conducted forensically from the first action — producing the evidence chain your insurers, legal counsel and regulators require.
  • Pre-agreed commercial termsNo emergency rate premiums. No surprise invoices. Engagement rates are locked in your retainer contract before an incident occurs.
  • Proactive services that build resiliencePlus and Elite retainer clients receive tabletop exercises, IR plan reviews and threat intelligence briefings — so that when a real incident occurs, your team is not starting from scratch.
Retainer Plans

Three tiers. One outcome — experts available the moment you need them.

Our retainer plans are designed to be understood and signed quickly. Each tier provides a different level of embedded readiness — from guaranteed rapid access to a fully onboarded, deeply embedded response relationship.

Three retainers for three different needs

Pick the tier that matches your priorities: fast response with no commitment, pre-purchased hours with proactive rollover services, or in-depth onboarding and the fastest SLAs for complex environments.

Tier 1
Response Ready
No pre-committed hours — guaranteed fast access when it matters most
Best for: Companies wanting a fast IR retainer on standby, without pre-purchased hours or extra services.
  • OnboardingLight onboarding up to 3 hours — familiarises our team with your environment and key contacts
  • Response SLAGuaranteed within 1 hour of notification
    Soft target: 15 minutes
  • Pre-purchased HoursNone — pay only when you engage us
  • Proactive ServicesNot included
  • Availability24 / 7 / 365 emergency line access
Coverage
  • All incident types — ransomware, BEC, data breach, cloud compromise
  • M365 & Google Workspace forensic investigation
  • Regulatory & insurance evidence documentation

Speak to our team to confirm this tier is right for your organisation and sector.

Tier 2
Response Plus
Prepared, cost-controlled response with pre-committed capacity
Best for: Buyers who want pre-purchased hours and proactive rollover services, and are less focused on the fastest SLA.
  • OnboardingLight onboarding included at no cost — up to 3 hours
  • Response SLAGuaranteed within 2 hours of notification
    Soft target: 30 minutes
  • Pre-purchased Hours40 hours per year — usable for response or proactive services
  • Proactive ServicesTabletop exercises & IR planning review — annually
  • Availability24 / 7 / 365 emergency line access
Included Proactive Services
  • Annual tabletop exercise — tested against realistic scenarios
  • IR plan review and gap analysis
  • All incident types + M365 / Google Workspace forensics
  • Regulatory & insurance evidence documentation

Speak to our team to confirm this tier is right for your organisation and sector.

Tier 3
Response Elite
Highest level of readiness — deeply embedded, maximum discount rates
Best for: Larger or more complex environments needing in-depth onboarding and the fastest SLAs.
  • OnboardingIn-depth onboarding using 40 hours — architecture review, policy documentation & full infrastructure setup
  • Response SLAGuaranteed within 1 hour of notification
    Soft target: 15 minutes
  • Pre-purchased Hours80 hours per year at our maximum discount rate
  • Proactive ServicesTabletop exercises & IR planning review — annually
  • Availability24 / 7 / 365 emergency line access
Included Proactive Services
  • Annual tabletop exercise with sector-specific scenarios
  • In-depth IR plan development and review
  • All incident types + M365 / Google Workspace forensics
  • Regulatory, legal & insurance evidence packages

Speak to our team to confirm this tier is right for your organisation and sector.

Not sure which tier is right for your organisation? Our team will walk you through the options based on your sector, regulatory obligations and IR maturity — with no obligation.

Speak to our team
How We Respond

A disciplined, forensically sound process — refined across thousands of incidents.

Our methodology has been honed across thousands of incidents globally. Every engagement follows the same five-phase process — adapted in real time as the picture develops, with a consistent focus on minimising business impact and preserving the evidence chain your regulators and insurers expect.

01

Triage & Scoping

Rapid assessment of scope, severity and active threat presence. Contain before investigating.

02

Containment

Isolate systems, revoke credentials, cut adversary access — without destroying evidence.

03

Forensic Analysis

Establish the full attack timeline — initial access, lateral movement, data accessed or exfiltrated.

04

Eradication & Recovery

Remove all attacker persistence. Restore systems securely with hardened configurations.

05

Post-Incident Report

Detailed forensic report for regulators, insurers and board with prioritised recommendations.

Incident Types

Every major incident type — responded to, contained and resolved.

Our responders have handled every form of cyber attack across every major sector. Whatever the technique, our process is the same — fast, forensically sound and focused on your outcome.

Ransomware & Extortion

Ransomware Response

Rapid containment and recovery path assessment across every major ransomware family. Negotiation support where required.

  • Immediate isolation and containment
  • Decryption feasibility assessment
  • Negotiation support and threat actor analysis
  • Clean recovery and rebuild guidance
Email Compromise

Business Email Compromise

Full forensic scope on M365 and Google Workspace with detailed reports for insurers and legal counsel.

  • M365 / Google Workspace investigation
  • Mailbox rule and forwarding analysis
  • Payment fraud investigation support
  • Insurance claim evidence package
Data Breach

Data Breach & Exfiltration

Establish precisely what data was accessed, by whom and when — the evidential foundation for ICO notification and insurer claims.

  • Data exfiltration scoping and evidence
  • ICO notification timeline support
  • GDPR, NIS2 and DORA documentation
  • Affected individual notification guidance
Intrusion & Insider Threat

Network Intrusion

Investigate confirmed or suspected unauthorised access — external attacker or insider — mapping the full scope of compromise.

  • Lateral movement and persistence mapping
  • Privileged access abuse investigation
  • Attribution and threat actor profiling
  • Hardening recommendations post-investigation
Cloud & Identity

Cloud Environment Compromise

Cloud-native forensics across Azure, AWS and GCP — identity compromise, control plane abuse and cloud storage exfiltration.

  • Entra ID / IAM forensic investigation
  • Cloud API and audit log analysis
  • SaaS application compromise review
  • Post-incident cloud hardening
Regulatory & Compliance

Regulatory Response

Every engagement produces an auditable evidence chain aligned to what the ICO, NIS2, DORA, your insurers and legal counsel require.

  • DORA and NIS2 incident documentation
  • ICO breach notification support
  • Insurance claim evidence package
  • Board and executive briefing materials
Cyber Insurance

Coverage designed around your actual risk profile.

As an approved partner of a leading Lloyd's of London broker, Musketeers Security occupies a unique position: we understand both sides of a cyber insurance claim — what responders need to do their job, and what underwriters need to pay it.

First Party

Business Interruption

Income loss and extra expenses during network downtime following a covered cyber event.

First Party

Contingent Business Interruption

Covers losses where a critical supplier suffers a cyber event that disrupts your operations.

Third Party

Network Security & Privacy Liability

Protection against claims for failing to prevent a breach or maintain data privacy.

Third Party

Reputational Harm

Income loss protection from negative media coverage following a cyber event.

Technology

Technology E&O

Protects technology providers against claims arising from failure of products or services.

Liability

Media Liability

Coverage for defamation or intellectual property infringement claims in digital content.

Lloyd's of London Partnership

Musketeers Security is an approved partner of a leading Lloyd's of London cyber insurance broker — giving clients access to the world's most sophisticated insurance market for complex cyber risk.

  • Cyber Risk Assessments calibrated to Lloyd's underwriter expectations
  • Pre-incident advisory to maximise insurability and close coverage gaps
  • Post-incident evidence packages aligned to claims requirements
  • Access to open market, wholesale and facility placements
  • An active IR retainer strengthens your insurability position
Why Musketeers Security

Senior experts. Simple contracts. No enterprise overhead.

Certified Responders

CISSP, CISM, GCIH, OSCP. The certifications that matter when an attacker is active in your network — not just in a proposal.

Global Experience

Thousands of incidents responded to across multiple continents and every major sector. That depth informs every decision we make under pressure.

SC & DV Cleared

Security-cleared consultants available for government, CNI and sensitive environments where standard commercial providers cannot be deployed.

Simple Contracts

Our retainers are designed to be understood, agreed and activated in days. Straightforward terms, no hidden complexity.

Common Questions

Everything you need to know about IR retainers

Further questions? Speak to our team.

A cyber incident response retainer is a pre-agreed service contract that gives your organisation guaranteed, prioritised access to expert incident responders the moment a cyber incident occurs — without the delays of emergency procurement or contract negotiation under pressure. Retainers include contractually committed response times, pre-agreed commercial terms, and optional proactive services such as tabletop exercises and IR plan development.
Response Ready and Response Elite retainer clients receive a guaranteed engagement start within 1 hour of notification, with a soft target of 15 minutes. Response Plus clients receive guaranteed engagement within 2 hours, with a soft target of 30 minutes. Our 24/7 emergency line connects directly to on-call responders — not a call centre.
Pre-purchased hours on Response Plus and Response Elite plans roll into proactive services — tabletop exercises, IR plan reviews and threat intelligence briefings. They are never simply forfeited. The goal is that your pre-committed hours actively strengthen your resilience, whether or not a serious incident occurs during the retainer year.
Every Musketeers Security engagement produces a forensically sound evidence chain and written report aligned to what cyber insurance underwriters, the ICO and legal counsel require. As a Lloyd's of London approved partner, we understand what underwriters need to process a claim — and we ensure our response documentation meets those requirements from the first hour. An active retainer is also increasingly viewed as a positive risk signal by underwriters.
The right tier depends on your sector, regulatory obligations, internal IR maturity and how deeply you want our team embedded before an incident. Response Ready suits organisations seeking guaranteed access without upfront hour commitment. Response Plus adds pre-committed capacity and proactive services. Response Elite provides the deepest embedded relationship with in-depth onboarding and maximum pre-committed hours. Our team will walk you through the decision with no obligation.
Yes. Musketeers Security has responded to incidents across multiple continents. Our team operates remotely and on-site as required, coordinating with local counsel, communications specialists and regulators in key jurisdictions. Retainer clients outside the UK are welcome — please speak to our team about international coverage arrangements.
Delivery Assurance

NCSC Cyber Incident Response
Assured Delivery

Our incident response engagements are delivered in exclusive partnership with a National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) Cyber Incident Response Assured Service Provider — assessed by the NCSC against the UK government's rigorous technical standards for high-quality incident response. This means every engagement you place with Musketeers Security is backed by independently assured technical capability, not just a claimed competence.

NCSC Assured
Government-Validated Technical Standards

The NCSC Cyber Incident Response scheme assesses providers against rigorous technical standards covering forensic analysis, threat containment, evidence handling and regulatory reporting. Our delivery partner meets these standards.

Why It Matters
Not All Incident Responders Are Equal

The NCSC strongly recommends using a CIR Assured Service Provider when responding to cyber incidents. Unassured providers may lack the forensic rigour, chain of custody discipline and regulatory alignment that insurers, the ICO and legal counsel require.

Your Advantage
Assured Delivery, Independent Advice

Musketeers Security provides the independent advisory layer — managing the engagement, aligning response to your regulatory obligations, and coordinating with your insurer and legal counsel — while the technical IR is delivered to NCSC standards.

Verify independently

The NCSC publishes a publicly searchable directory of all Cyber Incident Response Assured Service Providers. You can verify the assurance status of any provider before engaging them.

NCSC CIR Provider Directory ↗
Get Protected

Speak to our team today.
Be ready before you need to be.

Most clients move from first conversation to active retainer within days. There is no obligation in speaking to us.

Active incident right now? Call our emergency line:  (+44) 20 3951 4401

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