Incident Response Services in Chapel Hill, NC
When ransomware locks a Chapel Hill healthcare practice’s EHR system or a breach exposes university-affiliated research data, the first hours determine the outcome. Petronella Technology Group, Inc. provides emergency incident response for Chapel Hill organizations — led by Craig Petronella, a licensed digital forensic examiner with 30+ years of experience. Same-day deployment. NIST 800-61 methodology. HIPAA breach notification expertise. Forensic evidence that withstands regulatory and legal scrutiny.
BBB Accredited Since 2003 • Founded 2002 • 2,500+ Clients • CMMC Certified Registered Practitioner
Cyber Incidents Target Healthcare & Research Data
UNC Health, research labs, and Chapel Hill businesses face sophisticated threats requiring expert response.
Healthcare Ransomware
Ransomware groups specifically target healthcare systems because encrypted patient records create life-safety urgency. Chapel Hill practices affiliated with UNC Health, independent clinics along East Franklin Street, and specialty providers near Eastgate are all potential targets. Expert response ensures clinical operations recover safely and rapidly.
Research Data Theft
Nation-state actors and criminal groups target Chapel Hill’s research institutions for genomic data, drug compound formulas, clinical trial results, and NIH-funded research. An incident response team that understands research data sensitivity and regulatory implications is essential for protecting irreplaceable intellectual property.
HIPAA Breach Timelines
HIPAA’s 60-day breach notification rule creates urgency for Chapel Hill healthcare organizations. A forensic investigation must determine breach scope, affected individuals, and notification requirements within this timeline. Our experienced team manages the entire process from forensic analysis through OCR reporting.
Evidence Preservation
Improper incident handling destroys the forensic evidence needed for insurance claims, regulatory compliance, and legal proceedings. Our chain-of-custody methodology preserves evidence from the first moment of engagement, protecting your Chapel Hill organization’s legal and financial position.
Incident Response for Chapel Hill’s Healthcare & Academic Community
Chapel Hill’s concentration of healthcare facilities, research institutions, and university-affiliated organizations creates a uniquely high-value target environment for cyber attackers. UNC Medical Center is one of the state’s premier academic medical centers. Dozens of independent practices, dental offices, and specialty providers operate across Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Research laboratories near the UNC campus manage data that represents years of scientific effort and millions of dollars in funding.
When a cyber incident strikes a Chapel Hill healthcare practice, the consequences are immediate: patient care may be disrupted, appointment schedules lost, prescription systems unavailable, and protected health information potentially exposed. When a research institution is compromised, irreplaceable data sets may be stolen or corrupted, and grant compliance violations may result. When a law firm or financial advisory practice is breached, client confidentiality is compromised and regulatory notification obligations arise.
Petronella Technology Group, Inc. provides incident response and digital forensics designed for these exact scenarios. Craig Petronella — a licensed digital forensic examiner — has led investigations for Triangle healthcare organizations, research institutions, and professional services firms for over three decades. Our NIST 800-61 methodology ensures every Chapel Hill incident is handled with the rigor that regulators, insurers, and courts demand.
Our Triangle headquarters enables same-day deployment to any Chapel Hill location — from Mason Farm Road to Franklin Street to Meadowmont. For active incidents, we begin remote containment and evidence preservation within the first hour of engagement, with on-site forensic investigators arriving the same day.
Incident Response Services for Chapel Hill
From emergency containment to post-incident hardening — we manage every phase.
Emergency Triage & Containment
When you call our emergency line, our incident commander begins remote triage immediately while field investigators deploy to your Chapel Hill location. The first priority is containment — isolating affected systems, blocking attacker access, and preserving forensic evidence. For healthcare environments, we design containment strategies that maintain critical clinical systems during the response.
Digital Forensic Investigation
Craig Petronella leads forensic investigations using industry-standard tools and chain-of-custody methodology. We create forensic images, analyze malware, reconstruct attacker timelines, and determine the complete scope of compromise. For Chapel Hill healthcare breaches, we specifically assess which patient records were accessed. For research institutions, we determine whether research data integrity was compromised.
Ransomware Response & Recovery
Ransomware is the most common incident type affecting Chapel Hill healthcare organizations. We identify the strain, assess encryption scope, verify backup integrity, and execute structured recovery. For healthcare practices, we prioritize restoring EHR access and patient care systems. We advise against ransom payment in most cases and restore operations from verified backups whenever possible.
HIPAA Breach Notification
For Chapel Hill healthcare organizations, we conduct the four-factor HIPAA breach risk assessment, manage the 60-day notification timeline, prepare individual and media notifications, and file breach reports with OCR. Our forensic documentation provides the evidentiary foundation for every step of the HIPAA breach reporting process.
Incident Response Planning & Retainers
The best time to prepare for an incident is before it happens. Our retainer program gives Chapel Hill organizations guaranteed response times, pre-deployed forensic tools, documented procedures, and periodic tabletop exercises. We also develop custom incident response plans aligned with NIST 800-61 and HIPAA requirements.
Post-Incident Hardening
Every engagement concludes with a comprehensive report, lessons learned analysis, and security hardening implementation. We close the vulnerabilities that enabled the attack and update your incident response plan based on real-world findings. Your Chapel Hill organization emerges from the incident with stronger defenses than before.
NIST 800-61 Incident Response Framework
Detection & Analysis
Analyze indicators of compromise, assess scope and severity, identify affected systems and data, and determine the attack vector. This intelligence drives informed containment decisions for your Chapel Hill environment.
Containment & Evidence Preservation
Isolate compromised systems, block attacker access, create forensic images. For Chapel Hill healthcare environments, containment plans maintain critical clinical services during response.
Eradication & Recovery
Eliminate attacker presence, rebuild from clean media, restore verified backups, and validate no persistence mechanisms remain. Recovery is staged and monitored to prevent re-compromise.
Post-Incident Review & Hardening
Comprehensive incident report, lessons learned, security hardening, and updated response plans. For compliance-driven Chapel Hill organizations, documentation satisfies HIPAA, SOC 2, and regulatory reporting requirements.
Why Chapel Hill Trusts Petronella Technology Group, Inc. for Incident Response
Licensed Digital Forensic Examiner
Craig Petronella’s forensic licensure ensures evidence is collected and analyzed with the rigor courts, regulators, and insurance carriers require. He personally leads every Chapel Hill engagement.
Healthcare Incident Expertise
We have extensive experience responding to incidents at healthcare organizations. We understand HIPAA breach notification, EHR recovery priorities, and the clinical workflow sensitivities that Chapel Hill healthcare practices require during incident response.
Same-Day Chapel Hill Response
Our Triangle headquarters puts forensic investigators at your Chapel Hill location within 30 minutes. For active incidents, every minute matters. Our proximity ensures rapid evidence preservation and threat containment.
Insurance & Legal Coordination
We coordinate with cyber insurance carriers, breach counsel, and law enforcement throughout the incident lifecycle. Our forensic reports support insurance claims and legal proceedings with documented, defensible evidence.
Frequently Asked Questions About Incident Response in Chapel Hill
How quickly can you respond to a Chapel Hill incident?
Remote triage begins immediately. On-site forensic investigators deploy to Chapel Hill the same day, typically within 30 minutes. Retainer clients receive guaranteed response times with pre-deployed tools.
Can you help our Chapel Hill practice with HIPAA breach notification?
Yes. We conduct the HIPAA four-factor breach risk assessment, manage the notification timeline, prepare all required notifications, and file breach reports with OCR. Our forensic documentation supports every step.
What types of incidents do you handle?
Ransomware, data breaches, business email compromise, insider threats, advanced persistent threats, malware infections, and any suspected security incident affecting Chapel Hill organizations.
Do you work with our insurance carrier?
Yes. We coordinate with your cyber insurance carrier, producing forensic reports structured to support your claim. We work with breach counsel to ensure communications are properly privileged.
What is an incident response retainer?
A pre-engagement agreement providing guaranteed response times, pre-deployed tools, and documented procedures. When an incident occurs, we activate immediately without contract negotiations. Retainer hours can also fund tabletop exercises and IR plan development.
Can you help recover from ransomware without paying the ransom?
In most cases, yes. We assess backup integrity and restore from verified backups whenever possible. We advise against paying ransoms as payment funds criminal operations and does not guarantee recovery. Each situation is evaluated individually based on backup availability and business impact.
Will your forensic evidence hold up in legal proceedings?
Yes. Craig Petronella is a licensed digital forensic examiner. Our methodology follows chain-of-custody protocols with hash-verified evidence that meets evidentiary standards for courts, regulators, and insurance carriers.
How do we get started?
For active incidents, call 919-348-4912 immediately. For proactive planning, schedule a consultation to discuss retainer options and incident response plan development for your Chapel Hill organization.
Cyber Incident in Chapel Hill? Call Now.
If your Chapel Hill organization is experiencing a ransomware attack, data breach, or suspected compromise, call 919-348-4912 immediately. Our forensic investigators deploy the same day. For proactive planning, schedule a consultation to establish an incident response retainer.
Petronella Technology Group, Inc. • 919-348-4912 • Raleigh, NC 27606 • BBB Accredited Since 2003 • Founded 2002 • 2,500+ Clients