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Playbook: Lost/Stolen Device

ID: PB-19 Severity: Medium/High | Category: Physical Security / Data Protection MITRE ATT&CK: T1025 (Data from Removable Media), T1552 (Unsecured Credentials) Trigger: Employee report (device lost/stolen), MDM non-check-in alert, Asset mismatch

Risk Assessment

graph TD
    Lost["📱 Device Lost"] --> Encrypt{"🔒 Encrypted?"}
    Encrypt -->|Yes| Low["🟢 Low Risk"]
    Encrypt -->|No| High["🔴 High Risk"]
    Low --> Data{"📁 Sensitive Data?"}
    High --> Wipe["📲 Remote Wipe Now"]
    Data -->|Yes| Wipe
    Data -->|No| Lock["🔒 Remote Lock"]

Remote Wipe Flow

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant SOC
    participant MDM
    participant IT
    User->>SOC: 📞 Report lost device
    SOC->>MDM: Remote Lock
    SOC->>SOC: Assess data risk
    SOC->>MDM: Remote Wipe
    MDM-->>SOC: ✅ Wipe initiated
    SOC->>IT: Revoke certificates

Decision Flow

graph TD
    Report["📱 Device Lost/Stolen"] --> Type{"💻 Device Type?"}
    Type -->|Laptop| Encrypt{"🔒 Full Disk Encryption?"}
    Type -->|Mobile| MDM{"📲 MDM Managed?"}
    Encrypt -->|Yes, BitLocker/FileVault| MedRisk["🟡 Medium Risk"]
    Encrypt -->|No / Unknown| HighRisk["🔴 High Risk"]
    MDM -->|Yes, Passcode Set| MedRisk
    MDM -->|No / No Passcode| HighRisk
    MedRisk --> Data{"📄 Sensitive Data?"}
    HighRisk --> Wipe["🗑️ Remote Wipe ASAP"]
    Data -->|Yes, PII/Source/Creds| Wipe
    Data -->|No, Standard| Revoke["🔑 Revoke & Monitor"]
    Wipe --> Creds["🔄 Reset All Credentials"]
    Revoke --> Creds
    Creds --> Replace["💻 Provision New Device"]

1. Analysis

1.1 Initial Assessment

Question Answer Done
What type of device? (laptop, phone, tablet)
Make/model/serial number
When was it last seen/used?
Where was it lost? (office, travel, public)
Was it lost or stolen? (theft vs misplaced)
Full disk encryption enabled? (BitLocker/FileVault/LUKS)
Device passcode/PIN set?
MDM enrolled?
Last MDM check-in time?

1.2 Data Risk Assessment

Data Category Present on Device? Classification
Source code / IP ☐ Yes ☐ No L3/L4
Customer PII ☐ Yes ☐ No L4
Financial data ☐ Yes ☐ No L4
Credentials / SSH keys ☐ Yes ☐ No L4
Email / chat history ☐ Yes ☐ No L2/L3
VPN certificates / config ☐ Yes ☐ No L3
Browser saved passwords ☐ Yes ☐ No L4
Cloud sync (OneDrive/Dropbox) ☐ Yes ☐ No L2-L4

2. Containment

2.1 Immediate Actions (within 30 minutes)

# Action Tool Done
1 Remote wipe command Intune / Jamf / Google Workspace
2 Lock device (if wipe fails or pending) MDM
3 Reset domain password AD / IdP
4 Revoke VPN / Wi-Fi certificates Certificate authority
5 Revoke OAuth tokens / active sessions IdP session management
6 Disable device in Azure AD / IdP Azure AD / Okta

2.2 If Device Is Unencrypted or Stolen (High Risk)

# Additional Action Done
1 Reset ALL passwords the user may have saved in browser
2 Rotate SSH keys, API tokens, certificates on the device
3 Revoke cloud sync app tokens (OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud)
4 Check for sensitive files in recent activity
5 Notify Legal if PII was on the device

3. Investigation

Check How Done
Any login attempts from device after loss? SIEM — filter by device serial/hostname
Any VPN connections from device? VPN logs
MDM wipe confirmed? MDM console — wipe status
Location tracking available? MDM / Find My Device
Police report filed? (if stolen) Physical security / User

4. Recovery

# Action Owner Done
1 Provision new device with current SOE image IT Operations
2 Restore user data from cloud backup IT / User
3 Re-enroll new device in MDM IT Operations
4 Issue new certificates (VPN, Wi-Fi) IT Security
5 Verify all credential resets are complete SOC
6 Remove old device from asset inventory Asset Management
7 Monitor for old device serial in logs for 30 days SOC

5. Escalation Criteria

Condition Escalate To
Unencrypted device with PII Legal + DPO (PDPA 72h)
Executive / VIP device stolen CISO + Physical Security
Device shows login activity after reported lost Tier 2 — treat as active compromise
Source code or credentials on device CISO + Engineering lead
Multiple devices lost (pattern) Physical Security + HR

6. IoC Collection

Type Value Source
Device serial / asset tag Asset management
Last known IP MDM / DHCP logs
Last known Wi-Fi AP MDM / network logs
Last GPS coordinates MDM (if enabled)
User account HR / AD
Last sign-in time Azure AD / Okta
Corporate apps installed MDM inventory
VPN connection history VPN gateway logs

7. Post-Incident

  • Update asset management system (mark device as lost/stolen)
  • Review and update device encryption enforcement policy
  • Verify MDM enrollment compliance (are all devices enrolled?)
  • Issue replacement device with pre-configured security baseline
  • Conduct awareness training on physical device security
  • Review insurance coverage for lost/stolen equipment
  • Document findings in Incident Report

MDM Lifecycle

graph LR
    Enroll["📲 Enroll"] --> Policy["📋 Policy Push"]
    Policy --> Monitor["👁️ Monitor"]
    Monitor --> Alert["🚨 Lost/Stolen"]
    Alert --> Lock["🔒 Remote Lock"]
    Lock --> Wipe["🗑️ Selective Wipe"]
    Wipe --> Retire["♻️ Retire"]
    style Alert fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style Wipe fill:#c0392b,color:#fff

Device Data Classification

graph TD
    Device["📱 Device"] --> Type{"🏷️ Data Type?"}
    Type -->|PII/PDPA| Critical["🔴 Critical — wipe now"]
    Type -->|Business| High["🟠 High — wipe 4h"]
    Type -->|General| Medium["🟡 Medium — lock + track"]
    Type -->|No data| Low["🟢 Low — lock only"]
    Critical --> Legal["⚖️ Notify DPO"]
    style Critical fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style Legal fill:#8e44ad,color:#fff

Detection Rules (Sigma)

Rule File
Device Offline for Extended Period mdm_device_offline.yml

References