Asset Isolation

Asset Isolation enables you to completely isolate an asset from all network communication except its connection to the XDR Forensics Console. This allows your investigation to proceed with full XDR Forensics capabilities while preventing threat actors from accessing the asset or external parties from interfering with the investigation.

Caution

Key Point: An isolated asset can only communicate with the XDR Forensics Console. All other network connections—inbound and outbound—are blocked.

Why Use Asset Isolation?

When you suspect an asset has been compromised, you face a dilemma:

• Leave it connected → Risk the threat actor maintaining access, exfiltrating data, or destroying evidence
• Disconnect it completely → Lose the ability to perform remote forensic collection

Asset Isolation solves this by cutting off the threat actor while preserving your investigative access. The asset remains fully manageable through XDR Forensics, enabling you to collect evidence, run queries, and interact with the system—all while the asset is protected from external interference.

How It Works

When you isolate an asset:

1. All existing network connections are terminated — Any active connections to other systems are immediately dropped
2. New network connections are blocked — The asset cannot establish connections to any external system
3. XDR Forensics Console communication is preserved — The Responder maintains its connection to the Console
4. Full XDR Forensics capabilities remain available — Acquisition, Hunt/Triage, interACT, and Time-lining all continue to function

Technical Implementation

This feature uses a Kernel Mode Driver for performing the isolation. It operates independently of Windows Firewall, ensuring reliable isolation regardless of firewall configuration or state.

Tip

Persistence: Asset Isolation survives reboots. If you restart an isolated asset from the XDR Forensics Console, it will remain isolated after the reboot until you explicitly un-isolate it from the Asset Details page.

Note

Connection Reliability: The Responder uses advanced connection verification routines—including DNS cache persistence, fallback DNS mechanisms, and extended retry durations—to ensure isolated assets maintain reliable Console connectivity even in complex network environments.

What Remains Available

During isolation, all XDR Forensics capabilities continue to function:

Action	Status	Purpose
Acquisition	✅ Available	Collect forensic evidence
Hunt/Triage	✅ Available	Search for indicators of compromise
interACT	✅ Available	Live interaction with the asset
Time-lining	✅ Available	Build activity timelines
Scheduled Tasks	✅ Available	Automated task execution continues
External Network Access	❌ Blocked	Threat actor access denied

Use Cases

Incident Response Containment

When you identify a potentially compromised asset, immediately isolate it to prevent:

• Threat actors from maintaining command and control access
• Data exfiltration to external servers
• Lateral movement to other assets on the network
• Remote destruction of evidence

Active Investigation

Isolation allows you to investigate a live system without interference. The threat actor cannot detect your investigation activities or take countermeasures while the asset is isolated.

Evidence Preservation

By isolating the asset, you ensure that evidence remains intact during collection. No external process can modify, encrypt, or delete files while you’re acquiring them.

Tip

Best Practice: When responding to a suspected compromise, isolate the asset first, then begin your forensic acquisition. This ensures you capture evidence in its current state without risk of tampering.

Isolating and Un-isolating Assets

To Isolate an Asset

1. Navigate to the asset in the XDR Forensics Console
2. Open the More Actions menu
3. Select Isolate Asset

The asset will immediately be isolated from all network communication except the XDR Forensics Console.

To Un-isolate an Asset

1. Navigate to the isolated asset’s Asset Details page
2. Select Un-isolate Asset

Network connectivity will be restored and the asset can resume normal operations.

Comparison with Maintenance Mode

Both features control asset behaviour, but serve different purposes:

Feature	Asset Isolation	Maintenance Mode
Primary Purpose	Network containment	Prevent task creation
Network Access	❌ Blocked (except Console)	✅ Normal
Task Creation	✅ Allowed	❌ Blocked
Acquisition	✅ Available	❌ Blocked
Hunt/Triage	✅ Available	❌ Blocked
interACT	✅ Available	✅ Available

Note

When to use which?

• Use Asset Isolation when you need to contain a potentially compromised asset—cut off threat actor access while continuing your investigation
• Use Maintenance Mode when you need to prevent task creation for an asset during planned maintenance or diagnostics