Regulatory Notification Deadline Approaching

A regulatory reporting deadline (GDPR 72-hour, SEC 4-day, state breach notification, HIPAA) is imminent and the investigation has not yet determined the full scope of data exposure. The team must balance thorough investigation against mandatory disclosure timelines.

Signals

  • Legal or compliance has flagged that the notification clock started upon discovery and the deadline is within 24-48 hours
  • The incident involves PII, PHI, or financial data subject to mandatory breach notification
  • Executive leadership is requesting a scope assessment for the notification filing
  • External counsel has been engaged to draft the notification language

Pivot Actions

  1. 1.Prioritize data-exposure scoping: identify which data stores were accessed and what data categories are affected
  2. 2.Prepare a preliminary notification that meets minimum regulatory requirements while preserving the ability to supplement later
  3. 3.Coordinate with legal to determine if a "good faith" preliminary filing buys additional investigation time
  4. 4.Assign a dedicated analyst to regulatory-evidence collection (access logs for sensitive data stores) separate from the broader IR workstream
  5. 5.Document all investigative steps and timelines meticulously to demonstrate due diligence to regulators

Alternate Evidence Sources

  • Database access and query logs showing which tables/records were accessed
  • DLP logs identifying sensitive data in exfiltration channels
  • Data classification inventories mapping which systems hold regulated data