Lack of technical expertise, intelligence, or tools is not the primary cause of many incident response failures. They originate from the immediate aftermath of detection, when information is lacking and pressure is high. With little telemetry, I have witnessed IR teams recover from complex intrusions.

Additionally, I have witnessed teams lose control of investigations that they ought to have been able to manage. Usually, the difference is noticeable early. Logging that begins after a detection is therefore extremely harmful. What can be proven is limited by forward visibility without backward context.

Parts of the attack can still be reconstructed, but each conclusion loses strength. Assumptions lead to errors, and gaps lead to assumptions. Evidence prioritization is another frequent mistake.