Pilot QCFire in a non-production segment; measure mean time to contain (MTTC) before and after deployment.
Author: [Your Name/Institution] Date: April 14, 2026 Subject: Cybersecurity Incident Response Abstract The average breakout time for an attacker after initial compromise has dropped to under 90 minutes. Traditional incident response (IR) workflows—detection, analysis, containment, eradication—often fail to keep pace. This paper introduces QCFire (Quick-Compromise Fire), a response framework designed to execute automated, semi-autonomous containment actions within the first 60 seconds of a confirmed breach. We discuss its architecture, operational triggers, and limitations. 1. Introduction Modern cyber attacks exploit zero-day vulnerabilities and living-off-the-land (LotL) techniques. Security teams are overwhelmed by alert volume. The gap between detection and effective containment is where damage escalates—data exfiltration, ransomware deployment, or lateral movement. qcfire