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Baseline Evidence Drop (Consent-First Collector)

Updated: January 9, 2026

TL;DR: Automated, consent-first Windows evidence collector (ethical BadUSB + scripts). Captures key settings (encryption, firewall, patches, admins, AV), hashes everything, and outputs a simple report for auditors plus a manifest for control mapping. Outcome: repeatable evidence bundle in minutes without installing agents.

Target roles: Security Compliance Analyst/Engineer, GRC Automation Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer (GRC focus).

Problem → Action → Result

  • Problem: Need quick, auditable endpoint evidence for GRC assessments without installing agents.
  • Action: Built consent-bannered collector (PowerShell) that gathers core artifacts, hashes them, logs runs, and tags control IDs in the manifest; prepares an intake JSON for pipeline handoff.
  • Result: Repeatable, audit-ready evidence bundle with integrity data and control mapping; ready for intake into GIAP™ or manual review.

Artifacts (current)

  • OS/build/patch metadata and recent KBs.
  • BitLocker status, Secure Boot state.
  • Local administrators membership.
  • Firewall profile status.
  • Audit/logging policy snapshot.
  • Time sync status.
  • EDR/AV presence check.
  • Listening ports snapshot.
  • Run log, hashes file, manifest with control IDs; intake JSON stub.

Control mapping (examples)

  • CIS v8: 1.4/7.3 (patch), 4.¼.4/4.11 (encryption/firewall/boot), 5.⅕.3 (accounts), 8.2/8.5 (logging/time), 10.1/10.6 (malware), 4.6 (exposure).
  • NIST 800-53: CM-8, SI-2, MP-4, SI-7, AC-2/AC-6, AU-2/12, AU-8, SI-¾, SC-7.
  • ISO 27001 Annex A: A.8.⅛.8, A.8.24, A.8.20, A.5.18/8.2, A.8.15, A.8.7.

Privacy/ethics guardrails

  • Consent banner required (dry-run skips consent during build only).
  • Scope limited to host posture (no user document collection).
  • Hashes and manifest included; optional signing/encryption planned.
  • “Safe share” bundle planned with redaction and integrity data.

Validation checklist

  • Consent prompt active outside build phase.
  • Hashes recorded for every artifact and manifest.
  • Manifest populated with control IDs and run metadata.
  • Intake JSON validated against schema once finalized.
  • Report generator adds pass/fail/unknown per control (planned).

Evidence checklist

  • Manifest + hashes excerpt (redacted)
  • Control-mapped intake JSON sample (sanitized)
  • Report generator sample with pass/fail/unknown
  • Screenshots/logs from a collection run (redacted)

AI assist

  • Drafted control mappings, manifest schema, and consent/runbook text.
  • Generated intake JSON stub and validation steps.
  • Authored report-generation outline for status evaluation.

What this demonstrates

  • Compliance and audit mindset with integrity and consent built in.
  • Evidence automation aligned to CIS/NIST/ISO.
  • Quick-start assessment capability that feeds downstream intake/review.
  • Works alongside intake automation (GIAP™) and cloud controls (Cloud Control Pack) for complete evidence coverage.

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