The Importance of Real-time Detection and Correlation in SIEM/UEBA Solutions and Criticality for SOAR
In today’s complex and ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, organizations face a myriad of sophisticated threats that can cause significant damage if left undetected.
Cyber attackers are continuously refining their tactics, techniques, and procedures to evade traditional security measures. As a result, real-time detection and correlation have emerged as critical components in the battle against cyber threats. With real-time detection and correlation capability, organizations can stay ahead of the ever-evolving threat landscape. Additionally, having real-time detection and correlation capability can help organizations automate and orchestrate incident response processes, freeing up security analysts to focus on more complex tasks.
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and UEBA (User and Entity Behavior Analytics) solutions serve as the eyes and ears of an organization’s cybersecurity infrastructure. They are responsible for monitoring, collecting, and analyzing vast amounts of security-related data from diverse sources, such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, endpoints, and applications. In combination, SIEM and UEBA solutions provide comprehensive visibility into an organization’s IT environment and identify potential security incidents.
1. Timely Threat Identification: The speed at which security incidents are identified and responded to is paramount in mitigating potential damage. Real-time detection in SIEM/UEBA solutions allows security teams to receive alerts as soon as suspicious activities are detected. This rapid identification gives organizations a crucial advantage in thwarting attacks before they can escalate and cause harm.
2. Reduced Dwell Time: Dwell time, the period between a security breach and its discovery, is a critical metric in cybersecurity. Real-time detection helps reduce dwell time by quickly spotting malicious activities, preventing attackers from establishing a persistent presence within the network. Minimizing dwell time limits the damage attackers can inflict and shortens the window of opportunity for exfiltrating sensitive data.
3. Automated Response: Integrating real-time detection with automated response capabilities enables organizations to respond rapidly to security incidents. Automated actions, such as blocking malicious IPs, quarantining compromised systems, and initiating predefined incident response playbooks, ensure that threats are contained promptly, even when security teams are not immediately available.
4. Correlation of Events: The true value of SIEM/UEBA solutions lies in their ability to correlate seemingly unrelated security events in real-time. This correlation identifies patterns, trends, and relationships between different activities that could indicate a coordinated attack or unusual user behavior. By connecting the dots, security analysts gain valuable insights into the attack’s nature and can respond more effectively.
5. Advanced Threat Detection: Advanced threats, including APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats), often involve multiple stages and tactics spread across the network. Real-time detection and correlation can piece together disparate events, even those occurring in different parts of the network, to uncover these sophisticated attack campaigns. This holistic view is essential for understanding the full scope of the threat.
6. Insider Threat Detection: Insider threats, whether malicious or unintentional, pose significant risks to organizations. UEBA solutions play a vital role in detecting anomalous user behavior that might indicate insider threats. Real-time analysis of user actions, such as accessing sensitive data outside regular working hours or attempting unauthorized activities, allows organizations to respond swiftly and prevent data breaches.
7. Compliance and Reporting: Meeting regulatory compliance requirements demands timely detection and response to security incidents. Real-time detection and correlation ensure that organizations can demonstrate their adherence to compliance standards by promptly reporting incidents and maintaining accurate audit trails.
8. Proactive Incident Response: Real-time detection allows organizations to adopt a proactive approach to incident response. By identifying potential threats early, organizations can take preemptive actions to prevent attacks, strengthen security controls, and bolster their overall security posture.
9. Adaptive Security Measures: Real-time detection and correlation enable organizations to dynamically adjust their security measures based on emerging threats and attack vectors. This adaptability ensures that security protocols remain effective and relevant in an ever-changing threat landscape.
SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) complements SIEM and UEBA solutions by automating and orchestrating incident response processes. Real-time detection in SOAR platforms enables security teams to respond rapidly to threats and implement pre-defined playbooks to contain and mitigate incidents. The criticality of real-time detection in SOAR is evident in several key areas:
1. Workflow Efficiency: Real-time detection allows SOAR platforms to initiate response workflows immediately. Automated actions can handle routine tasks, allowing security analysts to focus on complex investigations and strategic decision-making.
2. Threat Mitigation: Real-time detection and response through SOAR enable organizations to neutralize threats before they cause significant damage. Automated containment measures protect critical assets and sensitive data from compromise.
3. Proactive Defense: SOAR solutions, leveraging real-time detection, can continuously monitor for emerging threats and adapt their response actions proactively. By staying ahead of evolving threats, organizations can maintain a proactive defense posture.
4. Incident Prioritization: Real-time detection enables organizations to prioritize incidents based on their severity and potential impact. This prioritization ensures that the most critical threats receive immediate attention and resources.
5. Real-Time Visibility: Real-time detection provides security teams with instant visibility into ongoing security events and potential incidents. This real-time insight allows for informed decision-making and swift action.
6. Continuous Monitoring: Real-time detection ensures that the SOAR platform monitors the network and systems 24/7 for potential threats, providing continuous protection against cyber-attacks.
In conclusion, real-time detection and correlation are foundational pillars in SIEM/UEBA and SOAR solutions. They play a crucial role in identifying and responding to security incidents promptly, reducing dwell time, and enhancing the overall cybersecurity posture. Organizations that leverage real-time capabilities in their cybersecurity infrastructure can better protect their critical assets, data, and reputation from an ever-evolving and increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. The combination of SIEM/UEBA and SOAR, supported by real-time detection, provides organizations with a robust and proactive defense strategy to combat modern cyber threats effectively.
There are many different solutions in the SIEM/UEBA market for real-time detection. For example, some, like Qradar[1] and SureLog[2], offer real-time detection capabilities, while others, such as Splunk[3,4,5,6,7], Logpoint[8], and Microsoft Sentinel[9], have limited real-time detection features. Choosing the right SIEM/UEBA solution with robust real-time detection capabilities is crucial for organizations seeking to strengthen their cybersecurity defenses and stay ahead of emerging threats. Detection capabilities vary from product to product [10,11,12,13].
References:
1. https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/qradar-common
2. https://www.surelogsiem.com
3. https://community.splunk.com/t5/Splunk-Search/Real-Time-Search-Issues/m-p/423805
4. https://answers.splunk.com/answers/433872/why-are-real-time-searches-not-running-and-getting.html
5. https://medium.com/@clong/splunk-building-dynamic-lookup-tables-a593261569
6. https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/latest/Search/Realtimeperformanceandlimitations
7. https://answers.splunk.com/answers/671819/real-time-alert-1.html
8. https://docs.logpoint.com/docs/alerts-and-incident/en/latest/Alert/Creating%20an%20Alert%20Rule.html
9. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/sentinel/near-real-time-rules
11. https://www.peerspot.com/articles/the-math-of-siem-comparison
12. https://www.peerspot.com/articles/how-to-select-the-right-siem-solution
