Top 10 SIEM Use-Cases

Top 10 SIEM Use-Cases

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A managed SIEM lets businesses get on with their core activities while not fretting that hackers will undermine their efforts or suffer from data loss. Even organizations with the budget to build an in-house cybersecurity operations center by hiring the right skilled cybersecurity experts still struggle to find and retain skilled staff and turn to managed SIEM providers.

Although SIEM tools are primarily used for security purposes, organizations should be aware of several other SIEM use cases, such as automated compliance management, operational performance monitoring, or log management.

Detecting compromised user credentials:
Ensure a use case and workflow is in place to detect any attempts to compromise user credentials through Pass the Hash, Brute Force, Golden Ticket, or other malicious methods. In case of a successful compromise, it is crucial to detect and identify the users and entities affected to investigate the impact of the compromise and prevent further damage.

Tracking system changes:
SIEM should have a set of appropriate use cases for flagging critical system events, such as unauthorized modifications to the configurations or deletion of audit trails. The SOC should escalate detected changes on high priority to stop the unauthorized change damage and minimize impact, as tampering with audit logs is always a red flag.

Detecting unusual behavior on privileged:
Privileged users, such as system or database administrators, have extended access rights, making them an attractive target for hackers. With a SIEM, analysts can keep a close eye on any actions these privileged users perform and look for unusual behavior that might indicate a threat or a compromise.

Secure cloud-based applications:
Cloud computing provides many advantages to an enterprise. Still, it also comes with several challenges, which include requirements to meet cloud security compliance requirements, implementing appropriate RBAC, improving user monitoring, or protecting against potential malware infections and data breaches. A SIEM should support the ingestion of logs from cloud-based applications configured as log sources. A few examples of cloud applications include Salesforce, Office365, Box, DropBox, Google Workspace, and AWS.

Phishing Detection:
Phishing is an attempt by bad actors to extract sensitive information used in fraud and impersonation. This includes attempts to acquire personal information, such as social security numbers, bank account numbers, or PIN codes and passwords. It is critical to ensure that these data types are protected across the entire organization. Phishing, especially spear phishing, is often used to gain initial access to a network. When receiving a phishing email, analysts can use SIEM to track who received them, clicked on any links in them, or replied to them, enabling them to take immediate action to minimize damage.

Monitoring loads and uptimes:
A SIEM system should have appropriate correlation rules and alerts to monitor system load, uptime, and response time on in-scope servers and services. 24x7 monitoring of critical infrastructure enables catching faults and overloads early, ensuring that downtimes and the cost associated with them are prevented.

Log Management
Databases, applications, firewalls, security solution stack, users, and servers generate high amounts of Syslog data. A SIEM tool should normalize and centralize the collection of log data. This allows integrated analysis and security correlation from a single pane of glass, thus, allowing the IT security monitoring team to search through the data for specific keywords or values.

SIEM for GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI compliance
Organizations are subjected to many compliance regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI. With a SIEM system, you can document when and by whom data was accessed, read, or copied, fulfilling compliance requirements and preventing violations.

Threat Hunting
The process of actively searching for cyber risks in an organization or network is known as threat hunting. A threat hunt can be conducted in response to a security issue or to uncover new and unknown attacks or breaches. Threat hunting requires access to security data from all places across the company, which a SIEM can provide.

SIEM for automation
SIEM automates threat detection activities and provides the foundation for automated incident response. Forwarding security alerts and incidents to SafeAeon enables accelerated incident response by automating manual tasks, resulting in lower security costs and increased SOC productivity. Get in touch with us for a discovery session now.



Image Jan 9, 2023

What is Threat Intelligence ?

Cybersecurity is a complex and constantly evolving field. As threats change, so must the way we approach them. One of the most essential tools in any cybersecurity practitioner’s toolkit is threat intelligence.What is Threat Intelligence?Threat intelligence is a critical component of effective cyber defense. It’s an ongoing process that requires the collaboration of many different teams and organizations, including security operations centers (SOCs), threat research teams, network engineering, and forensics experts.TI can be used in three primary ways: Identify cyber threats and vulnerabilities before they are exploited. Detect suspicious behavior within your network and respond quickly if an attack occurs. Improve the overall security posture of your organization by helping you prioritize your efforts based on accurate threat information and analysis.Why is Threat Intelligence Important?Threat intelligence sheds light on the unknown by helping security professionals understand how an adversary operates, their intentions, and how they intend to carry out their objectives.Threat intelligence helps you better understand the adversary’s decision-making process so that you can prevent attacks from happening in the future.Threat intelligence empowers business stakeholders – including executive boards, CISOs, CIOs, and CTOs – with the information they need to make informed decisions based on data rather than speculation or assumptions about an attack’s likelihood or impact.Who Benefits from Threat Intelligence?A good threat intelligence program provides value to a wide range of stakeholders. Here’s a list of some of the key groups that can benefit from threat intelligence:IT security professionalsIT security managers and directorsChief information security officers (CISOs)Chief information officers (CIOs)Chief executive officers (CEOs)The Lifecycle of Threat IntelligenceIn the past, cyberattacks were limited to a small number of computers located in one country. Nowadays, however, attacks are much more widespread and can be launched from anywhere in the world. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for security teams to keep track of all the latest threats and stay on top of them quickly enough before they cause any damage.This is where the threat intelligence lifecycle comes in handy: it’s a comprehensive framework that organizes all different aspects of threat intelligence processes into six stages (direction, collection, processing, analysis & dissemination) so you can focus on what matters most for your organization’s needs.DirectionThe threat intelligence lifecycle begins with establishing which assets and business processes need protection the most.Determine the threat intelligence objectives.Set the threat intelligence strategy.Set the threat intelligence mission, vision, and goals.CollectionThreat intelligence data helps you understand and proactively protect your organization from cyber threats. It includes data, such as known malicious IP addresses, domain names, email addresses, and other indicators of compromise (IOCs) that can be used to block or detect malicious activity. You can collect threat intelligence by using various methods, including:Feeds – These are automated notifications sent by feed providers when new IOCs are identified or existing IOCs change in status (e.g., become active again).Databases – These contain manually curated datasets of IOCs maintained by researchers or organizations like ours at Cyber Sainik.Dashboards – These pull together multiple types of threat data into one interface so you can quickly identify potential threats to your organization’s infrastructure and act on them accordingly.AnalysisNext, you will analyze your data. This step is where you find patterns and make sense of what’s going on in your environment. Look for modules that allow you to perform analysis tasks—such as pattern recognition (using machine learning), malicious behavior detection (using threat intelligence), or event correlation (connecting related ev

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Image Dec 11, 2022

What Is Managed Detection and Response (MDR)?

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) denotes outsourced cybersecurity services designed to protect your data and assets even if a threat eludes common organizational security controls.An MDR security platform is considered an advanced 24/7 security control that often includes a range of fundamental security activities including cloud-managed security for organizations that cannot maintain their own security operations center. MDR services combine advanced analytics, threat intelligence, and human expertise in incident investigation and response deployed at the host and network levels.What challenges can Managed Detection and Response (MDR) address?As the volume, variety, and sophistication of cybersecurity threats increase exponentially, organizations struggle to maintain security operations centers staffed with highly skilled personnel and resources. As a result, Managed Detection and Response vendors provide a cost-effective menu of services designed to improve an enterprise’s cybersecurity defenses and minimize risk without an upfront cybersecurity investment.MDR services provide higher skill-level analysts utilizing cutting-edge security tools and up-to-the-minute global databases beyond the reach and cost-effectiveness of most enterprise budgets, skill levels, and resources. Thus, helping keep pace with continually evolving adversarial tactics and techniques.MDR services provide an alternative to enterprises chasing the latest in advanced security products by integrating Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools that become a challenge for security operations teams to learn and maintain. As a result, an enterprise’s level of threat monitoring, detection, and analysis is improved without the challenge and expense required to keep an internal security team fully staffed and up to date with the latest threat data.MDR services are not limited to greater detection and response capabilities. They also provide proactive defense intelligence and insight into advanced threats to potentially overwhelmed security teams. Detection levels are improved while the dwell time of breaches is reduced. Compliance challenges also can be met using MDR services providing full stakeholder reporting and log retention on a wide range of regulations and standards.Why choose Managed Detection and Response (MDR) over Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs)?Managed Detection and Response services are often compared to Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP) services. While they share similarities, they also differ in technology, expertise, and relationship. MDR services are typically proactive and focus on threats. MSSPs are designed to be reactive and focus on vulnerabilities. Unlike MSSPs, MDR services focus on detection, response, and threat hunting rather than security alert monitoring. MSSPs manage firewalls, but do not necessarily provide the same level of threat research, analytics, and forensics as MDRs. MSSPs recognize security issues but are incapable of revealing details of the threat that MDR services provide. MSSPs use log management and monitoring, vulnerability scanning, and often Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM) platforms to notify organizations of threats. Automated MDR analytics and responses to advanced threats, file-less malware, and breaches can augment MSSP services. MDR services rely on more-direct communications such as voice or emails to analysts, rather than portals. MSSP's primary interfaces are portals and emails with secondary chat and phone access to analysts.Here are typical MDR and MSSP service comparisons. Not all MDR providers include the same levels of capabilities and tools in the following services: one.MDR ServicesMSSPs24x7 threat detection and responseSome, but not allManage firewalls and security infrastructureYesProactively managed threat hunting for unknowns on network and endpointsNoIntelligence-based threat detection, triage, and extensive forensicsNoTeam of experienced threat detection experts available via phone, email, textNoAccess to global threat intelligence and analysisNoIntegrated endpoint and network security technologyNoIn the face of seemingly overwhelming security threats and campaigns, organizations are also coping with increasing security budgets and a challenging security job market leans on skilled security analysts. Gaining more protection, insight, and compliance without adding more tools and people is a goal that enterprises of all sizes seek. MDR can provide beneficial security services capable of meeting and sustaining an organization’s goals:24/7 monitoring and improved communications mechanisms with experienced SOC analystsExperienced security analysts oversee your organization’s defenses without adding full-time staff and resourcesComplete managed endpoint threat detection and response serviceImproved threat detection and extended detection coverageExpert investigation of alerts and incidents, and subsequent actionsProactive threat huntingImproved threat intelligence based on indicators and behaviors captured from global insightsImproved threat responseDecreased breach responseImproved forensics and higher-level investigationsVulnerability managementMajor incident response and log managementRemove the burden of day-to-day security management from your staff and budgetMaintain access and customization to your organization’s security defensesImproved compliance and reportingReduced security investment, increased ROI

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