Security information and event management (SIEM) is software that provides organizations with detection and response features, offering security tools to protect information and manage events in one convenient package. The primary function of SIEM tools is to collect important data from multiple sources, identify deviations, and work on them.
Security information management (SIM) collects the data from logs to monitor, analyze, and report the threats. Security event management (SEM) examines the log files stored internally for suspicious and irregular logs such as unauthorized changes made in files. The purpose of designing SEM is to compare the known threat in the updated database with detected threats. It is the process of identifying threats, collecting them, and then reporting them to network administrators.
SIEM works as a lookout for information security in an organization. It collects log data from multiple users, evaluates the threats, and takes action to remove risk.
SIEM Process
◉ Collecting data from multiple sources.
◉ Collating all the data collected.
◉ Identifying the data breaches in the data.
◉ Informing the security team of the threats.
Benefits of SIEM
Implementing SIEM in the organization is essential. Most organizations use SIEM for log management as well as complying with various SOX and PCI regulations to gather and track data.
Employees play a significant role in the successful implementation of SIEM. Dividing employees into three groups or panels will help detect threats and defend against them quickly.
Security Group: This group of employees provide information and alerts all over the organization, which helps to take measures against threats.
Operation Group: They operate all the events and logs in the organization, helping to solve the problem quickly.
Compliance Group: This group plays a vital role in handling data and compiling them according to the organization’s rules.
Other benefits include:
◉ The time taken to identify threats is less.
◉ Can use it in various log data functions such as network security, help desk, etc.
◉ As SIEM collects data from multiple sources, it becomes easy for IT professionals to review and recover threats faster.
◉ It can reduce data breaches.
◉ Provides threat detection.
◉ It can perform forensic analysis in threats.
Working of SIEM
Security Information and Event Management software collects the event and logs data generated from host systems, firewalls, and web applications across the organization, merging them into a single platform. If SIEM identifies a network threat, it quickly sends alerts and defines the type of threat.
For example:
If a user is trying to log into an unknown account through 15 attempts in 15 minutes, it is considered a suspicious act. If a user tries 150 attempts in 10 minutes, it is regarded as a brute force attack by the SIEM system, which proceeds to alert the organization.
Importance of SIEM Tools
Security is the most important element in any organization when it comes to the effective functioning of cybersecurity. SIEM tools protect the sensitive information of the organization and work on collecting and grouping the log data so they can detect and defend against the threat. These tools have quickly become essential and easy to use.
Top SIEM Tools
◉ IBM QRadar
IBM QRadar is reliable to integrate a vast range of logs across all the systems in the organization. Of course, IBM products are costly, but organizations with huge log management needs should use it as a tool.
◉ AlienVault OSSIM
AlienVault OSSIM contains the AlienVault Open Threat Exchange’s power, allowing users to both contribute and receive real-time information about malicious hosts. With that, they provide ongoing development for AlienVault OSSIM as they believe that everyone should have access to security technologies. It offers a chance to improve security visibility and control in the network.
It is best for small and mid-sized organizations.
◉ SPLUNK Enterprise Security
It is a SIEM solution that helps the security team to detect and respond to attacks. It’s used in examining, searching, and analyzing an organization’s security posture in real time. It can handle incidents on its own, minimizing risk by securing the organization.
◉ McAfee ESM
McAfee comes with rich content and analytics, which can detect threats.All the functions in the database are visible in real-time. It can run both Windows and macOS.
◉ It features two-way integration.
◉ Alerts are prioritized.
◉ SolarWinds SIEM
SolarWinds is a network monitoring software that helps detect and defend threats in less time. This increases service levels while focusing on securing system from email threats. It can also perform forensic analysis. It supports Linux, macOS, and Windows.
◉ Micro Focus ArcSight ESM
Micro Focus ArcSight ESM possesses an open architecture that grants a standout capability. This tool can take up data from a broader range of sources than other SIEM products and can use the structured data outside.
◉ Datadog
Datadog is an analytics and monitoring tool used to obtain event monitoring and performance metrics for infrastructure and cloud services. It supports Windows and Linux. The user interface features customizable dashboards that can show graphs composed of multiple data sources in real time. Datadog can send also send user notifications for performance issues.
◉ LogRhythm NextGen SIEM Platform
For critical log management on Windows, LogRhythm NextGen SIEM Platform is the best option. The dashboard helps simplify the workflow, and it is an easy tool for trained information technology staff. This tool has fast-growing AI and automation features, which is not the case with other tools. LogRhythm does not scale very well for larger businesses, and there is a limited support if you expand into cloud environments.
◉ RSA NetWitness Platform
This is another solid option for log management and threat intelligence. You can get over two dozen intelligence feeds populated by RSA NetWitness Platform to build up any intel you enter into the system with a support agreement and proper maintenance. With the SIEM tool’s help, you can rewind complete sessions to observe exactly what happened during the attack and get hacker perception and tactics with automated behavior analysis. It is a useful tool.
◉ Sumo Logic Cloud SIEM Enterprise
It is a newly introduced cloud-based platform. As it is a new product, there isn’t much of a community base in place, but Sumo Logic Cloud SIEM Enterprise claims its product fills gaps in IT security that other products don’t, especially when it comes to cloud deployments.
◉ Elastic
Elastic SIEM is a free tool, which enables security teams to triage security incidents and conduct an initial investigation. Besides these two primary tasks, Elastic helps monitor cyber threats, gather evidence, forward possible incidents to ticketing and SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) platforms.It supports the Linux OS platform.
Explaining SOC and SIEM
SIEM tools offer a centralized approach for identifying, monitoring, analyzing, and recording security incidents in a real-time environment. At the same time, a SOC is a dedicated team of security professionals who continuously monitor an IT infrastructure and raise an alert whenever they spot any suspicious activity or threat.
Furthermore, a SOC also uses various foundational technologies, with one of them being the SIEM system. The tools under the SIEM system aggregates system logs and events across the entire organization. Most importantly, this system relies on correlational and statistical models, which then look for a security incident, alerting the SOC team.
To put it differently, check this brilliant coverage on “Exploiting and Augmenting Threat Intel in SOC Operations” by Vijay Verma, a dynamic security professional with more than 24 years of cross-functional experience in the Indian Army and Corporate Sector in the Information Security and Telecom domains:
To learn the job responsibilities of a SOC Analyst along with all these efficient SIEM tools and various others, register for Certified SOC Analyst (CSA). The program is a one-stop training module for all the skills you need to adopt before joining a SOC. Not to mention, it will introduce you to end-to-end workflow and allow you to gain hands-on experience.
Source: eccouncil.org
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