How SIEMs Can Help SOCs Streamline Operations

The global Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) market is expected to reach USD 5.5 billion by 2025 (Markets and Markets, 2020). So why are companies investing in SIEM?

Cyberattacks are pervasive and increasingly sophisticated, which means security risks are rapidly growing. As a result, organizations are implementing SIEM solutions to secure their applications and networks.

SIEM solutions streamline security, warn IT teams of threats, and prevent alert fatigue. In this blog, we explore how SIEM software works and how it can benefit security operation center (SOC) analysts.

How SIEMs Work

SIEM software collects events and data from an organization’s applications and devices, analyze them, and classify them into different categories such as failed login, malware activities, exploit attempts, and more. SIEMs identify potential threats by assessing data patterns and providing in-depth security event analysis. When the software detects suspicious activities, it generates security alerts to flag security teams.

Essentially, SIEMs implement a security log management system that allows real-time monitoring of incidents and generates security alerts into one centralized location, which enables security analysts and teams to efficiently analyze data. They also provide visibility into an organization’s entire infrastructure, making the security posture more proactive rather than reactive.

There are various SIEM tools in the market that provide real-time analysis of security alerts and help anticipate cyberattacks. These are some of the most reputable SIEMs:

1.SolarWinds strengthens an organization’s security posture by providing automated threat detection and incident response. It provides an easy-to-use dashboard that visualizes event data for analysis and pattern recognition. SolarWinds also has customizable reporting templates so users can easily demonstrate compliance to standards like ISO 27001 and SOX.

2. Log360 helps organizations detect potential threats and prevent attacks on-premises, in the cloud, in networks, and in hybrid cloud environments.

3. IBM QRadar is an SIEM solution that monitors the entire IT infrastructure and helps security experts prioritize alerts and defend against threats. It also offers insights into security incidents to determine the root cause of a network issue.

UEBA vs. SIEM vs. SOAR

◉ User and Event Behavioral Analytics (UEBA) utilizes algorithms and machine learning to monitor user activities and machine entities within a network. It helps identify suspicious activities and potential threats in real-time so it can issue alerts. UEBA applies behavioral analytics to look for any malicious activity or behavior that can lead to cyberattacks and sends alerts to IT teams, who can then investigate and quickly mitigate the threats before they cause any serious damage.

◉ SIEMs collect, collate, and analyze data in real-time to identify threats, discover trends, notify the security team about suspicious activities, and establish correlations between security events.Traditionally, SIEMs didn’t include behavioral analytics technology, which is why UEBA solutions were developed to address this gap (Imperva).

◉ Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) software collects, analyzes, and acts upon security incidents without human intervention. In addition to internal sources, SOAR collects information from external sources and endpoint security software. The automation feature of SOAR enhances time management and efficiency and minimizes human error. A SOAR platform enables a security analyst team to monitor security data from a variety of sources, including SIEMs and threat intelligence platforms (Crowdstrike, 2021).

How SIEM Solutions Can Benefit SOCs

No organization is safe from intrusions, and organizations of all sizes need constant monitoring to detect and respond to threats quickly. The longer a vulnerability or risk goes unnoticed, the greater the damage it can inflict on an organization. This is where having a dedicated security operation center (SOC) can enable 24/7 monitoring of an organization’s IT infrastructure and elevate a company’s cybersecurity posture.

SIEMs are an increasingly essential part of SOCs. With companies relying on IT networks, it’s difficult to manually monitor entire systems and analyze large amounts of data. By using SIEM tools, SOCs can automate the task of detecting threats, saving resources and labor while increasing efficiency and productivity. SIEMs provide SOC analysts with data of real-time network events and reduce their burden by investigating security incidents, sending out alerts and improving incident response times.

SOCs receives hundreds of alerts every day; SIEM tools analyze these data to detect incidents that constitute real threats. SIEMs allow already overworked security teams to use their time and attention to thwart potential data breaches.

How to Become an SOC Analyst

SOC analysts are essential to cybersecurity teams. Cybercriminals don’t take breaks—the cyber world is always vulnerable to attacks. As the first line of defense, SOC analysts save their organizations millions of dollars every year by reducing cybersecurity risks.

To become an SOC analyst, one must have the right skills and knowledge. There can be many learning routes to acquire the specific skill set and knowledge in network defense, ethical hacking, and technical and programming knowledge. Certifications are a popular way to gain hands-on experience and build professional competencies. EC-Council’s Certified SOC Analyst (C|SA) program equips candidates with industry-relevant skills and knowledge.

FAQs

Q. What is the difference between SIEM and SOC?

An SOC is a team of people and the system(s) they use to monitor and respond to security incidents ona network. SIEM software uses intelligent correlation rules to highlight links between events to support the IT team in analyzing and dealing with threats.

Q. What does an SOC analyst do?

Security analysts detect, investigate, and respond to incidents. They may also plan and implement preventative security measures and build disaster recovery plans.

Q. What is the difference between an SOC and a network operations center (NOC)?

SOCs and NOCs are responsible for identifying, investigating, prioritizing, escalating, and resolving issues, but the issues they resolve and the impact they have are considerably different. SOCs focus on “intelligent adversaries,” while NOCs deal with naturally occurring system events.

Q. What are SOC services?

SIEMs and SOCs provide real-time analysis of security alerts from within an organization’s network to maintain a secure environment while ensuring continuity in business operations.

Source: eccouncil.org

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What Is SIEM And How To Choose The Right Tool

Understanding, Selecting, and Using SIEM

One of the hurdles faced by organizations regarding cybersecurity isn’t just establishing protective measures. It’s also managing the sheer deluge of information regarding security events occurring on any given day. Because of the volume and complexity, businesses often seek out options to simplify the process. One of those options is SIEM, a valuable tool for cybersecurity teams.

Read More: 312-76: EC-Council Disaster Recovery Professional (EDRP v3)

SIEM stands for “security information and event management,” primarily a software/server platform for administrators. The idea is to monitor, manage, and flag events regarding cybersecurity during operation hours. Organized SIEM allows teams and staff to respond quickly to potential intrusions, or otherwise monitor cybersecurity infrastructure from a convenient application. Generally, in-depth logs are generated automatically, creating reports for analysis to identify potential security problems in a network.

As you can imagine, a tool like this is invaluable. If your enterprise needs to renovate its structure for IT security, then SIEM software or services are potential solutions. Of course, with any tool, choosing the right one is critical. Does it fit into your budget? Is it accessible? Does it require training to use? How extensive are its features? These are a handful of questions you might have when looking for an appropriate SIEM solution or service.

In this article, then, we’ll identify a few key traits of good SIEM software in hopes you identify the best model for your enterprise.

Why SIEM?

If you aren’t convinced, there are a few other reasons to incorporate SIEM into your organization. Threats facing IT cybersecurity are numerous and evolving, so without proper response, damage caused by intrusions, service attacks, and malware are devastating. Additionally, more information is accessible online, such as customer data, user logins, financial information, and so on. If you’re an online vendor, you’re also responsible for the security of online transactions which falls under various regulations (such as HIPAA if you’re a healthcare practice).

Some essentials you can consider for SIEM include:

◉ Your SMB is scaling up and introducing more servers/systems, so the need to track and understand incoming traffic grows.

◉ You routinely deal with cyber attacks and/or malware, but lack a cohesive strategy to prevent future issues.

◉ You don’t have a comprehensive way to understand how attacks are occurring, or you lack a reporting system.

◉ You lack the necessary staff to manage SIEM yourself.

A SIEM platform, then, allows your teams to develop accessible reports which were otherwise too difficult to create due to labor/time constraints. The result is a better-prepared staff, who can act on specific flags or events correlating to cybersecurity threats. SIEM can also deploy automated responses to risks based on past logs, essentially “learning” about dangerous behavior. Said logs lead to an efficient cybersecurity defense which – in combination with other tools – creates a robust, practical line of defense.

As we’ve discussed, managing SIEM is done through software. In some cases, however, an organization can choose to utilize a managed-service provider to fill in the gaps. A third-party, in this context, provides all the same monitoring applications as the software, like malware detection and traffic monitoring. Third-parties can offer a range of different services while drawing from a team of experts which, in some cases, are not accessible.

Applications, on the other hand, are managed by the organization itself, typically overseen by IT cybersecurity experts. This is a better option for businesses seeking direct control of their resources with experienced IT teams behind the wheel.

Deciding which option is better suited for your business comes down to identifying your own needs and scale of the service or software.  Consider other factors as well before you begin adopting SIEM tools (if you haven’t already):

◉ SIEM is a slow process which requires the creation of automated logs. To develop useful reports, this process can take several weeks before your enterprise sees “the big picture.”

◉ Remember there exists a variety of SIEM software platforms – some are paid and others open source. Each has its own set of uses, UI, and learning curves.

◉ Expect to fine-tune your approach to cybersecurity slowly. SIEM is about identifying malicious behavior patterns and building defenses against them.

With proper expectations, you can learn and take advantage of SIEM software/services and set goals for your business.

Key Traits of Good SIEM

With a better understanding of SIEM, it’s also important to identify good qualities associated with services and software. While there are various SIEM platforms, all have different uses. Some are better suited for larger businesses, while others suited to smaller organizations. However, there are still quality traits congruent with SIEM, regardless of scale.

Events Feed

A good SIEM platform can intelligently identify addresses, behavior, IP’s, and websites associated with malicious attacks and dangerous third-parties. An aspect of efficient cybersecurity requires the latest data to prevent attacks; event management services should have this quality as an integral part of their application.

Additional Forensics

Another positive quality to SIEM services is the ability to acquire additional data about security events beyond log compilation. The forensics capabilities of the SIEM service in question will vary based on the service itself, but any additional report is useful. For example, details like extra traffic information such as the origin of said traffic, or details about how said traffic was created (was it via a mobile device, where was its location point, what did it try to connect to, etc.)

Appropriate Scaling

As we’ve discussed before, SIEM solutions work differently based on the size of the organization. Therefore, good SIEM will fall under your financial needs. It’s important to identify how the resources scale (in the case of a third-party, do they offer multiple servers for different data storage, flexible price plans, etc.) to best make use of them. You don’t want to spend more or less than what’s needed.

Accessible Interface

Never underestimate the value of a convenient interface. Ease-of-use is a virtue, allowing management and IT specialists alike to access SIEM tools without navigating a clunky UI. Since cybersecurity thrives on timely, accurate responses, it’s important to navigate program tools as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Log Reporting

Quality SIEM services should also provide extensive log reports covering multiple networks, such as systems used for accounting or management. All logs should be in a readable, coherent format, as data by itself is not actionable or useful. This format should be usable by all relevant departments, assuring staff can – again – act on data presented. In other words, the easier a report is for an IT analyst to use, the better off your organization is.

Threat Reporting

Like log reporting but more specific to an intrusion event. A threat report details the extent of how a malicious attack occurred, when, how, and what was lost (if relevant). These are of critical importance, as they demonstrate what areas your enterprise is weakest at, allowing you to build better strategies for preventing future intrusions.

Source: cyberdefenses.com

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Top SIEM Tools You Should Not Ignore

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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