Security Operations Centres (SOCs) face many challenges when it comes to managing and responding to security incidents.

One of the biggest headaches analysts face is the manual triaging process – spending more than half their time on tedious manual tasks. During manual triage, analysts must painstakingly gather information from various sources to piece together relevant data.

This approach is not only time-consuming but is also prone to inconsistencies and delays in incident response.

Automated alert triage can offer a helping hand. It is a rapid, efficient alternative to manual processes as it automates routine tasks and provides analysts with actionable insights.

Although it offers a variety of benefits, there are key differences between manual and automated triage, and specific thresholds for when manual intervention is required. Let’s delve into it!

Manual triage vs automated triage

Manual alert triage

As the day begins at the SOC, a steady influx of alerts makes their way into the monitoring dashboard. Each alert represents a potential security incident, ranging from suspicious network activity to malware detections and everything in-between.

During the triaging process, there are steps that analysts must follow to assess and categorise each alert – Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

These steps are essential for identifying the severity of the incident, determining its potential impact on the organisation’s security posture, and deciding on the appropriate course of action.

The manual alert triage process:

1. Enrichment
2. Initial Triage
3. Analysis & Investigation
4. Decision & Escalation
5. Documenting

During the manual triaging process, analysts will follow these sequential steps to assess and respond to security alerts or incidents.

First, the enrichment phase involves gathering initial data about the alert to understand its context.

Next, in the initial triage stage, predefined searches are conducted to produce preliminary findings, setting the groundwork for further investigation.

Then, during the analysis and investigation phase, recommendations for escalation or closure are made based on the gathered data, allowing analysts to determine the severity of the incident.

Afterwards, in the decision and escalation phase, appropriate remediation actions, such as password resets or device locking, are implemented based on the assessment.

Finally, in the documenting phase, detailed information about the alert, along with the actions taken, are recorded for future reference and analysis.

A SOC team, even one operating 24/7, can become a factory of human-intensive tasks. The sheer volume of events, multiplied by the number of customers/users and the duration of threats, creates an environment polluted by human errors and inefficiencies.

The automated alert triage process:

1. Phase 0 – Detect
2. Phase 1 – Enrich
3. Phase 2 – Investigate
4. Phase 3 – Remediate

First, during phase zero, threats from multiple sources are consolidated in real-time, analysing security event data to identify anomalies and potential threats early. Detected suspicious events are handed over to ANSEL, our automated SOC Analyst.

Next, In phase one, detected threats are enriched with contextual information, offering insights into the threat’s nature and severity to help prioritise response efforts.

Then, an automation investigation is conducted using predefined rules and playbooks, analysing enriched data to find the threat’s root cause, related indicators of compromise (IOCs), and assess impact.

Lastly, identified threats are mitigated through automated actions to contain, neutralise, or eliminate them, minimising business impact. If an alert falls outside predefined actions, it’s escalated to a Managed SOC team for further analysis and action.

What are the benefits of automated alert triage?

We’ve talked a lot about the difference between manual and automated alert triage, but what are the actual benefits to your SOC?

Reduced MTTRe

Implementing automated alert triage reduces Mean Time to Respond (MTTRe), which is vital for effective triage. By minimising MTTRe, you shrink the exposure window during which attackers could exploit vulnerabilities.

Reduced Alert Fatigue

Alert fatigue is one of the most pressing issues SOC teams face. Analysts can spend over half their time manually investigating alerts.

This prolonged manual process not only consumes valuable time but also increases the likelihood of errors due to the monotony of certain tasks. Automation can take care of routine tasks whilst ensuring consistency every time.

SOC Efficiency

By automating repetitive alerts, automation helps save valuable time for analysts, enabling them to focus on strategic tasks that demand higher-level thinking. This not only increases productivity in your team but allows them to address more critical and complex challenges.

Talent Gap

It’s no secret that security teams are struggling with lack of resources, budget and technology. Automation serves as a force multiplier, allowing you to do more with fewer resources.

The combination of automating routine tasks and amplifying human decision-making with machine intelligence helps bridge the talent gap.

Cost Reduction

Automation reduces the need for a full-fledged SOC team, meaning you can significantly cut costs while improving operational effectiveness.

By automating repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as alert triage, enrichment, and response, you can operate more efficiently without the need to add more people.

CASE STUDY: CloudGuard automation saves Amazon Filters 52 days vs manual methods

The challenges of automated alert triage

Automation reacts quickly to known threats by triggering pre-built automations, but it often lags behind in addressing novel threats. This lag occurs because new threats need to be identified, researched, and then integrated into existing automation systems, a process that takes time.

Also, automation relies on predefined rules and algorithms, which may not be equipped to handle emerging threat scenarios effectively.

At CloudGuard, we tackle this challenge by integrating third party threat intelligence sources into our technology such as Recorded Future.

Final thoughts

Automated alert triage helps ease the challenges faced by your SOC every day. It simplifies incident handling processes and solves common challenges, like alert fatigue, to improve SOC efficiency and effectiveness.

Its structured approach, together with predefined workflows, ensures consistency and accuracy in your incident assessment and response. Automated alert triage should only be used to complement your existing SOC operations.

Businesses can’t full rely on automation for alert triage as manual intervention is still essential for addressing issues that automation may encounter. CloudGuard believes in utilising both automation and a SOC team to ensure optimal alert triage and incident response.

CloudGuard

If you’re concerned about how open your business is to potential cyber attacks, the key thing is to understand the areas in which you’re currently vulnerable. One of the quickest and most effective ways to do this is by undergoing a comprehensive security assessment.

You’ve probably found so many different services and acronyms that it’s starting to feel like an impossible task.

That’s why we’ve decided to break down two options to help you narrow down the list. This will be a comparison between Managed SOC (Security Operations Centre) and Managed XDR (eXtended Detection and Response).

Hopefully this will guide you in finding the right solution to match your cybersecurity strategy and business objectives.

What are the options?

Managed SOC or SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) offers a cloud-based subscription model for managed threat detection and response, providing round-the-clock monitoring, analysis and prevention of cyber threats across diverse attack surfaces.

On the other hand, Managed XDR integrates Managed SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and SOC capabilities, using the latest advances in AI and automation to make threat detection, analyse and response faster than humanly possible.

Now we’ll take a look at each approach in a bit more detail, exploring their features, benefits, and potential challenges.

Managed SOC explained

Managed SOC services come in various forms.

You could either outsource your security operations to Managed Security Services Providers (MSSPs) operating in the cloud or opt for Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services that combine automated processes with direct human involvement.

These services aim to monitor your threat landscape, including IT networks, devices, applications, endpoints and data. This is for both known and evolving vulnerabilities, threats and risks.

One of the main reasons organisations turn to Managed SOC solutions is to remove the burden on internal security teams and gain access to expert security capabilities that may be lacking in-house.

According to research, a significant percentage of organisations believe that managed service providers can provide better security operations and strengthen their existing SOC teams.

Additionally, managed SOC services offer continuous monitoring, faster detection and response times + can help reduce alert fatigue.

Despite these benefits, challenges exist when introducing managed SOC services.

These challenges include the lack of visibility and context, increased complexity of investigations, integration issues and the inability to collect, process and contextualise threat intelligence data effectively.

Onboarding with a managed SOC provider can be time-consuming, and sharing critical data with a third-party provider raises concerns about data security and privacy.

Pros of Managed SOC:

• Removes burden on internal security teams
• Access to expert security capabilities
• Continuous monitoring
• Faster detection and response times
• Helps reduce alert fatigue

Cons of Managed SOC:

• Lack of visibility and context
• Increased complexity of investigations
• Integration issues
• Inability to collect, process, and contextualise threat intelligence data effectively
• Time-consuming onboarding process
• Data security and privacy concerns when sharing critical data with a third-party provider

Managed XDR explained

Managed XDR is the one of the newer cybersecurity services available today.

It uses advanced technologies such as AI and security automation to streamline threat detection and response capabilities.

By combining Managed SIEM with Managed SOC functionalities, Managed XDR solutions offers a fresh approach to cybersecurity – enabling proactive threat hunting, faster response times and enhanced coverage.

The key advantage of Managed XDR lies in its AI and automation abilities coupled with human expertise.

By analysing vast amounts of data and identifying patterns indicative of malicious activity, Managed XDR solutions can reduce dwell time, minimise false positives and improve overall security posture.

Managed XDR can also help your organisation to stay ahead of evolving threats by proactively identifying vulnerabilities and conducting thorough investigations into potential security incidents.

Managed XDR solutions offer seamless scalability and agility, allowing your organisation to adapt to changing threat landscapes and compliance requirements with ease. By outsourcing security operations to Managed XDR providers, you can access expert security expertise and technologies without the need for substantial investments in internal resources.

Alert fatigue, talent gaps and high operational costs can be eliminated with Managed XDR.

Managed XDR is not without its challenges.

Onboarding with a Managed XDR provider may require time and resources and organisations must be willing trust the capabilities of a third-party provider. You will have to check what happens to your data as storing data externally raises concerns about data security and privacy.

You’ll need to consider the risks and benefits of outsourcing security operations to Managed XDR providers.

Pros of Managed XDR

• AI and automation capabilities coupled with human expertise
• Reduced dwell time and minimised false positives
• Improved overall security posture
• Proactive identification of vulnerabilities
• Seamless scalability and agility
• Frees up your internal resources to focus on strategic tasks and objectives
• Access to expert security expertise and technologies without substantial investments

Cons of Managed XDR

• Time and resource-intensive onboarding process
• Trusting capabilities of a third-party provider
• Data security and privacy concerns when storing data externally
• Need to carefully consider risks and benefits of outsourcing security operations

Comparison table

CloudGuard PROTECT Managed XDR

Allow us a moment to quickly plug CloudGuard’s PROTECT Managed XDR service.

We centre everything around Microsoft Sentinel SIEM. Here, we unify all of your security logs (including but not limited to on-prem and cloud infrastructure, devices, users, email, applications and operational technology) using our extensive library of out-of-the-box and custom data connectors.

We then bring our knowledge of automation and AI to this Managed SIEM solution to provide faster threat detection, analysis and response times.

We automatically ingest threat intelligence data into every alert to enrich our understanding of threats and incidents.

Where we can’t fully solve incidents through AI and automation, our SOC Analysts (Managed SOC) are ready to provide the in-depth knowledge and critical thinking that only humans can provide.

The best part is that all of this happens within your Microsoft tenant. We’ll either deploy or optimise your Sentinel instance and keep everything in your cloud.

Wrapping up Managed SOC vs Managed XDR

Both Managed SOC and Managed XDR offer credible solutions if you’re looking to improve your organisation’s cybersecurity posture.

While Managed SOC provides comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities, Managed XDR represents a greater step forward by using advanced technologies to reduce drastically reduce threat detection and response times.

Ultimately, the choice between Managed SOC and Managed XDR depends on yours needs and objectives. If you haven’t created a brief detailing your requirements and preferred outcomes, that’s probably the best place to start.

If you’re a bit stuck with your brief or your cybersecurity strategy in general, we offer cybersecurity consulting services to get you started, including security posture assessments and CISO advisory services.

By weighing up the features, benefits and potential challenges of Managed SOC and Managed XDR, you can make an informed decisions to protect the invaluable data, assets, finances, reputation and people within your business.

As a leader in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Security Information Event Management (SIEM), it is an attractive choice for businesses looking for a powerful cybersecurity tool.

The accessibility of platforms like Sentinel, a Microsoft cloud-based service, has become remarkably user-friendly.

With a few clicks, anyone armed with the right credentials can activate services and connectors, setting the stage for a potential budgetary nightmare.

The “add to basket” mindset

Our CTO, Javid Khan, highlights this as an “add to basket” mindset, where the simplicity of turning things on contrasts with the complexity of managing the associated costs.

Many think that just activating Sentinel equals using it effectively. Turning on connectors without a clear understanding of the data being ingested can lead to a flood of noise and a significant impact on your monthly cloud bill.

This mistake is particularly common in mid-sized businesses, where the lack of technical awareness may result in Sentinel being treated as a checkbox item rather than a powerful tool for event correlation and incident response.

So, here we are, faced with the challenge of helping you make sense of your Sentinel costs.

In the upcoming sections, we’ll delve into the technical nuances and strategies to not only optimise your usage but also save significant costs in the process.

The Current State of Microsoft Sentinel Costs

Understanding the complexities of Microsoft Sentinel deployment goes beyond the initial setup. While it may seem straightforward to get data flowing into Sentinel by enabling features and ticking boxes, the true value lies in making sense of that data.

A common pitfall

One common pitfall is the lack of filtration and analysis post-ingestion. With various data connectors set up, including those from on-premise systems and different sources, users might find themselves charged for gigabytes of ingested data – without effectively utilising it.

Sentinel, now consolidated into a combined pricing model with Log Analytics, requires a more detailed approach.

A company connects its VPN logs to Sentinel without setting up proper filtering. Every connection attempt, successful or unsuccessful, is logged. While only a fraction of these logs are relevant to security monitoring, the entire dataset is ingested, drastically increasing costs.

Scenario: A company connects its VPN logs to Sentinel without setting up proper filtering. Every connection attempt, successful or unsuccessful, is logged. While only a fraction of these logs are relevant to security monitoring, the entire dataset is ingested, drastically increasing costs.

Maximise benefits

The key to optimising Sentinel is not just data ingestion but ensuring that only relevant and actionable information is collected. Here’s how you can achieve that:

• Filter logs before ingestion: Ensure that only security-relevant events are being sent to Sentinel.
• Use Kusto Query Language (KQL): Set up targeted queries to extract meaningful insights rather than generic alerts.
• Optimise retention policies: Not all data needs long-term storage. Use archival and basic logs for less critical data.

Cost-saving strategies

Cost-saving strategies involve revisiting central health checks, understanding existing Microsoft licenses, and optimising the utilisation of features like Defender for Cloud and Defender for Servers.

• Monitor Log Analytics Usage: Regularly check what data is being stored and eliminate redundant logs.
• Utilise Free Logs: Sentinel offers free ingestion for Azure Activity Logs and Microsoft 365 Logs, allowing businesses to enhance security monitoring without additional costs.
• Enable Data Collection Rules (DCRs): These allow you to pre-filter logs, reducing ingestion costs at the source.
• Consider Committed Pricing: If your data ingestion exceeds 69GB per day, look into committing to a fixed monthly reservation, reducing the per-gigabyte rate.

Successful deployment

A successful deployment of Sentinel saves money and makes operations smoother.

You must understand your business context and use Sentinel with smart analytics. This involves optimising the system, reducing false alarms, and ensuring it fits your business needs perfectly.

Following best practices and seeking expert help ensures Sentinel works well, saving money and improving security operations effectively while managing Microsoft Sentinel costs.

Scenario: A large financial institution was facing excessive Sentinel costs due to unchecked data ingestion. By implementing structured data collection rules and removing redundant connectors, they reduced their bill by 40% while improving security efficiency.

Understanding Microsoft Sentinel Pricing

The current rate of the default pay-as-you-go structure stands at £2.65 per gigabyte ingested (as of 2025).

Users may accidentally flood Sentinel with extensive data from sources like firewall appliances and network switches. The default configuration often leads to a copious amount of data being sent to Sentinel, ranging from user connections to various websites to detailed error logs.

To manage this influx effectively, pay attention to transformations and data collection rules, which allow users to filter and control the data before it is ingested into Sentinel.

Filtering should be applied carefully, either at the syslog collector or within Azure, taking into account potential costs and limitations.

Beyond a certain daily ingestion threshold (around 69 gigabytes), you may find it cost-effective to commit to a fixed monthly reservation, offering more predictable costs and a reduced per-gigabyte rate.

Don’t forget the importance of retention and archival of data for your compliance and regulatory needs.

There is a default 90-day retention period where data is held, following this there is a retention fee for storing data beyond that timeframe. Options such as basic logs and archive storage, offer lower-cost alternatives for less frequently queried data.

To address the complexity of long-term retention, you should assess your specific compliance requirements and business needs.

You can save costs and improve efficiency in your security operations by strategically organising and storing data according to its importance.

Using Microsoft Sentinel Correctly

Organisations often underestimate the value that Sentinel can bring. The key lies not just in turning it on but in rolling it out meaningfully, aligning it with business objectives, and considering your organisation’s cyber strategy maturity.

Just as businesses initially rushed to the cloud without a structured approach, the accessibility of Sentinel may tempt you to turn it on without a clear strategy.

However, the consequences can be similar – spiralling costs and underutilised potential. To prevent this, a Sentinel Health Check can help gauge your organisation’s cyber strategy maturity.

Understanding the fundamentals, having clear processes, aligning with business objectives, and ensuring a capable team are essential for effective Sentinel deployment.

This is a more strategic approach versus a haphazard ‘turn it on and see’ attitude, echoing the early days of cloud adoption where companies learned the importance of a well-thought-out cloud strategy.

Optimising Data Ingestion and Retention

Despite how complex Sentinel may seem, there are key points that can save costs and increase the value proposition for your organisation.

Key area one

The first is the availability of free log ingestion for certain types of logs, such as Azure activity logs and Microsoft 365 logs. This means you can utilise Sentinel to query and generate events and incidents based on these logs without incurring additional charges.

Even alerting is free, making it an attractive option for businesses looking to enhance their security posture without breaking the bank.

Key area two

Also, integration with other Microsoft services, like Defender, can enhance Sentinel’s capabilities without extra costs.

By having alerts from Defender sent to Sentinel, you can automate incident response without adding to expenses, provided you don’t opt for additional log storage.

Key area three

Microsoft Sentinel is an especially compelling option for small to medium sized businesses (SMBs), particularly those already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, due to its cost-effectiveness and ease of integration.

You can access comprehensive security solutions at a fraction of the cost compared to other competitors in the market by strategically utilising your existing Microsoft licenses.

Repurpose Your Funds Effectively

At CloudGuard we have noticed an emerging market trend centred around cost optimisation, particularly within the Azure landscape. There is the potential to fund a Sentinel workspace for an entire year by strategically cutting costs in other areas of an Azure subscription. We can help your businesses build a compelling business case for cybersecurity and SIEM enablement by carefully managing Azure expenses.

Our approach provides you with the means to repurpose funds effectively, helping build a strong case for your cybersecurity requirements.

If you need help managing your Microsoft Sentinel costs, reach out to us for a Sentinel Health Check and we’ll take care of the rest.

The businesses had a wide variety of cyber solutions, experiences and security maturities. The purpose of this report is to summarise the key aspects respondents provided as guidance to others in considering a new cyber security solution and/or partnership. Many businesses shared similar objectives and goals desired from a cyber MXDR services and the following details learnings and questions to understand in detail as anyone progresses through the buying process and looks to build out their success criteria, and ultimately, move towards a decision for their elected security partner.

*All customers surveyed had a requirement for a fully Managed Detection and Response service*

[Download your copy of the report here]

5 Key Questions for Cybersecurity Vendor Selection:

1. 1. Can you provide an accurate response time commitment from detection & alert through to remediation and action?
   2. Will there be access to the data logs ingested into your service?
   3. Does the responsibility for incident remediation reside with the provider or with the customer?
   4. What level of tuning is included within the service provision and how is this reported on throughout the partnership?
   5. What is the company’s approach and commitment on data export requests on the logs being collected, monitored and transferred?

1. Can you provide an accurate response time commitment from detection & alert through to remediation and action?

Follow-up questions

Does this commitment meet the following conditions:

• Lasts for the duration of the contract
• Based on my current security deployment and relevant integrations within the service, not general statistics

Challenges faced

A repeated concern across the survey audience was the response time of the incumbent, or proposed, vendor over time. Specifically, 62% of respondents indicated that post implementation, the service experience did not meet the sales positioning and commitment.

The respondents were a variety of customers who purchased one of two service categories:

• A supplier for MDR services only based on alerting only to customer
• A supplier providing SOC/SIEM/SOAR services where a customer is providing MDR services and support

In certain cases, it was identified that there was a difference between indicated performance and customer experiences due to endpoint solution parameters or performance.

These differences indicated potential response times of up to 1 hour from detection through to genuine action and/or containment.

The concern was once implemented, this part of the service performance could not be modified or improved. There was the exfiltration, weaponisation or disruption that could be inflicted by nefarious actors while having access to customer environments for up to an hour at a time from the point of intrusion.

Time to Mitigate and/or Time to Respond are key metrics to define with a supplier alongside in advance with contractual commitments.

2. Will there be access to the data logs ingested into your service?

Challenge faced

Some customers highlighted that a common issue uncovered in the purchasing process were differences in ability, or lack of, to access and/or customise SIEM data that the supplier’s SOC are capturing from the customer environment.

A ‘hands-off’ approach is of course a key part of any managed service, but 54% of customers required or contracted to have the information readily available to them on demand.

This issue identified is that access was not supported or permitted coupled with concerns around the standard vendor reporting capabilities. A key consideration for many customers in considering a 3rd party SIEM solution is improving and gaining real time reporting with behavioural user analysis capabilities.

3. Does the responsibility for incident remediation reside with the provider or with the customer?

Challenge faced

Due to varying automation capabilities and endpoint solutions across the vendor market and respondents, many providers will alert customers only and require manual intervention from the customer in order to effectively remediate incidents.

This, in turn, can significantly impact the Mean Time to Respond and Resolve metrics within the associated security partnership and should be defined as an absolute time not just provider time.

Respondents encouraged exploration of common scenario’s for each customer environment to understand in detail the handoffs, customisations, RACI to define roles and responsibilities as well as incident response execution and escalation.

4. What level of tuning is included within the service provision and how is this reported on throughout the partnership?

Challenge faced

The issue here is Alert Fatigue. This was reported as both provider and customer related. A combination of both insufficient tuning to continually reduce false and benign positive incident volumes, and a lack of support from customer success translated to customers continuing to experience higher than expected volumes of standardised alerts.

Consistent performance improvements via tuning and End User Behavioural Analysis are essential to effective detection, response, resolution and service evolution. It is essential to validate the level of tuning, commitment to ongoing improvement and how effectively this is communicated through reporting. Tuning can be rule, policy, controls or activity based.

5. What is the company’s approach and commitment on data export requests on the logs being collected, monitored and transferred?

Challenge faced

Providers have varying policies relating to the export of the data and associated formats collected from customer environments. It is essential that back dated information is archived and can be appropriately exported from the service as it forms a crucial part of running Incident Response in the event of an attack as well as future service transition. When migrating to another platform, or to an internally managed solution.

It is important to gain access to archives and export data for compliance, preservation of priorities, investigations, service continuity and incident histories.

Respondents highlighted that certain providers did not commit to any level of data export during or at contractual completion of MXDR services.

About CloudGuard

CloudGuard is a leading Managed Security Services Provider (MSSP), offering a range of services to protect organisations against evolving cyber threats. With a focus on proactive threat detection, automated response, and responsive support, CloudGuard helps businesses to navigate the complexities of the digital landscape securely.

If you’re looking to change MXDR providers, or would like to learn more about how CloudGuard can help you with these challenges, send us a message here.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of BEC, exploring what it is, how it works, its various types, and most importantly, how you can defend against it.

What is Business Email Compromise (BEC)?

Business Email Compromise, often referred to as BEC, is a sophisticated form of phishing attack that specifically targets organisations. The primary objective of BEC is to deceive individuals within a company into taking actions that compromise the organisation’s financial assets or sensitive information.

BEC attackers pose as trusted figures, such as executives or vendors, to manipulate recipients into carrying out their malicious intentions.

This threat has seen a significant uptick in recent years, primarily due to the surge in remote work. In fact, the FBI received nearly 20,000 BEC-related complaints last year alone.

Types of Business Email Compromise scams

BEC attacks come in various forms, each designed to exploit different vulnerabilities within an organisation. Here are some common types of BEC scams:

Data Theft

Cybercriminals may initiate BEC attacks by targeting the HR department to steal confidential company information, like employee schedules or personal phone numbers. This stolen data can be leveraged in subsequent BEC scams to make the deception appear more convincing.

False Invoice Scheme

In this type of BEC scam, the attacker poses as a legitimate vendor that your company does business with. They send a fake invoice, often meticulously crafted to resemble a genuine one, with minor alterations such as a slightly different account number. Alternatively, they may claim that their bank is under audit and request payments to a different account.

CEO Fraud

Scammers either spoof or compromise a CEO’s email account and then instruct employees to make purchases or send money via wire transfers. They might even ask employees to purchase gift cards and provide photos of the serial numbers.

Lawyer Impersonation

In this scam, attackers gain unauthorised access to a law firm’s email account and send clients fake invoices or links to pay online. While the email address may appear legitimate, the bank account provided is fraudulent.

Account Compromise

Cybercriminals use phishing or malware to gain access to a finance employee’s email account, such as an accounts receivable manager. Once inside, they send the company’s suppliers fake invoices that request payment to a fraudulent bank account.

How do BEC scams work?

Understanding the mechanics of a BEC scam is crucial in protecting against it. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of how a BEC scam typically unfolds:

Research and Identity Deception

Scammers thoroughly research their targets, creating a detailed profile that allows them to convincingly impersonate trusted individuals within the organisation. They may even go as far as creating fake websites or registering companies with names similar to the target.

Email Monitoring

After gaining access to the victim’s email account, scammers closely monitor email correspondence to identify potential targets for financial transactions. They study email patterns, invoices, and conversations to increase the authenticity of their deception.

Gaining Trust and Requesting Action

Once the scammer has gathered enough information, they establish trust with the target through a series of email exchanges. Eventually, they request money, gift cards, or sensitive information.

Email Spoofing

To further deceive the target, scammers may impersonate one of the parties involved by spoofing the email domain. This can involve minor alterations to the email address or sending emails “via” a different domain.

Targets of Business Email Compromise

BEC attacks can target a wide range of individuals and organisations. Common targets include:

• Executives and leaders, whose details are often publicly available on company websites.
• Finance employees, such as controllers and accounts payable staff, who have access to banking details and account numbers.
• HR managers, who possess employee records containing sensitive information.
• New or entry-level employees who may lack experience in verifying email legitimacy.

The dangers of BEC

The consequences of a successful BEC attack can be devastating for organisations. If left unchecked, a BEC attack can lead to several different outcomes.

Financial Loss

Organisations can lose hundreds of thousands to millions of pounds through fraudulent transactions orchestrated by BEC scammers.

Identity Theft

Personally identifiable information (PII) can be stolen, leading to widespread identity theft among employees and clients.

Confidential Data Exposure

BEC attacks may accidentally result in the exposure of sensitive company data, including intellectual property.

As the threat landscape continues to evolve, so do the strategies employed to protect against BEC attacks. For instance, Microsoft alone blocked a staggering 32 billion email threats in 2021, underscoring the importance of robust email security solutions.

Business Email Compromise examples

To illustrate the diversity and sophistication of BEC attacks, here are some real-world examples.

Pay This Urgent Bill

An employee in the finance department receives an email from what appears to be the CFO, urgently requesting payment for an overdue bill. However, the email is not from the CFO, but from a BEC scammer. Alternatively, the scammer may impersonate a trusted vendor and send a convincing-looking invoice.

What’s Your Phone Number?

A company executive emails an employee, requesting their phone number for a “quick task.” This seemingly innocuous request is a ploy to shift communication to a more personal medium, such as text messaging, where the scammer hopes to extract sensitive information.

Your Lease is Expiring

A scammer gains access to a real estate company’s email account and identifies ongoing transactions. They then email clients, providing a link to pay lease-related expenses or renew office leases. In some cases, scammers have swindled victims out of substantial sums of money using this method.

Top Secret Acquisition

An employee receives an email from their boss, requesting a down payment for the acquisition of a competitor. The email emphasises confidentiality, discouraging the employee from verifying the request. Given the secretive nature of mergers and acquisitions, this scam can appear legitimate at first glance.

5 tips to prevent BEC

Now that you understand the gravity of BEC attacks and their various forms, here are five best practices to help you prevent falling victim to a BEC scam:

1. Use a Secure Email Solution

Implement email solutions like Office 365 that automatically flag and delete suspicious emails or alert you when the sender isn’t verified. Additional features like advanced phishing protection and suspicious forwarding detection, available in Defender for Office 365, can further enhance BEC prevention.

2. Set Up Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Strengthen your email security by enabling MFA, which requires an additional code, PIN, or fingerprint in addition to your password for login.

3. Educate Employees

Ensure that your entire organisation is educated about how to identify warning signs of phishing attacks, such as mismatched domain and email addresses. Conduct simulated BEC scam exercises to enhance awareness.

4. Implement Security Defaults

Administrators can tighten security across the organisation by mandating the use of MFA, imposing authentication challenges for new or risky access, and requiring password resets in case of information leaks.

5. Use Email Authentication Tools

Employ email authentication methods such as Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) to make it more challenging for scammers to spoof your email.

Business Email Compromise protection

To protect your organisation against BEC attacks, consider adopting solutions like Microsoft Defender for Office 365, which offers the following capabilities.

Automated Email Authentication Checks

Detect email authentication standards and identify spoofing, automatically sending suspicious emails to quarantine or junk folders.

AI-Powered Anomaly Detection

Utilise artificial intelligence to model each user’s normal email patterns and flag unusual activity.

Customised Email Protection

Configure email protection settings by user, domain, and mailbox to suit your organisation’s unique needs.

Threat Investigation

Investigate potential threats, identify targets, distinguish false positives, and pinpoint scammers using Threat Explorer.

Spoof Intelligence

Employ advanced algorithms to analyse domain-wide email patterns and highlight unusual activity, enhancing your defence against email spoofing.

The best BEC protection: MXDR

An MXDR (Managed eXtended Detection and Response) solution that uses Microsoft Sentinel as its SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) can provide a formidable defense against BEC attacks.

By integrating the power of Sentinel’s advanced threat detection capabilities with the broader context of an MXDR system, organisations can enhance their ability to detect and block BEC threats effectively.

Microsoft Sentinel can analyse email-related events, user behavior, and network activity, allowing it to identify anomalous patterns or actions that are indicative of BEC scams.

Additionally, by correlating information from multiple data sources, such as email logs, network traffic, and user activities, Sentinel can uncover subtle indicators of compromise that might go unnoticed by traditional security measures.

Furthermore, the automated response capabilities of an MXDR solution can swiftly quarantine suspicious emails, block malicious IP addresses, and alert security teams to take immediate action, mitigating the potential damage caused by a BEC attack.

This integrated approach not only bolsters an organisation’s email security but also provides real-time threat intelligence and response capabilities to proactively block BEC threats before they can wreak havoc.

Now you’re ready to defend against Business Email Compromise

Business Email Compromise is a pervasive and ever-evolving threat that can have severe financial and reputational consequences for organisations.

By understanding the various forms of BEC attacks, their mechanisms, and implementing robust email security measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to these malicious schemes.

In an era where email is the king of communication, defending against BEC is not just an option; it’s a necessity to protect your organisation’s interests and data. Stay vigilant, educate your team, and invest in cutting-edge email security solutions to protect your business from the perils of Business Email Compromise.

However, ensuring a robust and continuously improving security framework across these crucial services has remained a challenging feat — until now.

We are thrilled to launch our innovative Microsoft Sentinel SAP Connector Optimisation Service, a game-changing solution that transforms the way you perceive and manage security within your organisation.

A seamless integration of powerhouses

Microsoft understands the complex needs of businesses relying on both its innovative technologies and SAP’s mission-critical applications.

The result? The Microsoft Sentinel solution for SAP® applications, an innovative step forward in connecting, ingesting, visualising, protecting, and automating the security logs of your platform and SAP applications.

This enables businesses to proactively safeguard their assets by comprehensively understanding, monitoring, detecting, and responding to security incidents.

Unlocking centralised security excellence

The need for centralised security visibility and detection of data breaches, security incidents, and alerts within SAP systems, managing sensitive business-critical data, has been a long-standing puzzle for SAP customers.

Enter the Sentinel connector to SAP, a new solution that enables continuous threat monitoring across networks, operating systems, interfaces, databases, applications, and business processes.

Let’s delve into the myriad of benefits this cutting-edge service brings to the table:

Centralised Visibility: Our service presents security teams with the ability to correlate and normalise SAP signals across diverse environments.

Threat Intelligence Leveraging: We leverage threat intelligence, enrichment, and context to build continually improving detection and response mechanisms.

Granular Monitoring: Enjoy the prowess of monitoring transactions, privileged escalation, role changes, unauthorized access, and unapproved/unexpected changes.

Automated Responses: Empower your organization with rapid automated responses, mitigating risks and bolstering business resilience.

Unified Incident Response: Seamlessly centralise security monitoring and incident response within your organization, supported by the expertise of application and platform specialists.

The CloudGuard advantage

Our CloudGuard service includes a complete approach to maximising the potential of the Microsoft Sentinel SAP Connector:

Thorough Scoping: Tailoring the Microsoft Sentinel SAP connector to your unique Sentinel solution.

Landscape Review: A comprehensive examination of your SAP landscape to ensure thorough monitoring.

SAP Logs Inspection: In-depth analysis of SAP logs to uncover security insights.

Best Practices Implementation: Deploying CloudGuard’s best practices for Sentinel SAP connector Data Collection Rules (DCRs) and data transformations before log ingestion.

Cost Optimisation: We optimise Microsoft Sentinel log ingestion costs using event filters and CloudGuard’s analytical rules.

Customised Use Cases: Crafting Sentinel use cases aligned with your specific parameters for enhanced security.

Threat Hunting Playbooks: Tailored threat hunting playbooks for your SAP processes and sensitive data.

Analytic Rule Customisation: Fine-tuning Sentinel SAP analytic rules within your workspaces.

Security Certification: Our expertise extends to on-premise, Azure, AWS, and Google cloud platforms, ensuring the Microsoft Sentinel solution for SAP® applications is certified for SAP S/4HANA® on-premise, SAP S/4HANA® Cloud, and Private Edition RISE with SAP.

Elevating security to new heights

While Microsoft Sentinel brings remarkable security content, our CloudGuard experts recommend enhancing the system with SAP-specific watchlists, detection rules, and response playbooks.

We meticulously verify that Sentinel effectively monitors the PAHI table and all related cloud resources, and we provide adept insights to optimise log ingestion costs.

Our dedicated service ensures ingested logs align with your business processes, driving improved security posture in centralised monitoring.

How this benefits your organisation

With the goal of achieving centralisation, CloudGuard has developed advanced automation that seamlessly integrates and optimises security logs from SAP’s critical business processes, platforms, applications, databases, and cloud services into the SIEM.

This innovative process ensures data is refined and prepared before being ingested into the workspace.

The common problem is that SAP security logs can be extensive and therefore, without governance and optimisation, expensive in Microsoft Log Analytics. Further use cases must also be built to both accelerate automation and detection correlation across disparate systems in the SAP business fabric.

As every SAP customer landscape can be different, we’ll actively work with you to understand the security visualisations you need, supported by corresponding use cases and automation.

We then align this to security ROI through cost optimisation. Our team of Sentinel experts help to maximise the benefits of Microsoft Sentinel with SAP into a unified security solution this enhances cyber security posture for your business.

Join the cybersecurity revolution with the SAP Sentinel Connector

The Microsoft Sentinel SAP Connector Optimisation Service is available as part of the Protect+ MXDR service from CloudGuard.

It’s time for a new era of security excellence within your organisation. T

ogether, we can counteract threats, fortify resilience, and confidently navigate the digital realm with unmatched assurance. Don’t miss out on securing your future—connect with us today!

Comprehending what SIEM is and how it works is vital in today’s interconnected world. That’s whether you’re a seasoned cybersecurity professional or just beginning to explore this field

What is SIEM?

SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management. It is a comprehensive approach that combines Security Information Management (SIM) and Security Event Management (SEM). In simpler terms, SIEM is a powerful cybersecurity solution that helps you monitor for threats across your organisation’s IT infrastructure, devices and apps effectively.

Tools like Microsoft Sentinel, a recognised Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant, enhances SIEM further with the introduction of artificial intelligence. This empowers you to build next-generation security operations, and move into game-changing defences like MXDR.

How SIEM works

At its core, SIEM works on the principles of data collection, correlation, analysis, and reporting. This makes it a fundamental tool for cybersecurity professionals.

• Data Collection: SIEM solutions gather data from various sources, both inside and outside your organisation’s network. These sources include network devices, servers, applications, and endpoints. The data collected may include log files, event records, and system-generated information.
• Data Correlation: Once the data is collected, SIEM tools correlate and analyse it to identify patterns, anomalies, and potential security incidents. By connecting seemingly unrelated events, SIEM can uncover sophisticated attack patterns that may go unnoticed by individual security devices.
• Real-time Monitoring: SIEM enables real-time monitoring, allowing your security team to respond swiftly to ongoing security incidents. Automated alerts and notifications are triggered when suspicious activities are detected, helping to prevent cyber threats proactively.
• Incident Response: When an incident is identified, SIEM provides essential information to aid in the investigation and containment of the threat. This includes detailed logs, analysis reports, and historical data.

Key benefits of SIEM

Implementing a SIEM solution offers several critical advantages:

• Threat Detection and Prevention: SIEM actively monitors your network activity and provides real-time alerts, helping your organisation detect and prevent cyber threats proactively. This capability significantly enhances your ability to protect your digital assets.
• Incident Response Efficiency: SIEM automates incident response processes, reducing the time it takes to identify and contain security incidents, thereby minimising potential damage.
• Compliance and Reporting: SIEM aids in meeting regulatory compliance requirements by providing detailed logs and reports of security events. This ensures your business maintains its adherence to relevant data protection laws.
• Centralized Visibility: SIEM provides a single pane of glass view of your security landscape, simplifying security management and decision-making for cybersecurity professionals.
• Historical Analysis: SIEM stores historical data, enabling your analysts to conduct in-depth investigations and analyse past security incidents, thereby enhancing future threat response strategies.

Implementing SIEM: Challenges and considerations

While SIEM is a powerful tool but its implementation and management can pose challenges:

• Complexity: Setting up and configuring SIEM solutions can be complex and resource-intensive, requiring experienced cybersecurity professionals.
• False Positives: SIEM systems may generate false-positive alerts, leading to wasted time and effort investigating non-threatening incidents. Proper tuning and customisation are necessary to reduce false positives.
• Scalability: As your business grows, the volume of security data also increases. This will require scalable SIEM infrastructure to handle the expanding data sources.
• Skill Gap: Due to the specialised knowledge needed to operate SIEM effectively, your organisation may face a shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals. Shockingly, there’s currently a global storage of 3.4 million professionals. Proper training and development programs can help bridge this gap.

That’s your SIEM overview

“What is SIEM” is a fundamental question for any business seeking to enhance its cybersecurity. By centralising security data, correlating events, and providing real-time insights, SIEM helps you can detect and respond to cyber threats proactively.

Embracing a SIEM solution and investing in skilled cybersecurity professionals will enable you to stay ahead in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape. You’ll be safeguarding your sensitive data and ensuring a secure digital future. With “what is SIEM” now clarified, you can confidently explore this essential tool to strengthen your cybersecurity posture.

First things first, what is MXDR?

We’ve already covered this in another post, but MXDR is a cutting-edge cybersecurity service that combines the latest artificial intelligence and automation tech with human expertise. This competitive blend boasts advanced threat detection, fast incident response and proactive threat hunting in order to rapidly improve your security posture. Right, now we’ve covered that off we’re ready to begin the showdown.

Jump to the battle that interests you:

• MXDR vs SIEM
• MXDR vs SOAR
• MXDR vs SOC
• MXDR vs EDR
• MXDR vs MDR
• MXDR vs XDR

MXDR vs SIEM

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) and MXDR are both cybersecurity solutions, but they have some key differences.

Micrsoft defines SIEM as “a security solution that helps organisations detect threats before they disrupt business.” SIEM collects and analyses data from various sources, such as network devices, servers, and security tools. It helps businesses like yours identify security events and incidents by correlating and analysing log data. SIEM provides insights into security events, generates alerts, and allows for investigation and reporting. However, it’ll require significant expertise and resources to manage and configure effectively. In fact, over 50% of CEOs and CTOs are looking to replace or augment their existing SIEM solutions. The main driver is the urge to seek faster detection and response times.

That’s where MXDR beats SIEM. By combining advanced AI, automated analysis, and human expertise, MXDR can detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents rapidly. It not only collects and analyses data like SIEM but also actively monitors networks in real-time to identify potential threats. MXDR offers proactive threat detection, incident response, and expert guidance, providing a more holistic approach to cybersecurity.

Unlike SIEM, MXDR is a managed service, meaning that you don’t need to handle the complexities of configuring and maintaining the system yourself. MXDR offloads security responsibilities to a dedicated team of experts, allowing you to focus on your business while having peace of mind regarding your cybersecurity.

What’s the conclusion? SIEM is a technology that helps collect and analyse security event data, while MXDR is a managed cybersecurity service that provides proactive threat detection, incident response, and expert guidance. MXDR offers a more comprehensive and hands-on approach to protecting organisations from cyber threats.

MXDR vs SOAR

SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) and MXDR are both cybersecurity solutions, but they have distinct differences.

According to Gartner, “SOAR tools allow an organisation to define incident analysis and response procedures in a digital workflow format.” Simply put, it’s a technology platform that aims to streamline and automate your security operations. By integrating various security tools and systems, it allows for centralised management, automated workflows, and standardised processes. SOAR can help your security team automate repetitive tasks, investigate security incidents, and respond to threats more efficiently. It focuses on improving the operational efficiency of your security team through automation and orchestration.

However, ExpertInsights does state that “SOAR is not a silver bullet,” and that it will “allow you to reduce the risk facing your network but cannot eliminate it entirely.” This image from TechTarget sums it up nicely.

MXDR meanwhile combines cutting-edge AI, automated analysis, and human expertise to detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents. MXDR not only leverages automation and orchestration but also actively monitors your networks in real-time to identify potential threats. It goes beyond just automating workflows and includes proactive threat detection, incident response, and expert guidance.

By providing a managed service, you can offload your security responsibilities to a dedicated team of experts. MXDR offers continuous monitoring, real-time threat detection, and comprehensive incident response, providing a more comprehensive and proactive approach to your cybersecurity.

To sum it up, SOAR focuses on automating and streamlining your security operations, whereas MXDR offers a managed cybersecurity service that combines advanced technologies, expert analysis, and proactive monitoring to detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents. MXDR provides a more universal and hands-on approach to protecting your business from cyber threats.

MXDR vs SOC

SOC (Security Operations Center) and MXDR are both cybersecurity concepts, but they’re certainly not the same.

The UK National Cyber Defence Centre says that the “role of a SOC is to limit the damage to an organisation by detecting and responding to cyber attacks that successfully bypass your preventative security controls.”

So, what is a SOC? It’s a dedicated team or facility responsible for monitoring and responding to security incidents in your business. It consists of cybersecurity experts who analyse security events, investigate potential threats, and coordinate incident response efforts. The SOC relies on various security tools, such as SIEM, to collect and analyse data.

One of the biggest challenges in building SOC teams is recruitment and retention. The cybersecurity skills shortage means there is a shortfall of at least 56,000 professionals in the UK alone, and more over three million worldwide.

MXDR goes beyond the capabilities of a traditional SOC. It not only monitors and analyses your security events but it also actively detects and responds to potential threats. MXDR deploys advanced tech and automation to collect and analyse vast amounts of data in real-time, enabling quicker threat detection and response. This helps it beat the skills gaps.

While both MXDR and SOC can be offered as a managed service, only MXDR continuously monitors your digital estate, providing automated incident response, and expert guidance to improve overall security posture.

So, a SOC is a team monitoring and responding to security incidents, while MXDR goes further by providing enhanced threat detection and response capabilities. MXDR’s managed service approach allows you to rely on a dedicated solution that protects your systems and data.

MXDR vs EDR

EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) and MXDR are cybersecurity solutions aimed at different areas of your business.

EDR is pretty self explanatory. It focuses specifically on endpoint devices like computers, servers, mobile devices within a network. It monitors endpoint activity to detect and respond to potential threats, such as malware infections or unauthorised access. EDR tools provide real-time visibility into endpoint behaviour, enabling quick incident response and threat mitigation.

However, this article from Help Net Security explains that “the greatest drawback of EDR is that it is a reactive approach. Traditional EDR tools rely on behavioural analysis, which means the threat has executed on the endpoint and it’s a race against time to stop it before any damage is done.”

MXDR goes far beyond reactive endpoint-centric monitoring. It not only monitoring your endpoints but also your network traffic, servers, cloud environments, and other network components. MXDR deploys powerful tools that allow it to proactively collect and analyse vast amounts of data, looking for patterns and anomalies that may signal a threat before it has time to take hold.

MXDR offers a managed service, meaning you can rely on a dedicated team of experts to handle everything. This team provides continuous monitoring, real-time threat detection, incident response, and expert guidance to strengthen your security posture. While EDR can be provided as a managed service, it certainly doesn’t go as far as MXDR.

In short, EDR focuses on reactive endpoint-specific monitoring and response, while MXDR offers a  proactive cybersecurity service that covers your entire digital landscape. MXDR goes beyond endpoints, providing proactive threat detection and response across various network components. MXDR’s managed service approach also ensures continuous monitoring and expert support, helping you stay protected against a wide range of threats.

MXDR vs MDR

MDR (Managed Detection and Response) and MXDR are very close in terms of cybersecurity services but they’re not identical.

MDR focuses on the detection and response to cybersecurity incidents within your business. It typically involves a team who monitor networks, systems, and devices for potential threats. When a threat is identified, the MDR team investigates and responds to mitigate the impact. MDR primarily focuses on identifying and responding to known threats. It doesn’t always include proactive threat intelligence.

MXDR goes further by incorporating extended capabilities. MXDR can not only detect and respond to known threats but also proactively identify new and emerging threats. It does this by integrating threat intelligence feeds to enrich its hunting potential. MXDR uses AI and continuous, automated monitoring to collect and analyse vast amounts of data, allowing for the detection of patterns and anomalies that may indicate sophisticated threats.

MXDR also provides a broader scope of coverage, monitoring network traffic, servers, cloud environments, and other components beyond just endpoints. Additionally, MXDR offers expert guidance and support throughout the incident response process.

The verdict? MDR focuses on detecting and responding to known threats, while MXDR provides extended capabilities by proactively identifying new and emerging threats. MXDR offers a broader scope of coverage and expert support, helping you stay ahead of cyber threats and strengthen your overall security posture.

MXDR vs XDR

Here we are, the last battle. XDR (Extended Detection and Response) vs MXDR.  They’re very closely linked, as you can probably tell, but they’re not twins.

XDR is a security framework that expands the capabilities of traditional EDR solutions. It aims to provide broader visibility and detection capabilities across your various security layers, such as endpoints, networks, and cloud environments. It collects and analyses security data from multiple sources to detect and respond to threats more effectively.

SC Media’s XDR study of IT decision-makers found that a “a whopping 77% did say that they planned to implement it within the next 24 months.” That might sound good, but here’s our cybersecurity skills gap again. If everyone is recruiting in-house XDR teams, they will all be fishing in a small pool.

MXDR, on the other hand, is a managed cybersecurity service that incorporates the principles of XDR. That means you don’t have to worry about building the in-house team. MXDR combines advanced AI and automation tech to take care of the repetitive, time-consuming tasks, meaning the professionals have more time for in-depth analysis and creative problem-solving. They also provide expert guidance and support throughout the incident response process.

The key distinction is that XDR is a security framework that you can implement yourself, whereas MXDR is a managed service where the implementation and management of the XDR framework is handled for you. It goes further to provide a holistic approach with expert support, allowing you to focus on growing your business with the certainty and safety of robust cybersecurity.

That’s all, folks

In the ever-escalating world of cyber threats, you need a powerful ally by your side. That’s where MXDR shines, bringing together the best of artificial intelligence, automation, and human expertise to safeguard your business. CloudGuard’s own MXDR solution stands tall among the contenders, offering full coverage, real-time threat intelligence, and expert guidance to keep you one step ahead of cybercriminals.

So, are you ready to step into the ring with MXDR? Embrace the future of cybersecurity, fortify your defences, and let CloudGuard’s MXDR solution be your ultimate champion in the battle against evolving threats. Get in touch with CloudGuard today and arm yourself with the most advanced cybersecurity solution that will keep your business safe and secure. The fight against cybercrime starts now!

Automating SIEM insight 1: Embrace efficiency

Repetitive tasks can consume valuable time and resources, leaving your team with limited capacity to focus on high-value security activities. By automating log collection, parsing, and analysis, you can free up your team’s bandwidth, allowing them to tackle more critical security tasks. Embracing efficiency not only reduces the risk of human error but also enables your cybersecurity efforts to stay agile and responsive.

Automating SIEM insight 2: Real-time response

When it comes to potential threats, time is of the essence. Swift detection and response to threats can mean the difference between a minor incident and a catastrophic breach. Automating threat detection workflows enables your SIEM to swiftly identify and mitigate potential risks, significantly reducing the time window for attacks. Real-time response capabilities empower your team to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals and effectively safeguard your business’ critical assets.

Automating SIEM insight 3: Smart correlation

As the complexity and volume of security events increase, it becomes harder to connect the dots and identify patterns that indicate potential threats. Here’s where automation can truly shine. By leveraging the power of machine learning, you can automate the correlation of security events within your SIEM. This not only uncovers hidden threats but also empowers your team to take proactive action. Smart correlation allows you to identify emerging attack vectors, understand attack patterns, and strengthen your overall security posture.

Automating SIEM insight 4: Streamline compliance

Compliance requirements can be daunting, often requiring a significant investment of time and effort. However, automation can turn this burden into a streamlined process. By automating compliance monitoring and reporting within your SIEM, you can ensure that audits are efficient and accurate. Maintaining a robust security posture becomes easier when your SIEM handles compliance-related tasks automatically, enabling your team to focus on strategic security initiatives.

Automating SIEM insight 5: Threat intelligence integration

To stay ahead of evolving threats, you need to leverage the power of threat intelligence. By integrating automated threat intelligence feeds into your SIEM, you gain access to real-time insights on emerging threats. This proactive approach allows your team to identify and address potential risks before they manifest into full-blown attacks. Automated threat intelligence integration supercharges your SIEM, empowering your business to stay one step ahead of the game.

Now it’s time to begin automating

Automating SIEM processes is no longer a luxury but a necessity. By embracing efficiency, boosting response times, streamlining compliance, and integrating threat intelligence, you can transform your cybersecurity efforts. Automation allows your team to focus on strategic security initiatives and ensures that your business is well-prepared to combat emerging threats. Embrace automation for success and elevate your cybersecurity defences to new heights. It’s time to let your SIEM work smarter, not harder.

Want to go a step further?

Experience advanced cybersecurity with Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR), an all-in-one solution that includes automated SIEM as standard. Improve your security posture, enhance response times, and proactively protect against emerging threats. Learn more about MXDR and how it can strengthen your cybersecurity defences.

Infused with cutting-edge Machine Learning (ML) capabilities, Azure Sentinel stands out by offering robust, built-in analytics for the most common threats.

This article will guide you through understanding Azure Sentinel, its key features, and how it can transform your security operations.

What is Azure Sentinel?

Understanding the Basics

Azure Sentinel, one of the most sophisticated SIEM solutions available, uses advanced ML to provide deep analytics for threat detection and response.

Note: It was announced at Microsoft Ignite 2021 that Azure Sentinel was being renamed to Microsoft Sentinel. Read this release by Microsoft’s Sonia Cuff.

Its capabilities extend to data experts within organisations, enabling the creation of custom machine learning models to address unique customer threats.

By using Azure Sentinel, you gain a nuanced understanding of threat behaviors, allowing you to focus on solving problems and enhancing customer security rather than merely identifying issues.

Key Features of Azure Sentinel

Azure Sentinel connects seamlessly with a variety of data sources across your enterprise. These sources include users, devices, datasets, applications, and information from multiple tenants and clouds. This is done via data connectors.

There are out-of-the-box connectors, which are pre-built by Azure and easily connect to common data sources like Office 365 and Azure Active Directory. Custom connectors allow you to connect to other data sources not covered by the pre-built options, letting you tailor the data collection to your specific needs. This ensures that all relevant data can be analysed by Azure Sentinel.

As a cloud-native solution, Azure Sentinel alleviates the burden on your security operations team by eliminating the need for infrastructure monitoring and maintenance.

Additionally, its cost-effectiveness sets it apart from other SIEM tools; you only pay for the data analyzed, with billing managed through the Azure Monitor Log Analytics workspace.

Azure Sentinel and AI: Enhancing Threat Detection

Leveraging AI for Real-Time Threat Assessment

Security analysts face immense pressure when sifting through countless alerts.

Azure Sentinel addresses this challenge by using scalable machine learning techniques to correlate millions of low-fidelity anomalies, presenting only the most critical high-fidelity threats.

This approach allows you to extract valuable insights from extensive security data, quickly identifying threats such as a breached account used for ransomware deployment.

Investigating and Hunting Suspicious Activities

Azure Sentinel offers a graphical, AI-based investigation process that significantly reduces the time needed to understand the scope and impact of an attack.

This unified dashboard enables you to visualise the attack and take appropriate actions swiftly. Proactive threat hunting is another crucial aspect, facilitated by Azure Sentinel’s hunting queries and Azure Notebooks.

These tools help you automate and optimise your security assessments, making your SecOps team more efficient.

Automating Threat Response

Automation is key to managing recurring threats efficiently.

Azure Sentinel includes built-in automation and orchestration features, allowing you to create predefined or custom playbooks to respond to threats promptly.

Automated response works by using pre-defined rules and playbooks to automatically take actions when specific security threats are detected.

For example, if an unusual login is detected, Azure Sentinel can automatically trigger a playbook that blocks the user’s account, sends an alert to the security team, and logs the event for further analysis. This helps in quickly addressing threats without manual intervention, saving time and improving security efficiency.

By automating mundane tasks, you can focus on more complex security challenges, ensuring a robust defense against persistent threats.

Deep Dive into Azure Sentinel’s Fusion Technology

What is Fusion Technology?

Azure Sentinel’s Fusion technology combines low- and medium-severity alerts from both Microsoft and third-party security products into high-severity incidents using machine learning.

This results in low-volume, high-fidelity, and high-severity incidents, designed to provide a clearer picture of your security landscape.

How Fusion Enhances Security Operations

Fusion technology enables Azure Sentinel to track multi-stage threats by identifying patterns of abnormal behavior and malicious transactions across different phases of an attack.

This detection method triggers incidents based on these patterns, making it easier to spot and respond to sophisticated threats.

By reducing false-positive rates, Fusion technology ensures that your security team can focus on genuine threats, improving overall security posture.

Practical Implementation: Using Azure Sentinel in Your Organisation

Setting Up Azure Sentinel

To get started with Azure Sentinel, you need to create an Azure account and set up a Log Analytics workspace.

Once your workspace is ready, you can connect various data sources, including Azure services, on-premises systems, and third-party solutions. This is done via the Content Hub.

Azure Sentinel provides several connectors to facilitate this integration, ensuring comprehensive data coverage.

Customising Machine Learning Models

One of Azure Sentinel’s standout features is its ability to customise machine learning models to fit your specific needs.

By leveraging the built-in ML capabilities, you can create models tailored to detect threats unique to your environment.

This customisation ensures that Azure Sentinel adapts to your security requirements, providing a personalised and effective defense mechanism.

Automating Response with Playbooks

Automation is crucial for efficient security operations.

Azure Sentinel allows you to create and implement playbooks that automate responses to specific threats. These playbooks can be predefined or custom-made, depending on your organisational needs.

By automating routine tasks, you can ensure a swift and consistent response to incidents, minimizing the impact of security breaches.

Conclusion

Azure Sentinel is a powerful, cloud-native solution for detecting, investigating, and responding to security threats.

Its advanced machine learning capabilities and seamless integration with various data sources make it a comprehensive tool for modern security operations.

By implementing Azure Sentinel, you can improve your security posture, reduce the burden on your security team, and focus on proactive threat management.

Embrace Azure Sentinel to safeguard your organisation and stay ahead of emerging threats.