How does a SIEM work? You probably know that many organizations utilize a SIEM for compliance and security monitoring reasons. But how does it work? Read on to learn more about the inner workings of a SIEM.
SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management and is software that gives security professionals both insight into and a track record of the actions within their organization’s network. SIEM solutions provide a holistic view of what is happening on a network in real time and assist IT teams to be more proactive in the battle against security threats.
SIEM technology has been around for more than a decade, originally developing from the log management discipline. It linked security event management (SEM) – which examines log and event data in real-time to provide threat monitoring, event correlation, and incident response – with security information management (SIM) which gathers, analyzes, and reports on log data.
It is a solution that aggregates and analyzes activity from many different resources across your entire IT base.
The Need for Data Monitoring
In today’s digital market, it’s necessary to watch and secure your company’s data against increasingly advanced cyber threats. And odds are, your company has more data than ever before. There is no discussion about the fact that attacks on computer systems are steadily on the rise. Coin mining, DDoS, ransomware, malware, botnets, phishing — this is just a small list of the threats those fighting the good fight today are facing.
In addition to complicated tools being used to attack businesses – the attack surface has become much wider due to the development in data traversing our IT infrastructure. The capability to monitor all this data is increasingly becoming a challenge. Luckily, we have security information and event management (SIEM).
Alerts based on analytics that match a certain rule set, indicating a security issue
At its core, SIEM is a data aggregator, search, and reporting system. SIEM collects enormous amounts of data from your complete networked environment and consolidates and makes that data human-accessible. With the data classified and laid out at your fingertips, you can study data security breaches with as much detail as needed.
However, experts say enterprise demand for greater security measures has driven more of the SIEM market in recent years. This is why Managed SIEM has gained popularity. Many IT departments are unable to spend the time necessary to draw the data out of a SIEM that will allow them to properly detect cyber threats.
A Managed SIEM forensics team will identify the activity that could identify a threat to the organization by monitoring a SIEM. The Managed SIEM team will determine the validity of the threat and begin to remediate the threat. SIEMs produce a high amount of alerts based on the fine-tuning of the SIEM. With a team of analysts monitoring a SIEM 24/7, they have the expertise to determine the priority of an alert.
Traditionally larger organizations utilize a SIEM as the foundation for the security strategy. Whether an organization uses a SIEM or MDR it is important to have a means of monitoring activity to prevent security threats.
What are SIEMs Used For?
Security Monitoring
SIEMs help with real-time monitoring of organizational systems for security incidents.
A SIEM has a unique perspective on security incidents because it has access to multiple data sources – for example, it can combine alerts from an IDS with information from an antivirus product. It helps security teams identify security incidents that no individual security tool can see, and helps them focus on alerts from security tools that have special significance
Malicious insiders – a SIEM can use browser forensics, network data, authentication, and other data to identify insiders planning or carrying out an attack
Data exfiltration (sensitive data illicitly transferred outside the organization) – a SIEM can pick up data transfers that are abnormal in their size, frequency, or payload
Outside entities, including Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) – a SIEM can detect early warning signals indicating that an outside entity is carrying out a focused attack or long-term campaign against the organization
Forensics and Incident Response
SIEMs can help security analysts realize that a security incident is taking place, triage the event and define immediate steps for remediation.
Even if an incident is known to security staff, it takes time to collect data to fully understand the attack and stop it – SIEM can automatically collect this data and significantly reduce response time. When security staff discovers a historic breach or security incident that needs to be investigated, SIEMs provide rich forensic data to help uncover the kill chain, threat actors, and mitigation.
Compliance Reporting and Auditing
SIEMs can help organizations prove to auditors and regulators that they have the proper safeguards in place and that security incidents are known and contained.
Many early adopters of SIEMs used it for this purpose – aggregating log data from across the organization and presenting it in audit-ready format. Modern SIEMs automatically provide the monitoring and reporting necessary to meet standards like HIPAA, PCI/DSS, SOX, FERPA, and HITECH.
Benefits of Managed SIEM
There are many reasons to consider Managed SIEM including:
You could build it, but it will take much longer than outsourcing to a professional security services provider like Cybriant
You are getting everything from an MSSP only at a fraction of what you could spend internally
Scalable and Flexible
Greater Threat Intelligence – We’ve been doing this for a while and we’ve seen a lot of things.
Without the proper planning and expectations around people and processes up front, the odds of achieving even the minimal capabilities of a SIEM solution are slim to none.
Hackers are targeting your business. How can you stop them? Do you have a team of cyber security analysts to monitor your networks and ensure no bad guys are getting through? If not, consider Managed Security Services including Managed SIEM and/or Managed Detection and Response.
ComplianceMade Easy – Do you have stringent compliance requirements? Most companies do. A SIEM will help you meet the security logging requirements, but don’t stop there. When you outsource the management of a SIEM, you have the expertise of a team of security analysts watching your network around the clock.
Learn Where Attacks Come From –Insider threats are becoming more and more common. Understanding where cyber threats come from is vital cyber threats come from so you can understand how to alleviate them. Our MDR solution will help stop malware in its tracks when a user mistakenly clicks on a phishing link.
We can detect and stop file-based malware, scripts, weaponized documents, lateral movement, file-less malware, and even zero-days.
Learn About Threats on Your Systems – Our MDR solution uses AI so when a credible threat is detected, our team will retrieve the process history and analyze the chain of events in real-time and determine the validity of the threat. Once identified, the malicious activity is immediately stopped in its tracks and our team guides you through the remediation. This remediation process provides astonishing insight into the data of the threat.
You’ll be able to help your organization reduce the attack surface by learning how you’ve been compromised.
Executive Reportingand Compliance Reporting – While most SIEM solutions provide out-of-the-box reporting, they tend to leave much to be desired. Our managed SIEM team will provide custom reports based on your needs. No matter whether it’s HIPAA, PCI, GDPR, or any other compliance regulation, reporting is critical in today’s data-sensitive world. By using our Managed SIEM service, our team can apply constant vigilance on any security issues that may be problematic in terms of compliance.
Cyber Threat Remediation – Many IT departments are overwhelmed by the number of alerts that come in when attempting to manage a SIEM internally. When you outsource the management of your SIEM, our team will help reduce the number of false alerts, tune your SIEM so critical alerts are addressed immediately, and we’ll help you remediate the threat. Outsourcing security services will expand your team to an around-the-clock team of cybersecurity experts that will walk you through cyber threat remediation.
Specialist Expertise – The cybersecurity skills shortage is still rampant. By outsourcing the management of your SIEM, you are not only benefitting from SIEM technologies but also access to genuine cybersecurity expertise. Our team is immersed in cybersecurity threats daily and we are well-equipped to respond quickly and effectively to any threats.
Customer Confidence – Equifax, Capital One, and so many others have hit the headlines with the unfortunate news of a breach. Customer confidence is lower than ever after these attacks. Many small companies go out of business after a major cyber attack. When you work with an experienced company with an excellent reputation, like Cybriant, you show your customers that you take the security of their data seriously.
If you aren’t ready to jump into a managed service, consider our Incident Response and Containment service. When you are attacked, you’ll have a team of experts ready to respond and remediate.
Are you considering purchasing a SIEM? Here are the top questions to ask to help you make the best decision for your organization.
What is a SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)?
A SIEM provides an overall look at an organization’s security posture and helps correlate security events to discover threats.
A SIEM centrally collects data from multiple devices on your network, including your existing security appliances. Through an advanced correlation engine, it can proactively identify security events not otherwise detected by standalone security technology.
A SIEM centralizes logging capabilities on security events for enterprises and is principally used to analyze and/or report on the log entries received. The analysis capabilities of SIEM systems can detect attacks not discovered through other means and can direct the reconfiguration of other enterprise security controls to plug holes in enterprise security. Some of the top SIEM products — assuming an attack is still in progress — can even stop detected security breaches.
The first set of questions is for your internal purposes. A SIEM is not only a financial commitment but also a commitment in time and resources. Whether you are replacing a SIEM or investing in SIEM technology for the first time, these questions will help set you on the path to success.
It’s important to understand why you need a SIEM. Is it just for compliance or do you need to have a better idea of the events coming in from your servers, databases, applications, and desktops?
Will you be monitoring users internally or are your users mobile and working over VPN or the internet?
Which operating systems need to be covered?
Do you need to collect information from firewalls, routers, switches, wireless APS, etc?
Do you have compliance regulations that need to be met? For example, PCI DSS, ISO 270001, HIPAA, etc.
What reports are required from your organization?
Do you have the internal expertise to manage a SIEM 24/7? Will you provide ongoing training? Who will react to incoming threats? What alerting thresholds does your organization require?
What is the cost of the license of the SIEM? What storage retention requirements do you have and what is the cost for those?
What integrations are needed?
What steps will you take when a threat is realized?
When you are selecting the SIEM that is right for your organization, it’s important to do your homework.
Is the SIEM an on-premise tool, in the cloud, or hybrid?
Which integrations are available?
What threat intelligence is available?
What does the console or dashboard look like?
Does it identify Zero-Day attacks?
What steps will you take when a threat is realized?
A SIEM is a complex tool that requires expertise to implement and maintain. A SIEM must be constantly updated and customized to be effective because external threats and internal environments are constantly changing. It requires experienced security engineering to tune the SIEM to minimize false positive alerts and maximize the efficient detection of real breaches or malicious behavior.
Let’s look at circumstances that make security monitoring vital for an organization.
#1. Lack of internal expertise
Your organization can’t just throw people at security monitoring; you need the right people there. The right people are those with expertise in triaging alerts, closing complex problems, and understanding when they should alarm the incident response team. So if your organization has no sufficient internal expertise, you need a managed security monitoring
#2. Compliance Requirements
Virtually every regulatory mandate requires some form of log management to maintain an audit trail of activity. Ticketing and alerting capabilities also satisfy routine log data review requirements. Simply having a SIEM doesn’t mean it is effective, which is the point of the compliance requirement. Many companies prefer to outsource the management of the SIEM so it is used effectively.
#3. Advanced persistent threats
New attack vectors and vulnerabilities are discovered every day. Your organization likely has firewalls, IDS/IPS, and AV solutions installed that look for malicious activity at various points within the IT infrastructure, from the perimeter to endpoints. However, many of these solutions are not equipped to detect zero-day attacks and advanced persistent threats
#4. Around-the-clock monitoring
If you want 24/7 security monitoring, you will need more staffing to carry out the job, but managed services already have employees monitoring their security monitoring platform 24/7. That is why managed service is the better option when it comes to round-the-clock monitoring. Check out our document Insource vs. Outsource, a cost comparison for building a 24/7 security operations center.
Use cases where managed security monitoring is commonly used
Advanced detection
Device monitoring/alerting
Compliance reporting
And much more
No matter the size of your organization, you need to protect your data. And failure to protect your data puts the company at risk of financial issues, loss of goodwill, and legal liability.
Utilizing and managing a SIEM in-house is typically reserved for large organizations that have the budget for developing a large, specialized team.
Deploying a fully managed SIEM also means that your team consists of security analysts that oversee your system around the clock and calendar. This is their only dedicated job, and not an additional task for an already overworked engineer.
One thing that most people in the industry can agree on – SIEM implementations are tough, invasive, and time-consuming. Each device must be touched, configured, and coordinated – this is a painstaking step that can’t be avoided. Then, the data starts flowing and you must have the expertise to use it.
Along with volumes of data come alerts, which in improperly tuned environments are often false alarms. When you work with Cybriant, our security engineers will tune the environment to squelch the noise created by false alarms, then on an ongoing basis, our analysts will determine which alarms are critical alerts.
Our team will look at any suspicious activity and determine which level of alert this activity falls under. When we identify a critical alert, we will open a ticket and follow a pre-defined escalation path informing the appropriate people in your organization with the information they need to take effective action.
When you are purchasing a SIEM, consider outsourcing the management of that SIEM to Cybriant. Our team will help guide your effort in choosing the best SIEM for your organization.
If you are incorporating cybersecurity standards in your organizations, stronger passwords are a great starting point. In addition, learn more about incorporating a cybersecurity framework.
At any given moment, hackers are likely attempting entry into sensitive online services like bank accounts and social media accounts. If a hacker can access that account, they’ll either mine it for as much data or money as possible or sell it to the highest bidder to do the same.
Creating Stronger Passwords
That’s why it’s absolutely critical to have a stronger password: one that’s hard to guess through personal details and one that’s hard to brute force with specialized computer programs. Here, you’ll find four quick tips for creating and remembering stronger passwords so you can keep scammers and hackers at bay.
#1. Avoid real words
Though words you use in everyday life may be easy to remember, they’re actually some of the weakest passwords. There are far fewer words than there are total combinations of letters, making it quite easy for password cracking programs to scan through dictionary words quickly.
This is the main reason you shouldn’t use real-life words but instead should use more randomly generated strings of letters. You can also use parts of dictionary words in combination with random letter combinations, an equally difficult combination for cracking programs to guess. Check out KnowB4’s weak password tool.
#2. Use mnemonics
It can be extremely difficult to remember complicated, seemingly random passwords. But you can actually generate tough-to-crack passwords and remember them easily by using mnemonic devices. These are memory-triggering words or sentences that allow you to remember something far more complex.
For example, if you are aiming to generate a long password you may want to use some personal information. If your first pet was named Fido, then you could think of the following sentence: “Fido was my first dog. He lived until he was 12 and we got him when I was 7”. Then, you could take the first letter or number of each sentence and create the password “Fwmfd.Hluhw1awghwIw7”.
While you may want to add some special characters to that password, it is overall a strong password and is far easier to remember than a truly random string of letters.
#3. Add multi-factor authentication
Technology for cracking passwords is constantly advancing. Instead of trying to outpace this using single-layer passwords, you could instead add multiple layers of different types of account security that all link back to your password.
Two-factor or multi-factor authentication services offer ways to verify that you are actually logging into an account. This is usually done via text or phone calls to your phone number, where you then use a code given to access your account. This extra layer ensures that you’re the only person truly logging onto an account.
#4. Use password managers
Passwords managers are specialized programs that can create and store strong passwords for different websites and services. Though you should be rightfully wary of programs like this, top-tier software actually encrypts your passwords, so they’re completely inaccessible to anyone but you.
On top of remembering already existing passwords, these programs will generate unique strong passwords for each service. That means you’ll get the enhanced security of unique passwords instead of reusing variations of the same password on multiple sites.
Keeping track of complex passwords is no easy feat, but is necessary in today’s Internet world. With sensitive information constantly sent and received, it’s essential to create security settings that you can remember and that are difficult to crack. These three tips are simple methods for ensuring that you stay in control of your account with stronger passwords.
Is your organization using these cybersecurity solutions? These are the basic tools and servicesthat many companies are using to protect their assets.
As the world becomes increasingly digitized, cybersecurity threats are becoming more and more prevalent. Businesses of all sizes need to be aware of the risks and put in place robust security solutions to protect their data and operations.
There are several different cyber security solutions available, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The most important thing is to choose a solution that best fits the needs of your organization.
What Are Cyber Security Services?
Cybersecurity services are a suite of solutions designed to protect the internet-connected systems of enterprises, including hardware, software, and data, from cyber threats.
These services aim to prevent attacks from cybercriminals, hackers, and identity thieves who exploit vulnerabilities in a system. They encompass a wide range of activities such as vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, network security, end-point security, cloud security, mobile security, and encryption.
These services also include the establishment of security policies, threat detection, threat intelligence, access management, protection of mobile devices, incident response planning, identity and access management, and user awareness and training programs. Ultimately, cybersecurity services are a crucial defense mechanism, safeguarding an organization’s critical information assets from potential breaches and attacks.
Cyber Security Issues
Your organization is like a system that has various independent units that work together to meet certain goals, right?
For such organizational units to work efficiently, technology has become part and parcel of every organization. With the advancement in technology, more and more companies are turning to computers to automate processes, generate data, and even store very crucial information.
There is no doubt that the application of computer science has enabled organizations to enhance cost-effective operations, and efficiency as well as reduced the time that organizations take to meet their set goals.
Unfortunately, as technology has advanced, so have hackers and nation-state cybercriminals. New challenges arise almost daily because of the constant threat of cyber security issues.
Cyber Security Solutions
Considering that computer systems can be infiltrated just like any other system, there has been a demand for new cybersecurity solutions.
With these cyber security strategies, these organization has been able to bar leakage of critical information, theft of information, unauthorized system access and unauthorized malicious system restore activities aimed at draining any information from an organization’s databases.
We recommend starting with a cybersecurity framework like NIST-CSF. When you have a solid framework in place, decisions on which cybersecurity solutions to add to your organization are much easier.
Data Security Solutions: Encryption of files and applications
In most cases,data can be stolen from an organization by being transferred using drives and even through emails. Even state organizations have experienced such a problem before. With that idea, organizations have resorted to encrypting their files containing very crucial data.
Sometimes, even very crucial applications such as fund transfer applications can be secured by encrypting any access information. Encryption might be a cyber-security solution that your organization needs. For example, if your organization is a financial institution dealing with huge amounts of money, then you might need to apply encryption to make sure that crucial customer information and other types of data are always encrypted.
It is also very crucial to make sure that data that is in transit must be encrypted since passwords are not enough. Hard drives can be cracked and information salvaged. Thanks to advanced technology which is like a double-edged sword.
The Unified Threat Management (UTM)
UTM is another cyber security solutionthat your organization might need. It is a solution that is in the form of a pack of different cybersecurity solutions. Each solution can always be triggered whenever there is a bridge of security within your organization’s systems.
For example, in case various threats have been introduced into the database to corrupt it, an antivirus solution will be triggered. However, traditional antivirus may not be enough to produce your organization. Consider endpoint detection and response which includes an antivirus solution. It is, however, very crucial to ensure that the various solutions managed by UTM are compatible with one another. Incompatibility may jeopardize things further.
Intrusion management and detection system
This is a system that can also be commonly known by its initials, IDS, and IPS. IDS stands for Intrusion Detection System while IPS stands for Intrusion Prevention System. With this solution, any unwarranted and unauthorized entry into your organization’s system is managed and detected swiftly.
For example, your organization is a security firm that handles investigations and keeps critical information in a database. Unfortunately, considering the nature of such an organization, a malicious entry or access is inevitable. With that, when unauthorized entry is detected, the Intrusion Detection System will send a signal to the server or the administrator that someone is trying to gain entry into the organization’s system. In some cases, such a signal can trigger an automatic UTM. Your organization will have been saved from the theft of very crucial information.
Cybriant provides a 24-hour monitoring cyber security solution for cybersecurity detection, learn more here.
Internet Security Solutions: Web Filtering and Malicious Detection
It is very common to find that most organizations normally have a flaw in their system security based on careless employees.
Sometimes, the organizational systems are linked to the web via troubleshooting tools. In an event where an employee accesses the website from such a link, then his/her origin can be traced back to the organization’s system or website.
Data loss can happen if an unauthorized interested party hits back following such a route. To avoid this, the right cybersecurity solution is web filtering. With web filtering, there will always be limits to which your employees can navigate the website while logged in as a company user. With such a solution, an employee will be denied access and advancement to harmful websites.
IT Security Solution: Advanced Disaster Recovery Solution
Sometimes, an organization’s database information could completely be whitewashed to a point where all critical data and information are lost.
When that happens to your organization, the best solution is an advanced disaster recovery solution. The term disaster here means a total loss or extensive loss of data and information. To mitigate such cyber issues, your organization must consider having a disaster recovery solution.
With such a solution, you will be able to recover all your lost data from drives and data recovery applications if any. The loss of data is a very detrimental thing to an organization and in fact, it might lead to huge losses and even the closure of an organization.
This is another, but not least, of the various cyber security solutions your organization may need. It works by security login and access at any given time.
Users are always required to identify themselves using various levels of passwords. With this solution, your employees will be expected to identify before accessing your organization’s system.
Each user’s activities can be tracked against time and even the amount of information they have pulled out of the database.
With the rise of cyber-attacks and data breaches, businesses must take steps to protect their web-facing assets.
Web Security Solutions
While the internet and other web-based technologies have made it easier than ever to do business and stay connected, they have also created new risks. Hackers and other online criminals are constantly looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities in web-based systems, putting sensitive data at risk. As a result, all organizations need to implement robust cybersecurity solutions.
One way to do this is to implement a web application firewall (WAF). A WAF can help to block malicious traffic before it reaches your web server, protecting your site from attack. In addition, you should also consider implementing other computer security measures, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) and malware scanning. By taking these steps, you can help to keep your data safe from cybercriminals.
In addition to web and computer security solutions, organizations also need to consider IT security solutions. This includes protecting data and information systems from unauthorized access and theft. Common IT security measures include data encryption, access control lists (ACLs), and physical security measures such as locks and alarms. By implementing these measures, businesses can help to keep their data safe from unauthorized access and theft.
Database Security Solutions
Another area of concern for businesses is database security. This involves protecting databases from unauthorized access, modification, or deletion. Common database security measures include data encryption, access control lists (ACLs), and database activity monitoring (DAM). By taking these steps, businesses can help to ensure that their databases are protected from unauthorized access and modifications.
When you consider which cyber security products to purchase, it’s important to keep your specific needs in mind. If you’re a large corporation, you’ll need different products than if you’re a small business or an individual. Some products are designed for general use while others are more specialized. It’s also important to consider your budget when selecting cybersecurity products.
There are many different types of cybersecurity products on the market, so it’s important to do your research before making a purchase. Some of the most popular products include:
Antivirus software: This type of software is designed to protect your computer from malicious software, such as viruses, worms, and Trojans.
SIEM for log management: A SIEM, or security information and event management system, helps to collect and analyze log data from various sources to detect and respond to security threats.
Intrusion detection and prevention systems: These systems are designed to detect and prevent unauthorized access to networks and computer systems.
Vulnerability and Patch Management: Vulnerability and patch management systems help to identify and fix security vulnerabilities in software and systems.
24/7 Monitoring: 24/7 monitoring helps to identify and respond to security threats in real-time.
There are many cybersecurity tools available to fit the needs of any organization. It’s important to select the products that are right for you to keep your data and systems safe from attack.
Please contact us for more information on our cybersecurity products and services. We would be happy to discuss your specific needs and help you find the right solution for your organization.
Network Security Solutions
Protecting your network from malicious attacks is essential to keeping your data safe. There are many different types of network security solutions available, so it’s important to select the ones that are right for your organization. Consider working with a network security solution company or managed security solutions provider like Cybriant that will provide 24/7 security monitoring to help stop cyber threats before they can cause any harm.
Endpoint security solutions are designed to protect your devices and data from malicious attacks. There are many different types of endpoint security solutions available, so it’s important to select the ones that are right for your organization. Cybriant provides Managed Detection and Remediation (MDR) using SentinelOne to provide 24/7 monitoring and protection for your endpoint devices.
In the cyber security industry, many options are available to organizations looking to secure their corporate network. However, with so many different cybersecurity solutions on the market, it can be difficult to know which one is right for your business. To help you make the best decision, we’ve put together a list of examples of cybersecurity solutions.
First on our list is cyber security solutions from USM Anywhere. USM Anywhere offers a cloud-based platform that helps organizations monitor and protect their networks from cyber threats. With USM Anywhere, you can get real-time visibility into your network traffic, identify and investigate suspicious activity, and respond to incidents quickly and effectively.
Another top cyber security solution is Cybriant’s MDR solutions with SentinelOne technology. SentinelOne is a next-generation endpoint security platform that uses artificial intelligence to detect and prevent cyber threats. Cybriant’s MDR solutions help you monitor your network for threats, identify and respond to incidents, and take action to prevent future attacks.
If you’re looking for security solutions providers, Cybriant offers managed security services that are powered by the SentinelOne platform. With Cybriant’s MDR solutions, you can get:
Real-time visibility into your network traffic
Threat intelligence that helps you identify and respond to incidents quickly and effectively
Prevention capabilities that help you stop future attacks before they happen
