Threat Detection and Response: Top 7 Solutions You Need to Know
Posted August 4, 2023 by Sayers
In the face of increasing cyberattacks and more aggressive cyber criminals, go ahead and assume your threat prevention controls will fail. That’s where detection and response solutions come in, offering a range of capabilities to help organizations minimize the impact and recover more quickly from a security incident.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warns cyberattacks are evolving and becoming increasingly complex and hard to detect. Technology vendors have stepped up to the challenge by developing more ways to detect and respond to threats.
As a result, we see an expanding list of security D&R acronyms:
- EDR – Endpoint Detection and Response
- NDR – Network Detection and Response
- XDR – Extended Detection and Response
- ITDR – Identity Threat Detection and Response
- DDR – Data Detection and Response
- MLDR – Machine Learning Detection and Response
- MDR – Managed Detection and Response
Use this guide to navigate your way through the D&R options for your organization.
Endpoint Detection And Response: Protecting Endpoint Devices
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), one of the original D&R solutions, uses data analytics techniques to:
- look for suspicious activity on the endpoint and detect security threats
- block malicious activity to contain the incident at the endpoint
- respond with remediation guidance to restore affected systems and remove the threat from your environment.
Joe Schnell, Senior Cybersecurity Architect at Sayers, says:
“As the market has grown, we’ve seen EDR move to become a component of the endpoint protection platform. Vendors such as CrowdStrike and SentinelOne that in the beginning were true EDR have added prevention capabilities, while vendors such as Microsoft, Palo Alto Networks, and Trend Micro have added EDR to their prevention capabilities. In most cases, it’s now a whole endpoint solution.”
Network Detection And Response: Integrations Support Network Security
Network Detection and Response (NDR) solutions collect and monitor network traffic data across on-premise, hybrid, and cloud environments. Solutions apply behavioral analytics to detect abnormal system behaviors.
NDR complements other detection solutions so you can detect anomalies and threats other tools don’t cover. NDR response capabilities are heavily dependent on integrations with other tools, such as an endpoint solution that can isolate a badly behaving host detected by NDR.
Extended Detection and Response: A Platform Approach
Extended Detection and Response (XDR) solutions unify multiple security technologies into a single platform, including EDR and/or NDR. XDR delivers visibility across all data including endpoint, network, and cloud, using analytics and automation to detect and shut down security threats.
According to Schnell:
“We started to see XDR really pop up around the EDR players. They already had endpoint visibility with the EDR capabilities they had built out, but they understood they could get greater visibility from the other tools around it.”
Native XDR integrates security tools from a single vendor. XDR solutions have begun moving to Open XDR, which integrates with other third-party tools in an organization’s security technology stack to detect and respond to threats.
Identity Threat Detection and Response: An Emerging Trend
Gartner introduced the term Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) in 2022 among the top three emerging security and risk management trends. ITDR tools defend identity systems from threat actors who actively target identity and access management (IAM) infrastructure. Those bad actors misuse credentials as a primary attack vector to gain access to critical systems.
Gartner Research Vice President Peter Firstbrook says:
“Organizations have spent considerable effort improving IAM capabilities, but much of it has been focused on technology to improve user authentication, which actually increases the attack surface for a foundational part of the cybersecurity infrastructure. ITDR tools can help protect identity systems, detect when they are compromised, and enable efficient remediation.”
By looking for suspicious activity around accounts that are accessing the organization’s environment, ITDR solutions can complement privileged access management and multi-factor authentication solutions.
Vendors such as CrowdStrike and SentinelOne have recently added ITDR capabilities through acquisitions. Schnell says, “We’re seeing a lot of acquisitions that are lining up this type of technology with endpoints and other prevention technologies in the environment.”
Data Detection and Response: Dynamic Data Monitoring
Another emerging area, Data Detection and Response (DDR) focuses on dynamically monitoring changes in data, unlike static capabilities that take successive snapshots to compare and identify any differences.
According to Schnell:
“DDR is about discovering the data, where it resides, what criticality it has, and ultimately being able to monitor it in as close to real-time as possible. For example, are we seeing data move from a secure environment to an unsecure environment where it’s not allowed?”
DDR vendors focus on structured and/or unstructured data, as they look to offer capabilities that automatically take action to resolve the security incident.
Machine Learning Detection and Response: Protecting AI Applications
Rounding out the emerging D&R technologies, Machine Learning Detection and Response (MLDR) protects AI-powered applications in real time against machine learning attacks such as evasion and data poisoning.
MLDR takes the approach that threats trying to maliciously change the machine learning model must be isolated or removed from the training data fed to the ML model.
Managed Detection and Response: A 24/7/365 SOC Service
Managed Detection and Response (MDR), unlike the previous D&R technologies, isn’t a technology or solution but rather a service. MDR services offer remotely delivered security operations center (SOC) capabilities using a provider-defined security technology stack to detect, investigate, and mitigate security incidents.
MDR capabilities among service providers can vary widely. Schnell says:
“Make sure you understand the MDR service you’re getting. Does it go beyond just someone throwing events over the wall? Can you get guidance on remediation? How effective is their response support?”
Sayers has designed a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) program to help security teams of all sizes monitor immediate threats and stay ahead of emerging incidents.
Additionally, a Cybersecurity Posture Assessment provides visibility into the overall status of your D&R capabilities as well as actionable insights to improve your security posture.
Questions? Contact us at Sayers today to discuss your organization’s detection and response needs.
