Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is a modern security technology designed primarily as a Security Operations Centre (SOC) enabler tool. It addresses the complexities and challenges faced by security teams in today’s evolving threat landscape. The core idea behind XDR is to take challenging incident response processes and make security analysts more effective, even at more junior levels.
The term XDR itself has emerged over the last few years and can be seen as somewhat nebulous, with different definitions existing. However, a fundamental definition involves the collection of telemetry from multiple security tools, the application of analytics to that telemetry to arrive at a detection, and then a response based on that detection.
Why XDR is Needed
Security threats have evolved, and attackers are using more advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to evade traditional security tools. Catching threats with a single solution or point product is no longer reliable. The industry felt let down by previous investments, such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools, which often required significant effort from the user to extract value.
Security teams are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data and alerts, leading to “alert fatigue”. It’s like looking for a needle in multiple stacks of needles. There is also a skills gap in the security industry, making it difficult to staff and train analysts to handle complex investigations.
XDR attempts to solve these problems by simplifying security operations, making security analysts more effective, and bringing the necessary information to the surface.
Key Elements and Capabilities of XDR
XDR platforms integrate data from various sources and provide a unified approach to security incident detection and response. Key capabilities often include:
Data Collection and Integration: XDR collects and correlates data across multiple security products and control points. This includes data from endpoint security, network detection and response (NDR), email security, identity systems, firewalls, and cloud environments. A critical aspect is the ability to integrate with third-party vendors to avoid vendor lock-in and leverage existing security investments. However, the ease and depth of integration can vary between vendors.
XDR collects and correlates data across multiple security products and control points. This includes data from endpoint security, network detection and response (NDR), email security, identity systems, firewalls, and cloud environments. A critical aspect is the ability to integrate with third-party vendors to avoid vendor lock-in and leverage existing security investments. However, the ease and depth of integration can vary between vendors. Analytics and Detection: XDR applies analytics, often powered by machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI), to the collected telemetry. This process involves correlating events from different sources to roll up multiple alerts into a single, prioritized incident. XDR aims to provide a prioritized list or queue of incidents. Detections are often mapped to frameworks like the MITRE ATT&CK framework to provide context on attacker TTPs.
... continue reading