How can you use user behavior analytics (UBA) to detect insider threats in IT security operations?

1 What is UBA?

UBA is a subset of security analytics that uses machine learning, statistical modeling, and data science to understand how users normally interact with IT systems and applications. UBA collects and analyzes various data sources, such as logs, network traffic, endpoints, databases, and cloud services, to create baselines and profiles of user behavior. UBA then compares the current behavior of users with their historical patterns and peers, and identifies anomalies, deviations, and risks that may indicate malicious or compromised activity.

2 Why use UBA?

UBA can help you detect insider threats that may otherwise go unnoticed by traditional security tools, such as firewalls, antivirus, or intrusion detection systems. These tools are designed to protect the perimeter and detect external attacks, but they may not be able to spot subtle or stealthy actions by authorized users within the network. UBA can also help you reduce false positives and alert fatigue, by filtering out benign or normal behavior and focusing on the most relevant and significant events. Additionally, UBA can provide you with valuable insights and context for incident response and investigation, by showing you the who, what, when, where, and how of user behavior.

3 How to implement UBA?

UBA is not a standalone solution, but rather a complementary layer to your existing IT security operations. To implement UBA, you need to define your goals and scope, choose a UBA vendor or tool, integrate UBA with your security infrastructure, and train and tune it. You should consider what types of insider threats you are most concerned about, what data sources and systems you need to monitor, and what metrics and indicators you want to track and measure. You should also evaluate the different UBA products and services based on your requirements, budget, and compatibility with your IT environment. Furthermore, you need to ensure that UBA can collect and analyze data from various sources such as SIEM, IAM, DLP, or EDR. You must also enable UBA to communicate and coordinate with your security teams, processes, and tools like ticketing, alerting, or remediation. Lastly, you should allow UBA to learn and adapt to your user behavior over time while adjusting the parameters and thresholds to optimize its accuracy and performance. You must also provide feedback and validation to UBA as well as review and refine its results and recommendations.

4 What are the challenges of UBA?

UBA is not a silver bullet for insider threat detection and prevention, and there are some challenges and limitations that come with it. Data quality and quantity can be a problem, as UBA depends on the availability and reliability of data to generate accurate insights. This data may be incomplete, inconsistent, or corrupted due to technical issues, human errors, or deliberate tampering. Additionally, UBA requires a large amount of data to establish baselines and profiles which can present storage and processing challenges. Privacy and compliance is another issue to consider as UBA involves collecting and analyzing personal and sensitive data of users. You must ensure that UBA complies with the relevant regulations and policies while respecting the privacy and rights of your users. Lastly, human factors must be taken into account as UBA is not a substitute for human judgment and expertise. Security analysts and experts need to be involved in the design, implementation, and operation of UBA while considering the human behavior of users who may change or adapt in unexpected ways.

5 How to improve UBA?

UBA is a dynamic and evolving technology that can help you enhance IT security operations and mitigate insider threats. However, UBA is not a one-time project, but rather an ongoing process that requires constant improvement and innovation. To improve UBA, you should update and upgrade it with the latest technologies, trends, and threats, as well as monitor its performance and effectiveness. Additionally, you should customize and optimize UBA for your specific needs, goals, and context. Moreover, it's important to foster a culture of collaboration and learning among your security teams, users, and stakeholders. Leverage UBA as a tool for sharing knowledge, insights, and best practices. Furthermore, learn from UBA's successes and failures to use them as opportunities for feedback and improvement.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?