What are the best ways to manage alerts from network security monitoring tools?

The best way to manage alerts from network security monitoring tools? Hire a team of highly trained squirrels to sort through them. I find that the most effective approach to handling alerts from network security monitoring tools is by setting clear priorities and establishing a streamlined process for triaging them. By categorizing alerts based on their severity and relevance, and then implementing automated responses for routine incidents, we can ensure timely mitigation of potential threats while minimizing unnecessary disruptions to our operations.

?Prioritize Alerts : Establish criteria based on severity and relevance to address critical issues first. ?Customize Thresholds : Adjust thresholds for accuracy and to minimize false positives in alert generation. ?Tune Detection Rules : Regularly review and refine detection rules to optimize alert generation. ?Automate Responses : Implement automated responses for routine alerts to streamline incident handling. ?Centralize Management : Use centralized platforms or SIEM systems for easier alert aggregation and analysis. ?Escalation Procedures : Define clear escalation paths for timely addressing of critical alerts by appropriate personnel. ?Create Playbooks : Develop incident response playbooks for efficient alert handling.

De bonnes pratiques pour bien gérer vos alertes et éviter la fatigue des équipes sont les suivantes : - établir des seuils adaptés à votre infrastructure pour réduire le nombre d'alertes. - Mettre en place des réponses automatisées. - Corréler l'ensemble des logs dans un système centralisé pour avoir une vue macro de la situation en temps réel. - Prioriser le traitement en fonction de la criticité des actifs.

We do not have to always re-invent the wheel or create fire. There is so much we can learn from ISA-18.2 and IEC 62682 standards including the best practices. Here the alerts can be considered similar to alarms, but yes alarms could be of more urgency and critical comparatively. And Process Industries have a head start in this, so learning from their experience is best. I would ideally start with below:- Document alarm management processes and procedures. Assign every alarm system to a responsible owner. Optimize alarm rationalization. Define and implement metrics. Use an alarm priority matrix.

This question is tricky and the answer to this is as well. -1 First you need to identify the types of alert that are important to your infrastructure. (This will help to filter the noise alerts) 2- Then you need to prioritize the types of the identified alerts along with their use-cases/test cases. 3- Define a Monitoring Procedure/SLA for each priority of alerts with their associated actions/response. 4- Allocate the Human Resources for different priority of alerts. 5- Periodically review your alert reports for compliance purposes. (This will help you to continuously monitor and optimize the process.)

Automating the alert triage and response process can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of cybersecurity operations. Automation tools streamline the handling of alerts by quickly filtering out noise such as false positives and duplicates, which allows teams to focus on genuine threats. These tools also augment alerts with additional context by pulling in data from various sources, providing a more comprehensive understanding of each alert.

Organization should adopt automation/SOAR wherever is applicable. Generated alert can go into SOAR process for L1 analysis and initial analysis will be done by SOAR like by checking IP reputation, validating logs, previous behavior of that IP and other validations, then based on the output SOAR will create an incident to Security analyst queue or it will automatically take response against that incident by blocking an IP in FW or escalate it to next L2 level or close it as False positive.

Regularly revisiting and fine-tuning alert rules and thresholds is crucial for maintaining an effective alert management system in cybersecurity. Alert rules, which define the specific conditions or behaviors that trigger an alert, need to be precise and relevant to the organization's unique security environment. Similarly, alert thresholds, which set the criteria for alert severity or frequency, must be calibrated to distinguish between normal variations in network activity and genuine security incidents.

Monitoring is not a one-time configuration; it requires ongoing review of alerts. Identifying frequently triggered alerts, adjusting thresholds, and refining settings not only reduces alert fatigue but also optimizes the monitoring system's performance. Dedicated team would bring more focused on alert review and deploy latest alerts based on emerging threat landscape.

From my experience, I've noticed that one organization deployed over 1000 rules across their environment, regardless of their operating system, applications, or network ecosystem. This resulted in excessive alerting and added strain on operational teams. To address this issue, I spearheaded an alert refinement program. We disabled and refined unnecessary alerts that were not relevant to their ecosystem. In summary, it's essential to understand your ecosystem and policies before deploying rules or alerts in a monitoring platform, rather than opting for a blanket "select all and enable" approach.

Ultimately all this is done in order to Integrate network security monitoring tools with a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system for centralized log management, correlation, and analysis. As it can help identify broader trends and potential security incidents that might be missed by individual tools. So ensuring tracking and traceability of key metrics related to alerts, such as volume, priority distribution, and time to resolution is key. And it helps one to assess the effectiveness of alert management strategy and identify areas for improvement. So having a comprehensive incident response plan that outlines roles, responsibilities, and procedures for handling security incidents can developed and tested regularly.