How SOAR Solutions Transform Cybersecurity
PATECCO GmbH
PATECCO is a German company, dedicated to development and implementation of Identity & Access Management solutions.
Risk-aware companies typically have multiple IT security solutions in place to protect their organization from cyber threats. Even if the individual tools function optimally - they do not necessarily work together. Due to limited resources and a lack of available skilled personnel, many organizations face a unique challenge in keeping pace. For this reason, the evolution of Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) has gained significant momentum.
But what benefits do SOAR solutions actually offer and what do companies achieve with them?
Notifications
IT security teams usually have to keep track of numerous, disparate security tools in order to stem the tide of threats. Each alert from the respective software must be monitored, analyzed and interpreted. Cybersecurity automation is critical to managing this constant stream of threats. Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) systems provide a platform to efficiently handle incoming alerts from disparate IT security systems across the enterprise.
How SOAR works
SOAR systems bring together all the relevant information needed to handle a potential IT security incident. For the initial alarm, SOAR systems obtain information from a SIEM, EDR or NDR system. They can also connect to an email inbox for phishing analysis. The alert is enriched with public threat intelligence information, results from file analysis tools or internal databases for further contextualization. Furthermore, SOAR offers the possibility to react automatically to alerts via the connected systems and to initiate appropriate protective measures. The deactivation of user accounts, the isolation of affected hosts or the automatic creation of domain block lists can be mentioned here as examples.
Playbooks are used within the SOAR system for the automatic processing of alarms. These contain a defined sequence for information collection, analysis and reaction, based on the respective use case. Playbooks can react to different results within the analysis process and initiate appropriate action steps. Playbooks are comparable to the structure of a runbook for analysis, but process the necessary steps automatically.
The key benefits of SOAR for security teams
SOAR, which is integrated into the enterprise, is, along with a SIEM, the central tool for handling potential security incidents. Specifically, SOAR helps security analysts by automatically (pre-)processing information and alerts. To do this, it combines all the security tools used on one platform, combines the available information and supports the collaboration of several analysts on a case. This enables security analysts to work more efficiently and avert potential damage in a targeted manner. SOAR also serves to document past events.
In summary, security teams achieve with a SOAR:
领英推荐
Can a SOAR replace the work of security analysts?
The SOAR system specifically supports the work of security analysts, but cannot replace them. The solution automates recurring tasks, aggregates alarms of one alarm type and reacts to threats with specific measures. It also unifies all security-related systems in the company on one platform for centralized control and provides an overview for all security analysts.
SOAR systems aim to support the work of security analysts through automated processing steps and to initiate initial protective measures. However, the final assessment of an alarm is still the responsibility of the analyst.
How SOAR and SIEM work together
SOAR and SIEM complement each other in several ways, as the combination of a SIEM's work (logging and analysis) and SOAR's automated response can be very effective.
A SIEM system is responsible for the initial detection of potential security incidents. To do this, it first collects data from various sources and analyzes it in real time using use cases. If anomalies are detected, the SIEM issues an alarm. After the initial alarm from the SIEM system, it is the security analyst's task to contextualize it and assess the threat to the company. If the alarm turns out to be a concrete threat, it is necessary to react accordingly as part of the incident response process and initiate appropriate protective measures, such as isolating a host or blocking user accounts.
A SOAR supports the security analyst in all steps after the initial alarm. This includes the automation of recurring analysis steps, the initiation of initial protective measures, the central control of various security tools and the continuous documentation of all steps performed and their results.
How companies find the best SOAR solution
More and more companies want to improve their security process with a SOAR - but this is difficult or even impossible, especially when budgets are small or in-house IT security experts are lacking. In this case, the best solution is to implement their individual SOAR according to a modular principle. For this purpose, cyber defense experts plan the implementation and optimization of various analysis scenarios and automations together with the company. The support of a SOAR system is not a one-time task, but a continuous process in order to react to the constantly changing threat situation in the best possible way.
Conclusion
SOAR supports threat and vulnerability management, the incident response process and the automation of various security-related processes. The application of SOAR thus represents a significant tool for ensuring the IT security of companies. The solution helps to optimize coordination and collaboration between security teams, automate activities and gain a more precise overview of an organization's security posture.