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SIEM initially became widely adopted among large organizations due to compliance with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard; however, due to concerns over advanced persistent threats, many smaller businesses have also considered its benefits.
Being able to view all data related to security from one central point makes identifying unusual patterns much simpler for all organizations.
SIEM can operate using basic mechanisms like correlation engines or rules; more advanced SIEM systems now feature entity and user behavior analytics as well as SOAR (security orchestration, automation and response).
SIEM systems collect security events through multiple agents deployed hierarchically that monitor devices such as end-user computers, servers, network equipment and specialized items like firewalls, antivirus programs or intrusion detection systems.
Security analysts then sort through all this data connecting the dots and prioritizing incidents.
Pre-processing at edge collectors allows pre-processing to reduce data storage needs and communication needs, with only certain events passing to a central management node for further evaluation and storage.
While advances in machine learning enable systems to spot anomalies more accurately, analysts still must provide feedback and inform their systems of current conditions.
SIEM systems play an integral role in any organization's cybersecurity. SIEM gives security teams access to one central repository where they can aggregate, classify and process massive chunks of data across an enterprise to streamline security workflow.
Furthermore, the SIEM provides reports on compliance statuses as well as incident and threat incidents management reports.
By equipping your company with SIEM software, real-time monitoring of its security system becomes possible, and event databases with data from various sources are created automatically.
Furthermore, SIEM also correlates events among panels to deliver customized security notifications to keep operations safe.
Start here if you are new to SIEM. This post teaches the SIEM operation model and its uses, plus how they could strengthen security within your company.
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What is SIEM?
SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management. This computer security sector utilizes software and services to detect, analyze, and respond quickly to threats threatening a company before they cause harm - hence its acronym of the sim.
As SIEM software has existed for more than two decades, its growth and evolution can only increase over time. Once intended to assist organizations with complying with industry regulations and compliance issues, its purpose has expanded significantly; originally used to help comply with industry regulations and compliance issues, it now combines two areas, security event management (SEM) and security information management (SIM), both under security domain, into one comprehensive solution system.
SIEM technology gathers and analyzes information from multiple sources before identifying deviations and reacting immediately, giving an overall snapshot of network status within your organization, informing of any possible cyber attacks and providing real-time alerts so you can respond more swiftly when needed.
How does SIEM Work?
SIEM tools collect event logs and data from host systems across an organization's entire infrastructure and bring it together in one central platform for analysis.
Host systems typically include applications, firewalls, anti-virus filters and security devices; SIEM tools identify such events as successful and failed login attempts as well as malware activity alerts generated when any threats are discovered, with these alerts prioritized according to predefined set rules within organizations.
An account that produces 25 unsuccessful login attempts within 25 minutes should be treated suspiciously; however, its priority will likely remain low since it could simply mean the user has forgotten their login details.
At the same time, one with 130 attempts within five minutes could signal an active brute force attack being launched against it.
Why is SIEM Important?
SIEM software assists enterprises in managing security more efficiently by sorting through large volumes of security-related information and prioritizing alerts produced by it.
SIEM software enables organizations to identify incidents that might otherwise go undetected by analyzing log entries to detect malicious activities and reconstruct an attack timeline across networks - this enables organizations to recognize what type of attack occurred as well as its effect on business operations.
SIEM software helps organizations comply with compliance obligations by automatically producing reports which include all security events logged from various sources; without SIEM software, this log data would need to be manually collected and collated manually.
SIEM systems also help improve incident management by helping identify and prevent attacks as they happen.
SIEM: Benefits and Usefulness
SIEM has many benefits, including:
- The time taken to detect threats is significantly reduced, minimizing the impact of those threats.
- SIEM provides a comprehensive view of the information security landscape within an organization, making it easy to collect and analyze information about security to ensure systems are safe. The data of an organization is stored in a central repository, where it can be accessed and retrieved.
- SIEM can be used by companies for many different use cases that are based on data and logs. These include security programs, compliance and audit reporting, network and help desk troubleshooting, and even helping with their customer service.
- SIEM can handle large volumes of data so that organizations are able to continue adding data.
- SIEM is a threat detection system that provides security alerts.
- The software can carry out detailed forensic analyses in cases of serious security breaches.
SIEM Solutions
SIEM has several other solutions:
- Implementing SIEM can be a lengthy process because of the support required to integrate it with security controls in an organization and its many hosts. Installing SIEM can take up to 90 days before the system starts working.
- It's expensive. Initial SIEM investments can reach hundreds of thousands. The associated costs are also significant, such as the cost of staff to monitor and manage a SIEM, the annual support, and the software and agents used to collect data.
- Experts are needed to analyze, configure and integrate reports. Some SIEM systems can be managed by a central unit, the security operations center. This is staffed with an information security team that deals directly with security concerns within an organization.
- SIEM tools rely on rules for the analysis of all recorded data. A company's system can generate thousands of alarms every day. The number of logs is making it difficult to detect potential threats.
- Information risk management can be less effective if a SIEM is misconfigured and misses important events.
Features and Capabilities of SIEM
Consider the following features when selecting SIEM products:
- Data Aggregation: Data collected from servers, databases, applications and networks.
- The correlation tool is a SIEM component that finds similar events.
- Dashboards: The data is aggregated and displayed as charts from databases, applications, networks, and servers to find patterns and to prevent missing important events.
- Alerting: SIEM tools can alert users if a security event is detected.
- Automation: Certain SIEM software may also include automated features, including automated analysis of security incidents and automated responses to those incidents.
It would help if you asked yourself the following questions when evaluating SIEM products:
- Integration of other controls: Is the system able to give commands to enterprise security controls to stop or prevent attacks as they are happening?
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Does the system have the ability to improve accuracy through machine learning or deep learning?
- Feeds for threat intelligence: Is the system able to support feeds that the organization chooses, or must it use one feed in particular?
- Comprehensive compliance reporting: Can the system be customized or created to meet the needs of the organization?
- Capabilities for forensic analysis: Is it possible to capture more information on security incidents by recording headers and the content of packets?
What is the Best SIEM?
Selecting the best SIEM tool depends on many factors. These include an organization's security posture and budget.
Companies should, however, look for SIEMs that provide the following features:
- Compliance reporting
- Incident Response and Forensics.
- Monitoring database access and servers.
- Internal and external threats detection.
- Real-time monitoring of threats, correlations and analyses across multiple applications and systems.
- An intrusion detection system (IPS), firewall, event log and other applications and systems integration.
- threat intelligence; and
- User activity monitoring is the tracking of user activities.
Implementing SIEM: Best Practices
Use these SIEM best practices:
- Establish goals that are clear and measurable: Choose and implement the SIEM tool based on the security goals of your organization, its compliance with regulations and potential threats.
- Implement data correlation rules: These rules must be applied across systems, networks and clouds to find data that contains errors.
- Determine compliance requirements: By doing so, you can ensure that the SIEM software chosen is set up to report and audit compliance according to the correct standards.
- List all digital assets: Listing digitally-stored data in an IT infrastructure helps manage log data and monitor network activity.
- Document incident response plans and workflows: Ensure teams can respond quickly to security incidents.
- Designate a SIEM Administrator: The SIEM Administrator is responsible for the maintenance and proper operation of SIEM.
Read More: Developing an All-Inclusive Data Security Strategy
The History of SIEM
SIEM was developed during the early 2000s from log management. Log management encompasses processes and policies used to control log generation within an Information System as it occurs and be stored, archived or destroyed; SIEM builds off this concept but boasts many unique features, such as overlapped security logs and reporting.
SIM is a log management system designed to collect logs from legacy systems. Its long-term storage, analysis and reporting functions make it the go-to choice.
SIM also integrates logs and threat intelligence, while SEM monitors events related to security in software, IT systems or infrastructures.
SIEM was developed by vendors by merging SEM (which analyzes logs and events in real-time for threat monitoring, correlation of events and incident response) and SIM (which collects, analyses and reports log data).
SIEMs have developed into increasingly advanced and comprehensive tools. To reduce risks within organizations, new tools like machine learning and AI that help identify anomalies more precisely have been introduced; SIEMs equipped with such features became known as Next-Generation SIEM.
Future of SIEM
Future SIEM trends will include:
- Better orchestration: At the moment, SIEM provides only basic workflow automation. SIEM will need to offer more capabilities as organizations grow. SIEM must, for example, be able to orchestrate faster with AI and Machine Learning to offer the same protection across all departments of a business. Moreover, security protocols, and their execution, will become faster, more efficient and more effective.
- Improved collaboration through managed detection and reaction (MDR): With the increasing threats of hackers and unauthorized access, organizations must implement a multi-tiered approach to identify and analyze security threats. The IT department of a company can install SIEM on its own, while managed services providers can deploy the MDR.
- Improved cloud monitoring and management: The SIEM vendors are improving the monitoring and management capabilities of their products to meet the needs of cloud-based organizations.
- SIEM will become a single tool: SOAR vendors may respond to this by increasing the functionality of their products.
Implementing SIEM
You can follow these best practices when implementing SIEM:
- Start by understanding the scope of implementation. Set up use cases that demonstrate how this deployment will benefit your company.
- Create and implement predefined rules of data correlation for all networks and systems, including cloud infrastructure.
- Organize your compliance needs and configure SIEM to report and audit specific standards in real time to understand your risk.
- Organize all digital assets within your IT infrastructure. This model is used to manage log data collected, identify access abuse and monitor network activities.
- When integrating SIEM, establish Bring Your Device policies, IT Layouts and monitoring limits.
- Update your SIEM regularly to minimize false alarms.
- Automate as much as possible using artificial intelligence, security orchestration automation and response capabilities (SOAR).
- Document all plans for incident response and share them with your team so that they can be prepared to respond quickly to security incidents.
- Consider the possibility of hiring a Managed Security Service Provider to supervise your SIEM solution deployment. MSSPs can handle your SIEM deployment and its complexity based on the business needs.
SIM Vs SIEM?
These two acronyms may seem alike but require clarification for those unfamiliar with security ecosystems. SIM (security information management) collects data through logs which contain various kinds of log data types.
SEM refers to the process of recognizing, gathering, monitoring and reporting security events using software. SEM involves gathering information as well as tracking, reporting and observing security events using this form of technology.
Sim is often perceived as being used only for data collection. At the same time, SIEM takes an inclusive approach that goes beyond this function, building upon security aspects to aid companies with monitoring incoming threats and keeping an eye out for threats to operations.
SIEM and Business
SIEM systems are an integral component of an organization's security plan, serving as the central location for data collection, analysis and accumulation in one convenient place.
Their centralization enables you to easily collect, aggregate and organize the information across your entire company while streamlining workflow processes.
Automating many operations such as compliance reporting, incident management dashboards that display threat activity, as well as dashboards showing threat activity alerts.
SIEM helps users gain a clearer perspective of enterprise networks as well as conduct more thorough investigations for more precise tasks - making network management much simpler overall.
Which SIEM Tool is the Best?
Organizations today depend heavily on technology to manage thousands of devices and tons of information, with SIEM serving an integral function in providing security.
But with so many SIEM tools on offer, selecting one suitable for your organization may prove challenging. Here's some guidance for selecting a SIEM tool:
When selecting the appropriate SIEM solution for your organization, several considerations must be made when choosing its ideal suite: budgetary constraints, security of your firm and availability of technical support as well as customer satisfaction should all factor in.
A proper SIEM suite must meet these priorities, as organizations all use applications differently for various reasons.
Be wary of SIEMs without inclusive features such as compliance reporting, event reports, arguments management, database management and server access monitoring.
Each vendor offers its licensing model; most commonly, this is based either on how many events per day with a log file size limitations or device total count limits - this way, you can accurately evaluate the total cost of ownership by researching each tool's licensing model.
Once you have identified suitable tools using the criteria outlined above, assess their scalability. Make sure your selection can upgrade subscriptions or configurations as demand grows, with SIEM server space expanding accordingly.
Log and event searches must also be considered; large and medium-sized businesses often generate huge volumes of event logs and alerts which must be searched through efficiently by your tool.
Best SIEM Sample Tools
SIEM was developed with the vision of building an autonomous platform of tomorrow in mind, featuring real-time detection and response to threats, making the SIEM tool extremely productive, freeing security teams up to focus on intelligence gathering rather than security events and information analysis.
Artificial Intelligence is an indicator of future SIEM systems as it offers effective methods to enhance systems' decision-making abilities.
With AI systems at work in your systems, they will adapt more readily as more endpoints connect, as the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technologies expand their user base - meaning more data for SIEM to process, which AI can optimize efficiently.
AI is revolutionizing SIEM solutions, providing support for multiple data types while keeping up with an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Trends for future SIEM include automating workflow as well as protecting security; when your company grows, you may require more capabilities such as AI to ensure all departments enjoy equal protection standards - something SIEM providers strive hard to provide their products quickly.
Collaborating with MDR tools is seamless. Hackers and unauthorized access have increased dramatically over time; your business must have a way of monitoring and analyzing security events effectively.
Managed service providers or IT departments of companies alike may implement MDR solutions. Cloud Monitoring and Administration: SIEM vendors often develop advanced cloud administration processes to help organizations fulfill their security requirements.
The changing security landscape is a result of the growing technology industry. It requires dependable solutions to threats.
We'll take you through the two best SIEMs available.
Exabeam SIEM
Exabeam is an industry leader when it comes to Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), offering solutions designed to detect, investigate and respond (TDIR) to threats.
Their advanced technology enables IT analysts to gather data for breach analysis while quickly responding to incidents as soon as they occur. Their SIEM products are both affordable and high performing - perfect for IT analysts tasked with gathering intelligence.
Exabeam provides an all-encompassing view of security incidents using cloud technologies combined with advanced analytics and automation.
Exabeam helps find anomalies missed with other methods while adhering to fast, accurate, and repeatable response times for faster business management decisions.
Graylog Security
Graylog's mission to make SIEM affordable, fast and efficient has inspired them to revolutionize log management worldwide.
Today they boast more than 50 installations around the globe as experts in log management services.
Graylog allows you to conduct various operations, from discovering data to visualizing threats and providing solutions.
Furthermore, intuitive reports using specific data may be created; while adherence to security policies can be checked at regular intervals.
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Wrapping Up
Make use of an innovative new approach to protecting against today's cyber threats: SIEM tools are an efficient means of safeguarding company networks.
Large or small organizations alike can utilize this technology; its features detect security breaches quickly while saving both time and resources in their management process.
This article has provided you with an understanding of SIEM operations models and features as well as best practice implementation methods.
Furthermore, this piece provided useful knowledge regarding selecting an ideal tool to meet the specific needs of your business - equipping you to use this technology within your organization effectively.
Your strategy can assist in selecting the appropriate product on the market, even though this process can be daunting.
Cybersecurity is an ever-evolving field, and threats continue to threaten various institutions; SIEM software provides one way of safeguarding a secure network for your company.
