Security Information and Event Management (SIEM). What It Is and How It Works. – Source: heimdalsecurity.com

Wondering what is SIEM, what are its benefits and limitations, and what are the best practices you can apply for your business? Read on to find out the answers to your questions!

What is SIEM? 

SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) is a software system that collects and analyzes security data from a variety of sources within your IT infrastructure, giving you a comprehensive picture of your company’s information security.

SIEM tools evolved from the log management discipline and combine the SIM (Security Information Management) and SEM (Security Event Management) technologies.

A SIEM tool uses artificial intelligence (AI) to automate a number of manual procedures related to threat detection and incident response. Furthermore, it assists enterprise security teams in spotting anomalies in user behavior.

How does SIEM work? 

Security Information and Event Management tools’ mission is to collect and aggregate the log data that is generated throughout an organization’s technology infrastructure. This includes host systems and applications, network and security devices – firewalls, antivirus filters. 

After this part, the SIEM software identifies and categorizes incidents and security events, and then it analyzes them. Its objectives are to: 

provide reports on security-related incidents and events, such as successful and failed logins, malware activity, and other possibly malicious activities, and send alerts if analysis shows that an activity runs against predetermined rulesets and thus indicates a potential security issue.

SIEM Software Capabilities

What can SIEM software do?

a. Data Aggregation and Retention 

As already mentioned, security information and event management tools will aggregate security data from your company’s technology infrastructure and, moreover, will store it in the long-term to enable security analysis and tracking.

SIEM gathers event data from various sources across the full IT architecture of an enterprise, including on-premises and cloud environments. In addition to users, endpoints, apps, data sources, cloud workloads, networks, and security hardware and software like firewalls or antivirus software, it collects and analyzes event data in real-time from all of these sources.

b. Threat Intelligence Feeds 

A Security Information and Event Management software can combine internal log data with threat intelligence feeds that include information about attack patterns, threat actors, security incidents and vulnerabilities. 

Teams can stop or recognize novel attack signature types through integration with real-time threat feeds.

c. Correlation, Analytics, and Alerting

SIEM applications can help you link events and data into meaningful explanations of real security incidents, use statistical models and machine learning to find more complex relationships between data and anomalies, and send out alerts about immediate issues. 

Every SIEM solution must have event correlation as a key element. Event correlation provides insights that enable the quick threat detection and mitigation of potential security threats to enterprise security by utilizing advanced analytics to decipher and comprehend complicated data patterns.

d. Incident Response 

SIEM systems will allow security teams to quickly synchronize and respond to threats by providing case management, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. 

By transferring the manual operations associated with the in-depth security analysis of security events to SIEM solutions, IT security teams can drastically reduce the mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR) for security incidents.

e. Compliance Reporting

As you might imagine, SIEM applications are particularly useful for compliance purposes too. They automate the gathering of compliance data and produce reports that measure up to various standards (HIPA, HITECH, GDPR, etc.).

Many SIEM solutions come with ready-made, easily deployable add-ons that automatically produce compliance-focused reports. These not only reduce the workload involved in security management, but they also spot any infractions early on for quick correction.

The General Benefits of Using SIEM Systems 

SIEM systems provide numerous benefits to businesses and have become an important component in improving security procedures.

• Increased efficiency in preventing and handling incidents
• Reducing the impact of security events
• Cost reduction
• Increased compliance and better compliance reporting
• Provides real-time threat recognition
• AI-driven automation
• Detecting advanced and unknown security threats
• Conducting forensic investigations
• Monitoring Users and Applications

The Limitations of SIEM

Does SIEM have any limitations? There seem to be a few, since, of course, no software is perfect: 

• It usually offers limited information about the context of events. So, it might be difficult to distinguish, for example, completely benign behavior from theft of sensitive data.  
• SIEM shows difficulties distinguishing between sensitive and non-sensitive events. 
• Ultimately, SIEM applications depend on the data they receive. Furthermore, they react to it, having no additional context. 

What to Look for When Choosing a SIEM Tool

If you’re thinking about the criteria that you need to take into account when choosing a SIEM software for your business, let me just tell you that: 

• the ability to integrate third-party threat intelligence feeds to obtain more accurate threat detection would be nice to have; 
• the log data should be analyzed in real-time, allowing your teams to quickly identify and block attacks; 
• a good SIEM software should provide rapid investigations and visual correlations; 
• it should also monitor the access to your critical resources and check for unusual user behavior or remote login attempts; 
• SIEM solutions can be either locally installed or cloud-based. 

In addition, before making any decision,

• think about your organization’s needs and objectives when you evaluate the products on the market. As CSO notes, 

Organizations that want this technology primarily for compliance will value certain capabilities, such as reporting, more highly than organizations that want to leverage SIEM to set up a security operations center. […] organizations that have petabytes of data will find some vendors better able to meet their needs, while those who have fewer data might opt for other options. Similarly, companies that want outstanding threat hunting will likely look for top data visualization tools and search capabilities that others may not need to have.

• consider all the factors: if you can support a particular tool, how much data your systems enclose, and how much you want to spend. 

What Are the SIEM Tools 

When it comes to SIEM tools, you can, of course, find both paid and free options on the market. You’ll just have to keep in mind that the free ones might not be the most secure. Additionally, they probably won’t have a customer service to assist you in case you need any help.

Here are a few examples: 

OSSIM 

OSSIM is one of the most popular open-source SIEM tools, which offers event collection, normalization, and correlation utilities. Its short-term logging and monitoring capabilities, long-term threat detection and built-in automated responses are particularly useful for any IT security team. 

OSSEC

OSSEC is another free SIEM solution that is highly appreciated especially by macOS, Linux, BSD, and Solaris users.

This solution can help you monitor multiple networks from a single point and offers the possibility to join a Slack channel where you can collaborate with other users. 

Sagan

Sagan is also a free SIEM solution that offers real-time log analysis, correlation, log normalization, and real-time alerting. It has a multi-threaded architecture that allows it to use all CPUs for log processes in real-time. 

IBM QRadar

This IBM product is described as smart and reliable, capable of detecting a variety of threats. Its capabilities are matched by a complex architecture, so the solution could be a strong option for enterprises with extensive log management needs. 

Best Practices When Implementing SIEM

What should be your next steps after deciding on a SIEM software? 

• Start by acquiring an in-depth understanding of the extent of your implementation.

Determine the best ways for your company to benefit from deployment and create the necessary security use cases.

• Customize the software’s rules according to your company’s needs

SIEM software usually has its own pre-configured correlation rules, but your security teams can also fine-tune them as they consider necessary. 

• Keep an eye on compliance requirements 

A SIEM software is excellent for better compliance, so make sure your software can support your organization’s specific compliance requirements. 

• Catalog and categorize all digital assets in your company’s IT system.

This will be necessary when controlling log data collection, detecting access abuses, and security monitoring networks activities.

• First test your SIEM

Testing is a stage that should not be skipped in the implementation of a SIEM software. This step it’s crucial to assess how a SIEM software reacts. 

• Implement a response plan 

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a response plan if a security incident happens. It’s very probable that time won’t be on your side in those moments, so your staff must know exactly what to do following SIEM security alerts.

How Heimdal Complements SIEM Tools

Our enhanced EDR tool (we call it EPDR, endpoint prevention, detection, and response) is a powerful cybersecurity tool. It provides endpoint protection, advanced investigation, threat hunting capabilities and quickly responds to sophisticated malware – both known and yet unknown.

EPDR brings greater visibility into your endpoints and enables faster response times when threats arise. It also provides an API so you can feed the data into a SIEM tool.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to your business’s cybersecurity, it’s essential to have an overview of what happens in your network and systems at any time. Fortunately, this is exactly what implementing a Security Information and Event Management software will help you achieve.

However you choose to proceed, please remember that Heimdal Security always has your back. Our team is here to help you protect your home and your company and to create a cybersecurity culture to the benefit of anyone who wants to learn more about it.