SIEM automation is just what it sounds like. It leverages machine learning and AI concepts to put your SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system on autopilot. It includes many of the functions of a SOAR (see below) to handle routine and non-challenging security events in real time. Of course, anything that really should be handled by a human is flagged for immediate attention.
Ticketing, host isolation, and user lockouts
Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) processes are at the heart of SIEM automation today. In the broader sense, SOAR techniques automate and reduce the workload of security teams more generally. When applied to a SIEM system, they can do most of the “grunt work,” freeing human analysts and IT professionals to do the more detailed operations.
A modern SIEM's SOAR functionality can raise tickets or flag problems for human attention in other ways. It can automatically, and almost instantly, isolate a host that is originating or targeted by suspicious activity, or lock out users who might be doing something they shouldn't. Of course, all of these actions can be immediately reviewed by humans.
Let’s get into the types of SIEM automation available.
Phishing: Let's say one of your employees is targeted by a phishing attack via email. A SIEM system with SOAR-style functionality could detect suspicious patterns linked to the email, prevent it from being delivered temporarily, and flag it for human review.
Malware: SIEM’s ability to gather logs and event data from different sources allows it to detect the installation of malware on your systems earlier, and all but immediately and automatically lock down that device until it can be reviewed and remediated.
Insider threats: In the same way, the system can often detect suspicious usage patterns from authorized users and prevent the most damaging actions while flagging the activity for immediate investigation.
SIEM automation is at its best when it’s the copilot, rather than the pilot. It can analyze data effectively in real time and detect suspicious activity just as quickly. It can act in milliseconds to shut down both accidental data breaches and cyberattacks. An expert human analyst or IT security expert should be on hand to verify these decisions and to make the decisions that an AI could never be qualified to make. Together, you get both millisecond reaction times and slow, careful human judgment.
One of the greatest benefits of SIEM automation is a faster MTTR (Mean Time to Respond). At Huntress, MTTR is defined as the time it takes for the Security Operations Center (SOC) to go from the moment an alert is generated to when that alert is closed. A lower MTTR means faster detection and resolution of potential threats, improving operational efficiency, reducing downtime, and minimizing the resources spent on manual remediation. The effects of each of these on ROI are obvious. We don’t mean to brag, but we can shut down identity-based threats with a 3-minute MTTR
Some of these concepts might seem a little vague, especially to managers in a non-IT role. Below, we’ll define some of the basic terms and explore a few examples.
Huntress Managed SIEM is a great example of SIEM automation done right. We excel at network visibility, data and log analytics, and lightning-fast automated threat remediation.
Huntress Managed SIEM offers some of the most advanced AI-enhanced SIEM automation in its class. Our smart filtering technology reduces false positive results and catches many suspicious behaviors that others miss. The bottom line is that a smaller team can oversee a Huntress SIEM solution and get better results.
Ready to see SIEM automation in action? Book a demo today and see how Huntress can help your team work smarter, not harder.
SIEM Best Practices: How to Optimize Your Security Operations
