Extended Detection and Response (XDR): The Next Big Thing In Security?

Overview

Everyone has seen during the Covid-19 pandemic that the traditional antimalware and endpoint security tools alone are not enough to stop new types of ransomware and other advanced persistent threats (APTs). 

To successfully respond to security incidents, most of the organizations are traditionally dependent on a SIEM (Security Information Management System), EPP (Endpoint Protection Platform), and a few more technologies. 

Nowadays, every organization needs more telemetry than endpoints, which EPP cannot deliver because it only provides detection for endpoints. Therefore, to overcome this problem, EDR (Endpoint Detection & Response) in combination with XDR (Extended Detection & Response) is gaining popularity. XDR gives visibility and control by connecting SIEM, EPP, EDR, and other security controls into one single dashboard to enable effective detection and response.

Introduction

XDR stands for Extended Detection and Response. It is a security solution that provides end-to-end visibility, detection, investigation, and response across various security levels. It provides visibility across all data sources as well as analytics and automation to combat today’s complex threats. Cross-correlated analytics and highly automated responses are the key components of an XDR architecture. This results in a genuinely unified experience that is backed up by a solutions architecture that is more than the sum of its parts.

What Does An XDR Do?

XDR aggregates and analyzes data from a variety of security layers, including email, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks and enables faster identification of threats as well as enhanced investigation and reaction times.

Why XDR?

XDR is a step forward in detection and response from the current single-vector, point-solution technique.

Endpoint detection and response (EDR) has been proven to be quite beneficial. Despite its breadth of capacity, EDR is limited since it can only identify and respond to threats that originate from controlled endpoints. This narrows the range of risks that may be discovered, as well as the breadth of who and what is affected. These limitations eventually limit the SOC’s ability to respond effectively.

How Does XDR Work?

Threats can be discovered and handled faster than with conventional security measures since they are examined from various aspects.

As attack vectors get more complicated, the time required to identify and respond to problems increases. By delivering a comprehensive and unified picture of cybersecurity warnings, the XDR platform eliminates segmented security and enables businesses to respond to evolving threats. Its considerably more comprehensive detection capabilities than specialized tools will soon make it vital for security professionals.

There are three parts to XDR:

• Data analysis

XDR gathers and monitors data from a variety of security levels, including endpoints, networks, servers, and the cloud. The system then utilizes data analysis to connect context from hundreds of warnings across various levels, resulting in a significantly lower number of high-priority alerts being surfaced.

• Detection

Due to its improved visibility, XDR can sift through warnings and report on the ones that need to be addressed. It creates baselines of usual behavior in an environment to detect attacks and investigate the source of the danger to prevent it from spreading to other sections of the system.

• Response

XDR can isolate and eradicate threats it identifies, as well as change security policies to avoid a similar breach from happening in the future. XDR detects and responds to attacks across all security control points it interacts with, from container security to networks and servers, and goes beyond endpoint security.

Layers Of XDR

• Endpoint

Detect: Check and report on strange and potentially risky endpoint occurrences.

Investigate: It investigates the matters like, what occurred at the other endpoints? What was the source of the occurrence? and other information.

Response: The response is the third phase. It is capable of isolating an event, stopping programs, and deleting/restoring data.

• Email

Detect: Identify email threats, compromised accounts, high-risk individuals, and email attack trends.

Investigate: Investigate who carried out the intrusion. Is there anyone else who got the phishing email?

Response: It evacuates emails, blocks email senders, and resets accounts during the response phase.

• Network

Detect: Identify and recognize threat behavior.

Investigate: Analyze how a threat spreads throughout the organization.

Response: Outline the scope of the attack.

• Cloud & Servers

Detect: Recognize risks that are particular to servers, cloud workloads, and containers.

Investigate: Examine the entire scenario. What went wrong with the workload? How did it spread?

Response: Isolate the server and halt the processes as a response.

What Is The Purpose Of XDR Technology?

Simply said,  XDR uses analytics to help you detect hidden threats faster across the cloud, networks, and endpoints. The XDR platform can aid in the investigation and response to cyber threats wherever its sensors are mounted. As an outcome, XDR significantly enhances your cybersecurity posture while also assisting you in maximizing the return on your security efforts.

Rather than relying on traditional endpoint protection, which divides security into many buckets, each dedicated to a specific endpoint or solution, XDR provides every business with a comprehensive picture of its network. You will be able to spot problems and gaps more effectively.

Should You Use An XDR Service To Protect Your Organization?

When the attackers gain access to a network, they go laterally and identify all other weaknesses in the environment. As a result of these attacks, organizations face significant penalties and brand damage. Another issue is that many attacks go unnoticed, allowing threat actors to get access to open links in impacted firms’ networks that will not be addressed immediately.

Therefore, XDRservice can give complete coverage of the numerous vectors available to an attacker across an infrastructure. 

XDR is a security response platform that collects and analyses endpoint, server, network, and cloud workload data to detect advanced threats. XDR platform collects threat data beyond EDR, providing a more comprehensive picture of threats.

Rewterz offers managed XDR service. With the industry’s most advanced team and platform, we defend you against modern malware, exploits, and fileless attacks. Rewterz XDR takes your pain away of detecting and responding to attacks and lets you have a good night sleep.

Features Of Rewterz XDR Service

• Rewterz XDR service provides real-time threat detection on endpoints, servers, cloud, applications, and networks.
• Rewterz XDR service protects from advanced attacks, fileless attacks, malware, and ransomware via a multi-layered approach.
• Rewterz XDR service offers managed threat hunting services for detecting and resolving targeted and persistent attacks.
• Rewterz XDR service provides a single dashboard view of your entire security landscape.