Transforming Your Security Operations Center (SOC) with Extended Detection and Response (XDR) and Managed Detection and Response (MDR) Solutions

Post Views: 8

The Evolution of Security Operations: How XDR and MDR Can Revolutionize Threat Response

In today’s complex and rapidly evolving threat landscape, security operations centers (SOCs) face significant challenges in detecting and responding to attacks.

The Challenge of Threat Response

The traditional incident-response model, which relies on manual correlation of alerts and signals, is no longer effective in keeping up with the speed and sophistication of modern threats.

According to a recent report from Unit 42, Palo Alto Networks’ threat-intelligence team, threat actors are now able to move from initial access to data exfiltration in under an hour.

The Limitations of Human Capabilities

The problem, according to Salina Wuttke, a threat-intelligence expert at Palo Alto Networks, is not a lack of skill or effort on the part of defenders, but rather the limitations of human capabilities.

This is where XDR comes in. By unifying telemetry from various sources, XDR solutions can reduce the noise of isolated alerts and provide a more comprehensive view of the attack surface.

The Role of MDR

MDR is the expert layer that makes XDR operational at all hours and in ambiguous cases. MDR analysts and threat hunters work “natively inside” the XDR platform, going beyond reviewing alerts and escalating tickets to proactively hunt for threats, contain incidents, and provide clear reporting.

The Benefits of XDR and MDR

The combination of XDR correlation and MDR expertise can help reduce alert fatigue and focus scarce human attention on incidents that truly matter. By automating detection and response, organizations can improve investigation throughput and reduce response time.

A Real-World Example

The Green Bay Packers NFL team reportedly improved its investigation throughput and reduced response time dramatically after adopting a platform-plus-expert model.

Streamlining Security Operations

To further streamline security operations, Palo Alto Networks has introduced Managed XSIAM, a fully managed SOC approach that includes onboarding, data mapping, detection engineering, automation, and ongoing optimization alongside response and investigation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the integration of XDR and MDR can revolutionize threat response by providing a more efficient, effective, and comprehensive approach to security operations.