Did you know that 68% of companies that hunt threats see their overall security improve? Cyber-attacks are getting trickier and more frequent. Thousands of new vulnerabilities emerge each month, and malicious actors are using advanced techniques—like fileless attacks—to bypass traditional defenses.
If you still use outdated tools, you put your company at big risk. Serious threats like ransomware can mess up your systems leaving you open to bad breaches.
To avoid this, Extended Detection and Response (XDR) offers a solution that unifies multiple security components into a centralized system, enhancing both threat hunting and incident response (IR) to see and understand what you need to keep your company safe from today’s tricky threats.
Understanding XDR in Threat Hunting and Incident Response
Threat hunting is more than just a process. It involves skilled security operations center (SOC) experts who aim to:
- Look into daily activities in real-time
- Study patterns to spot new threats
- Try to cut risk for organizations before it happens.
To reach these aims, SOC experts need:
- Quick searches through huge amounts of different telemetry.
- Telemetry that plays a key role in almost every SOC task throughout the security operations life cycle, including:
- Investigation
- Triaging
- Response
- Mitigation
In this setting, Extended Detection and Response (XDR) stands out as a big step forward. By bringing together various security tools—such as endpoint, network, email, and cloud detection—XDR gives cybersecurity pros:
- A wide-ranging outlook and quick reaction abilities to handle tricky security situations.
- A unified display that simplifies threat hunting and incident response workflows, unlike old-school SIEM or SOAR tools, which often work.
XDR always gathers and examines data and gives insights that standalone security systems might miss. By unifying these tools, XDR enhances both:
- Threat detection and
- Response through shared visibility across environments, creating a seamless flow of information.
Key Components of XDR for Threat Hunting
Threat Hunting Assessments
Threat hunting assessments form the basis of XDR's proactive strategy. These assessments let network security teams do deep dives across many data sources spotting signs of compromise (IOCs) and long-term threats (APTs) that might slip by unnoticed. By doing regular threat hunts, XDR takes a proactive stand against possible threats cutting down the chance of attacks going undetected. This approach helps organizations with complex or spread-out IT setups where unknown weak spots are common.
Real-Time Threat Detection and Analysis
Real-time analysis is key to spotting and dealing with threats. Real-time threat detection spots threats as they pop up, while XDR's analytics give deep insights into what each threat is about. Security teams can look at threats as they happen, figure out how bad they could be, and take quick action to stop or neutralize them. This on-the-spot detection and analysis also helps in spotting and responding to incidents by showing critical security events that need immediate attention.
Unified XDR Platform for Centralized Management
One of XDR's best features is its unified central management platform. XDR platforms integrate security products into an overall platform, from where teams can conduct threat investigations and take response actions from a single interface. This means that centralization has reduced complexity while increasing visibility to give faster incident response times that is more aligned and cohesive in nature. With a unified platform, security teams can track and manage threats holistically, thereby achieving a streamlined process of detection and analysis that builds a better security posture in the long run.
Role of XDR in Threat Detection and Analysis
A key advantage of XDR lies in its ability to streamline threat detection through enhanced visibility and powerful analytics. XDR continuously monitors data sources across endpoints, network traffic, and even cloud activity to detect hidden patterns and anomalies that may indicate malicious activity. This threat visibility and analytics is crucial for threat hunting teams, as it allows them to detect subtle indicators that may precede a larger attack.
In traditional setups, threat detection often involves time-consuming manual analysis. Automated threat detection within XDR accelerates this process by instantly flagging suspicious patterns, allowing security teams to intervene promptly. The use of anomaly detection as part of incident response procedures and controls further strengthens this capability. By using XDR, security teams gain real-time insights and predictive intelligence, enabling them to detect and mitigate potential threats before they can cause damage.
Unlock Advanced Threat Defense with Fidelis Elevate
- MSSP-Managed Security Solutions
- Cyber Terrain Mapping & Threat Intelligence
- Deception Technology Integration
- SOC Threat Prevention Strategies
Anomaly Detection with XDR: Finding the Needle in the Haystack
XDRs can enable security teams to catch and neutralize threats at a pace and level of accuracy, which was previously considered unimaginable, with the implementation of anomaly detection, behavioral analytics, and contextual intelligence.
Signature-based approaches and traditional methods are left out because anomaly detection methods utilize machine learning to set baseline normal behavior in network and endpoint activity as well as for user activity.
The primary way this baseline catches anomalous activity early is an effectively proactive method for identifying a threat.
1. User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)
Anomaly detection is the core element of XDR, which monitors user and device baseline behaviors for detecting unusual activities. For example, if a user account that typically accesses only marketing files suddenly tries to access sensitive financial data at odd hours, UEBA within XDR would flag this as an anomaly, enabling early identification of potential insider threats or compromised accounts.
Example: An employee who usually logs in during business hours accesses sensitive payroll data at midnight. XDR detects this unusual access pattern and triggers an alert, allowing security teams to investigate further.
2. Network Anomaly Detection
XDR leverages machine learning to analyze network traffic patterns, helping identify unusual activity that could signal a compromise. Attackers often establish covert communication channels or use uncommon protocols to avoid detection, but XDR can identify anomalies such as beaconing behavior or irregular data transfers, even over encrypted channels.
Example: A server begins regular communication with an unfamiliar external IP, which could signify a Command-and-Control (C2) connection. XDR flags this as a potential threat, alerting the SOC team to an advanced attack.
3. Endpoint Anomaly Detection
With XDR, anomaly detection extends to endpoint processes, file activities, and system interactions. If Microsoft Word suddenly spawns a PowerShell script—possibly indicating a macro-based attack—XDR detects this behavior and raises an alert. This approach allows XDR to proactively identify potential exploits or lateral movement within the network.
Example: An attacker hijacks a legitimate system process like explorer.exe to execute malicious code. XDR identifies unusual memory access patterns and alerts the security team, stopping the attack before it progresses further.
Advanced Behavioral Analytics: How to Recognize Attacker Tactics with XDR
Beyond anomaly detection, XDR employs behavioral analytics to detect activity patterns resembling known attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). By referencing frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, XDR recognizes these malicious behavior patterns, even when no direct indicators of compromise (IoCs) are present.
1. MITRE ATT&CK-Based Threat Hunting
XDR references the MITRE ATT&CK framework to detect common tactics like credential dumping or privilege escalation, raising alerts when it observes chains of activity that resemble known techniques.
Example: An attacker escalates privileges by injecting code into a trusted system process, followed by an attempt to dump credentials from lsass.exe. XDR identifies this behavior as matching a known attack pattern, prompting immediate investigation.
2. Threat Actor Profiling and Behavioral Signatures
Some behavioral analytics tools within XDR go a step further by correlating behaviors across different network zones, endpoints, and user accounts. This correlation enables XDR to detect complex attack patterns associated with specific Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups.
Example: An APT group frequently uses spear-phishing to gain entry, followed by lateral movement and data exfiltration. XDR detects this familiar pattern within the organization, identifying the attack early even if the group uses new tactics.
In this datasheet, you’ll find how Fidelis Elevate® works with:
- Correlation
- Contextual Analytics
- Automation
How to Get Enhanced Incident Response with XDR?
1. Simplifying Incidents Detection and Response
A centralized XDR platform simplifies and streamlines incident detection and response workflows. Security teams get a holistic view of incidents as they unfold and can therefore identify and triage critical incidents more quickly.
Automation in XDR promotes incident detection and response through quick isolation of threats, containment, and reducing the impact of incidents.
For instance, this XDR on incident response automates ordinary tasks to accelerate the response to the action. Suppose anomaly detection flags a network endpoint to show a threat in this case; XDR will initiate an automated response, for instance, isolating the affected system to ensure it won’t make lateral movements during further examination by the security team.
2. Prompt Incident Investigation and Containment
The success of an incident response detection and analysis effort will depend on the pace and depth of its incident investigation. XDR threat investigation capability provides a quick study into the root causes of an incident by providing all the data in one place.
Threat hunting with XDR allows the security analyst to conduct full, detailed investigations, ascertain the full breadth of the incident, and put in place containment measures quickly.
This fast detection and response to an incident are imperative to avoid further damage and yet another attacks.
3. Anomaly Detection Within the Incident Response
Anomaly detection is part of incident response within XDR. Rather than traditional solutions that track only known attack signatures, XDR uses behavior analytics to detect anomalies rather than the baseline activities.
This anomaly detection component of incident response procedure and controls enable XDR to detect new or unknown attack TTPs. After an anomaly has been detected, XDR can send an alert, initiate an investigation, or even isolate affected systems to prevent escalation. Through its deviation real-time identification, XDR provides protection that is highly effective against zero-day threats and sophisticated attacks.
Key Benefits of XDR in Threat Hunting and Incident Response
The XDR capabilities give the platform the strength that gives the organizations the following improvements:
- More comprehensive threat visibility: It aggregates telemetry from various sources, thus providing a holistic view of the security landscape and allows for comprehensive detection across users, endpoints, and networks.
- Rapid incident response by using automation in XDR, which greatly reduces dwell time and associated damage.
- Advanced threat detection: By means of advanced technologies including anomaly detection, UEVA, and behavioral analytics, the companies have a chance to identify and eliminate weak indicators of attacks, thereby augmenting the otherwise unnoticed by conventional security solutions.
XDR is the next big thing in cybersecurity, emerging from the need to tackle the surging threats we all are facing today. It provides increased visibility into possible threats, automated detection, and a centralized incident response platform, all with the goal of making security operations more effective.
For security teams looking to keep one step ahead, XDR provides the capabilities they need to identify, contain, and neutralize threats in virtually any environment.
It’s all about making your security efforts more on point and efficient, so you can focus on what really matters.
Why Fidelis Elevate Is Your Go-To XDR Solution?
Elevate XDR Fidelis is a top security ally. Its visibility into your networks and endpoints and your cloud environment enables you to detect as well as respond to any sophisticated threats at unbelievable speed with precision.
Advanced threat hunting
- Reveal those hidden threats using advanced analytics and machine learning.
- Gain insight into attacker behavior to better proactively hunt for the threats.
- Faster threat detection and incident response with Built-In Detection Rules
See the Bigger Picture:
- Rich telemetry data gives you a 360-degree view of your security landscape
- Cross-correlate data and events from multiple security domains to uncover hidden connections
- Visualize attack chains to see how threats flow
Advanced Threat Detection
- Detect the full range of unknown threats-from fileless attacks to lateral movement
- Identify anomalies through advanced behavioral analytics
- Prioritize alerts based on criticality to identify the most significant dangers to your organization.
What's in it for You?
- Neutralize threats before they can cause damage.
- Always be ahead of the curve on emerging threats by constantly monitoring.
- Identify and contain security incidents quickly.
- Speed up incident investigation and remediation.
- Improve your security posture with advanced threat detection and response capabilities.
- Ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards.
Are you ready to take your security to the next level? Get in touch with us today and discover how Fidelis Elevate XDR can help keep your systems clean.
Frequently Ask Questions
How does XDR help in enhancing the management of incident response?
XDR enhances detection and analysis in incident response by centralizing data collection and analysis. This allows organizations to stay ahead of potential cyber threats, automate threat detection, reduce the time to respond to incidents, improve threat intelligence in XDR, and enhance collaboration capabilities among security teams.
What is Extended Detection and Response (XDR)?
XDR is an umbrella for combining different forms of detection including endpoint, network, email, and cloud in a singular solution. This would greatly increase the visibility into all sorts of threats such as the advanced cyber threat types; automate detection; real-time incident response in general that will enable proactive and competent management of sophisticated security risks.
In what way does threat hunting differ from incident response?
A hunt is proactive in nature, aimed at detecting threats that are hiding deep within the network before they escalate into a security breach. In contrast, incident response is inherently reactive in nature and, therefore, is mostly on responding to and managing the security breaches after they occur.
What threats can XDR help discover?
XDR can discover nearly all types of threats, such as advanced attacks – including ransomware, fileless malware, and multistage attacks that most security solutions do not catch. This would provide organizations with panoramic protection across their entire security landscape.
