XDR: The Solution to Block All Attacks

XDR: A Technology We Need Today

To adapt to the volume, velocity, and variety of data, Extended Detection and Response (XDR) technologies are necessary to collect and process security data across hybrid IT environments. SIEM has been doing this for several years, but marketers have coined a new term: XDR, which is similar to SIEM (in fact, it’s the same thing). Furthermore, since EDRs are unable to process data outside of endpoints—specifically Windows and Linux—XDR makes it clear that data sources will be sought beyond these endpoints. XDR is therefore the natural evolution of EDR.

XDR Definition: What Is Extended Detection and Response?

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is a new, holistic approach to threat detection and response that provides comprehensive protection against cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and malicious activity. According to Gartner, XDR is “a SaaS-based security threat detection and incident response tool that natively integrates multiple security products into a cohesive security platform that unifies all components.” In fact, this is nothing new, as it is essentially the work of a SIEM, to which endpoint, Windows, and Linux log data have been added to justify this new term.

The Main Benefits of Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

XDR thus enables a company to go beyond standard detection controls by providing a comprehensive and simplified view of threats across the entire technology landscape. XDR delivers actionable threat intelligence in real time for better and faster results. Here are the three main benefits of Extended Detection and Response (XDR):

• Improving protection, detection, and response capabilities
• Improving Employee Productivity
• Reduced total cost of ownership for effective detection and response to security threats.

The XDR solution promises to consolidate multiple products into a single, coherent, and unified platform for detecting and responding to security incidents.

What is the difference between XDR and traditional SIEM?

Traditional SIEMs are a central component of the technological tools usedin security operations centers (SOCs). They collect log data from dozens or hundreds of security tools, correlate it, and generate meaningful alerts. While traditional SIEMs are limited in their detection capabilities, “next-generation” SIEMs are enhanced withUEBA and threat intelligence. In such cases, they can prove to be more effective than XDR solutions. As you can see, the line between modern SIEMs and XDR is a fine one.

To put it simply, an XDR system is generally also equipped with EDR, and in that case, it is capable of performing immediate remediation. But keep in mind that SIEMs—such as Reveelium, for example—are also capable of performing remediation.

What a bunch of jargon! The cybersecurity industry has always made a field that’s actually simple seem more complicated:

– The more data we collect from different sources (SIEM or XDR), the better the protection,

– Incident remediation can be performed by on-site agents (EDRs)

– Incident management is often associated with a SOAR (we'll discuss this further in another post)

Above all, let’s remember that the best protection comes from a combination of different detection mechanisms: correlation, UEBA, and threat intelligence. And in this area, marketing promises are rarely kept these days.

What is the connection between XDR and SIEM?

XDR can complement traditional SIEMs by adding certain capabilities they lack:

Interaction with security tools: not only to gather data on events, but also to activate defensive capabilities to address those events (remediation).

What is the difference between EDR and XDR?

XDR is a logical evolution of endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions into a primary incident response tool. Before discussing the differences between these two solutions, let’s take a look at their similarities:

EDR vs. XDR: Key Similarities

Both EDR and XDR solutions are designed to replace traditional, reactive approaches to cybersecurity. As a result, EDR and XDR solutions are similar in several ways, including:

Preventive Approach :

Traditional security solutions often focus on detecting and remediating active threats. EDR and XDR solutions aim to prevent security incidents by collecting in-depth data and applying data analysis and threat intelligence to identify threats before they occur.

Rapid Response to Threats :

Both EDR and XDR support automated threat detection and response. This enables an organization to minimize the cost, impact, and damage caused by a cyberattack by preventing it or responding to it quickly.

Threat hunting : Threat hunting enables proactive security by allowing analysts to identify and address potential security issues before they are exploited by an attacker. EDR and XDR provide in-depth visibility and easy access to data, which facilitates threat hunting efforts.

EDR vs. XDR: Key Differences

Despite their similarities, EDR and XDR take different approaches to cybersecurity. Here are two of the main differences between EDR and XDR:

The goal: EDR focuses on endpoint protection, providing in-depth visibility and threat prevention for a specific device. XDR, on the other hand, takes a broader view, incorporating not only endpoint security but also cloud security, email security, and other solutions. Just like SIEM.

Solution Integration: EDR solutions can provide “best-in-class” protection for endpoints, and an organization may be able to manually integrate them with a set of point solutions. XDR is designed to provide integrated threat visibility and management within a single solution, thereby significantly simplifying an organization’s security architecture.

How does this differ from managed detection and response (MDR)?

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is endpoint security “as a service.” This service manages EDR security technologies for organizations, including detection and response. The service’s activities typically include:

• Continuous monitoring
• Threat hunting
• Threat and Alert Prioritization (SOAR)
• Managed Investigation Services
• Guided Response
• Managed Remediation

The main advantage of an MDR is that it enables organizations to quickly identify threats and mitigate their impact without the need for additional in-house staff. This is particularly important given the global shortage of highly skilled cybersecurity professionals and the resulting skills gap, especially when it comes to protecting cloud-based systems and assets.

EDR, MDR, XDR: A Summary

EDR is the core tool for monitoring and detecting threats on Windows and Linux endpoints. EDR is an evolution of antivirus software. While antivirus software remains essential, it now detects only 4% of attack techniques. EDR covers just over 40% of Mitre attack technique detection. This solution relies on software agents or sensors installed on endpoints to capture data. This data is then sent to a centralized platform for analysis.

MDR is essentially EDR purchased as a service. This service manages endpoint security and focuses on mitigating, eliminating, and remediating threats with a dedicated and experienced security team.

XDR extends the capabilities of EDR to protect more than just endpoints and collect data from firewalls, proxies, DNS, and other sources. The XDR solution “extends” across the entire infrastructure, streamlining the ingestion, analysis, and flow of security data across all of an organization’s security tools to improve visibility into hidden and advanced threats and unify the response.

XDR then functions as a SIEM. When purchased as a managed service, the XDR solution also provides access to experts with extensive experience in threat hunting, threat intelligence, and analysis.

Which solution should your organization choose?

Every organization has different IT security needs. While security is essential, it is important to choose a security tool that provides the right level of protection based on the company’s risk profile.

Choose the EDR solution if your organization

• wants to improve its security posture and the security of its endpoints beyond what antivirus software provides.
• has an Infosec team capable of responding to alerts and recommendations generated by the EDR solution
• is in the early stages of developing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and aims to lay the groundwork for a scalable security architecture.

Choose the MDR or MSSP solution if your organization

• does not have a cybersecurity team
• does not have a mature detection and response program capable of quickly addressing advanced threats using existing tools or resources.
• wants to bring in new skills and gain experience without hiring additional staff
• strives to address skills gaps within the IT team or to attract highly qualified and specialized talent
• wants protection that will allow them to stay up to date on the latest threats targeting organizations.

Choose XDR or next-generation SIEM if your organization

• wants to improve early threat detection
• wants to accelerate analysis, investigation, and cross-domain threat hunting from a single console
• suffers from alert fatigue in a disconnected or siloed security architecture
• wants to improve its response time to security alerts and threats
• wants to improve the return on investment for all of its security tools.

To understand the varying detection capabilities of different technologies, a study sheds more light on the subject: Who comes out on top? The rankings—based on the MITRE matrix—of the best protection technologies

In conclusion, the solution that offers the highest level of protection is still the implementation of a SIEM UEBA TH with an EDR.

Discover the ITrust XDR Solution

With 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, ITrust offers you a unified XDR solution capable of covering 90% of the threats in the MITRE Attack Framework. As a result, your teams become more effective and efficient. Prevent, detect, and respond to advanced threats through automation, machine learning, and threat intelligence.