SIEM, Log Management and Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

SIEM, Log Management and Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

What is SIEM?

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) is a set of tools and services that provide a comprehensive picture of an organization’s information security. 

SIEM works by integrating two technologies: 

1. Security Information Management (SIM), which gathers data from log files for analysis and reporting on security risks and events.
2. Security Event Management (SEM), which monitors systems in real-time, alerts network administrators of critical concerns, and develops correlations between security events. 

How does SIEM work?

SIEM tools work by gathering event and log data created by host systems, applications, and security devices, such as antivirus filters and firewalls throughout a company’s infrastructure and bringing that data together on a centralized platform. The SIEM tools identify and sort the data into categories such as successful and failed logins, malware activity, and other likely malicious activity.

The SIEM software then generates security alerts when it identifies potential security issues. Using a set of predefined rules, organizations can set these alerts as a low or high priority. For instance, a user account that generates 25 failed login attempts in 25 minutes could be flagged as suspicious but still be set at a lower priority because the login attempts were probably made by the user who had probably forgotten his login information. However, a user account that generates 130 failed login attempts in five minutes would be flagged as a high-priority event because it’s most likely a brute-force attack in progress.

Why is SIEM important?

SIEM is important because it makes it easier for enterprises to manage security by filtering massive amounts of security data and prioritizing the security alerts the software generates.

SIEM software enables organizations to detect incidents that may otherwise go undetected. The software analyzes the log entries to identify signs of malicious activity. In addition, since the system gathers events from different sources across the network, it can recreate the timeline of an attack, enabling a company to determine the nature of the attack and its impact on the business.

A SIEM system can also help an organization meet compliance requirements by automatically generating reports that include all the logged security events among these sources. Without SIEM software, the company would have to gather log data and compile the reports manually.

A SIEM system also enhances incident management by enabling the company’s security team to uncover the route an attack takes across the network, identify the sources that were compromised, and provide automated tools to prevent the attacks in progress.

What is Log Management?

Log management is a term that encompasses all of the actions and procedures involved in generating, collecting, centralizing, parsing, transmitting, storing, archiving, and disposing of vast amounts of computer-generated log data. Log management tools are used to handle any logs created by apps, systems, networks, software, or users, and to deal with them in whichever way best meets the needs of a business. Log management is a major issue not just among system administrators and security operations professionals, but also among developers. This is due to the growing usage of logs for security, performance optimization, and troubleshooting purposes across various IT sectors and job types.

Importance of Log Management

The use of centralized event log management is necessary since it enables fast detection and analysis of issues as they arise. Gather and examine logs enable users to know how the systems are intended to work regularly, and they can respond when something out of the ordinary occurs. Because these logs are the first line of defense against any anomalies. Therefore, log management allows them to take a more precise and methodical approach to their work.

How does Log Management work?

Organizations would be able to optimize each log search using filters and categorization tags if they use a log management solution. They should also be able to see raw logs, run extensive and detailed searches, and compare several queries at the same time.

Network Traffic Analysis

NTA can be defined as analyzing raw network packet traffic or traffic flows in real-time or near real-time with the ability to monitor and analyze north and south traffic as it crosses the perimeter as well as east and west traffic as it moves laterally throughout the network.

Importance of Network Traffic Analysis

Implementing a system that can constantly monitor network traffic provides you with the knowledge you need to optimize network performance, reduce your attack surface, increase security, and improve in managing resources. However, simply understanding how to monitor network traffic is insufficient. Consider the data sources for your network monitoring tool as well; two of the most popular are flow data (obtained from devices such as routers) and packet data (from SPAN, mirror ports, and network TAPs).

How does Network Traffic Analysis work?

Network Traffic Analysis is the process of intercepting, recording, and analyzing network traffic communication patterns in order to discover and respond to security risks.

What do we provide?

Our expertise extends to SIEM, Log Management, and Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) to enable your organization to centrally collect data across the entire network environment. Gain real-time visibility into activity for maximum security for your organization.