Developing a defensive strategy against an evolving barrage of sophisticated cybersecurity threats is no small task. 2022 saw a record number of phishing attacks, with ransomware and average target figures reaching all-time highs.
Once, layered security models were the go-to solution, accounting for protection, prevention and detection, forming a seemingly holistic, comprehensive and sustainable cybersecurity strategy. But times have changed – quickly.
About one in nine malware attacks penetrate layered security defenses, and with the average lifespan of a malware sample dropping from 2.3 days to 1.7 days, threat prevention and detection solutions are facing new breeds of malware attacks daily.
In essence, traditional preventive medicine for cybersecurity strategies will no longer suffice. An intuitive yet combative line of defense requires accepting harsh truths: a small percentage of attacks will circumvent existing security protocols. Comprehensive threat detection and response is an absolute must.
Prevention is safe; active response is resolution
In its 2022 State of Cybersecurity Report, ISACA found that 69 percent of cybersecurity professionals believe their organisation’s cybersecurity team is understaffed, creating unmatched demand for specialised expertise and major strain on in-house IT teams.
The ideal cybersecurity strategy needs to incorporate 24/7/365 threat monitoring and response solutions that not only help organisations identify an attack and its scope, but also enable them to respond rapidly enough to mitigate the threat before it makes an impact.
But having an internally managed Security Operations Centre (SOC) with such intensive scope requires a budget, manpower, infrastructure, and technical expertise — something most organisations are unable to afford, manage, or even conceive.
This is when managed detection and response comes into play: a responsive environment monitored round the clock by an outsourced SOC manned by security analysts ready with the playbooks and automation processes needed to battle a threat in real time.
Let’s dive into how security models have evolved over the years to eventually achieving the finest balance in managed extended detection and response.
Endpoint detection and response (EDR)
One of the most dated defense and response methodologies is endpoint detection and response, which, as its name suggests, automates responses to threats on endpoints. But for threats in which the initial attack vectors are vulnerabilities, remote access or VPN-enabled, EDR loses steam since it only identifies and responds to threats on the endpoint.
Managed security service providers (MSSPs)
To address the limitations of EDR, managed security service providers (MSSPs) enter the scene. MSSPs did something right by bolstering their solution suites with managed services including vulnerability scanning and management, risk and threat modeling, penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, firewall management and security audits. Only, it may have been a bit too much for organisations whose sole requirements are integrating threat detection and response solutions into their infrastructures. This leads to the next step in the evolution: managed detection and response (MDR).
Managed detection and response (MDR): A cost-effective approach
MDR was an instant hit with organisations with smaller IT and cybersecurity teams – because it was the most cost-effective way for cybersecurity vendors to merge software solutions with manpower. However, a defensive strategy is only as good as its sum, and MDR solutions with traditional endpoint and network detection capabilities were falling short in the face of a rapidly evolving threat landscape.
Managed extended detection and response (Managed XDR): A holistic solution
Finally, the answer to the evolving security landscape arrives in the form of managed extended detection and response (Managed XDR). The fully realised managed extended detection and response solution enables organisations to reap all the benefits of MDR with the “extended” aspect of it denoting extensive monitoring capabilities, with the scope accounting for the entire enterprise including cloud-based platforms, cloud infrastructure, SaaS applications and data, IoT, and OT.
Managed XDR also allows the benefits of MDR, i.e., faster mean time to detection, faster mean time to response, and cost-effective offloading of detection and response to a dedicated SOC and analyst team, to be holistically effective with its wider scope. And it doesn’t have to mean a total overhaul of your security environment. Open, managed XDR platforms will work with any security tools, whilst delivering all the detection and response benefits of an end-to-end solution. This ensures organisations can choose best in class point solutions, while futureproofing them with the flexibility to change tools as the landscape evolves.
Lastly, Managed XDR delivers faster, more effective automated response, and a unified approach to monitoring and response that accounts for every aspect of the organisation’s environment.
Looking ahead
Threat actors don’t sleep. Initial attack vectors through vulnerabilities, phishing, remote access and social engineering can severely compromise an organisation’s system.
Many organisations lack the necessary resources to efficiently create, construct, staff, and sustain a comprehensive Security Operations Center (SOC) at a reasonable cost. However, any organisation can achieve the same level of accessibility as a 24/7/365 SOC with managed services and advanced detection technology that incorporates the latest advancements in threat detection.
Managed XDR ensures that the entire organisation is under careful watch for threats, and that all threat actors are met with responsive action, neutralised and remediated.
