SIEM adoption is on everyone’s lips nowadays. It is a hot trending topic that has seized the world by storm and fortifies cybersecurity standards and gives businesses simple, dynamic innovative solutions to their issues. In the field of computer security, where services, software, data, and dozens of other elements are constantly in danger, SIEM software and protocol are critical. But, what exactly is it? How does it work? What are its benefits? And why should you adopt one?
What is SIEM?
SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management. That acronym is a tool in the ever-expanding field of computer security. In essence, a software/platform of this type provides real-time analysis of security threats, alerts, and intrusion generated by Apps or network hardware.
The software works by collecting info and log data generated between app, secure device, and host system — and then, bringing all that massive amount of data into a single centralized platform. For example, let’s take our email service — the most common one is Google. Each time we log into it, we generate data, and, to a degree, we expose ourselves to an attack by cybercriminals. Google needs to know, to better safeguard its product and your information, if some villain tried to intersect or corrupt that entry point. This was rather simple when the only way you could enter your mail was through a computer, using a landline or cable. Now it’s a bit more complex.
Why? Because there are dozens of ways we can enter our mail. We can use an App – the official one, in Google’s case Gmail, or the one provided by our smartphone. We can also access Google’s mainframe through Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer. Not only that, we can access it through our laptop, smartphone, our friend’s computer, our MacBook from the office, an old PC we borrowed at an internet cafe, and/our tablet. On top of that, we also have to take into account the internet connection — are you using a secured WiFi or the one provided by your cell company? Are we piggybacking off Starbucks WiFi? Are we on a cruise ship using their internet connection? Or in a hotel room using theirs? And, to add a bit more complexity to the issue, what about the provider? Mint, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Movistar, etc. And, wait, what about the hardware employed for that connection? The modem? The fiber optic cables? The cellphone towers. Each entry point is fraught with danger because it gives hackers a medium where they can attack you. Google can guarantee your safety as soon as you enter their fortress, but access to it is someone else’s responsibility.
So, continuing with that example, you could be accessing your account using your cellphone’s Gmail App, on a dock in Jamaica – when you got off a cruise ship and hooked up to the first open WiFi – employing a tattered modem from the late 2007s, which itself uses fiber optic cables that have seen better days, and the feed is being spring-boarded all around the island on cellphone towers with years of decay — and the whole infrastructure was last updated during Obama’s inaugural speech.
SIEM collects all those entry points into one cohesive centralized hub and analyses each — and flags when one is acting strange. This alerts the SOC team so they can implement strategies to safeguard the data you’re accessing.
What do SIEM services manage?
- Log management.
- Security information.
- Security events.
Examples of alerts detected by SIEM software.
- Brute force attacks and password guessing (Repeat attack login source).
- Early warning scans of worms, Trojans, and other viruses.
- Repeated firewall attacks.
- Repeated network intrusions.
- Protecting hosts in an “infected” or “compromised” environment.
- Malware, virus, and spyware detection and removal.
Why consider getting SIEM management for your company?
You now know how SIEM works, and what it will prevent, now let’s talk about the benefits of having a team managing it.
Software that avoids and alerts
How many channels and ways can a staff member or employee access your company’s data? How many entry points do you have? For that matter how are your employees getting into your mainframe? SIEM software and its solutions monitor every one of these doors.
Quick access to a skilled cybersecurity team
With SIEM software management, you also get a rapid response team. SIEM automizes certain tasks — like virus removal and prevention. BUT every-so-often, if the attack is too sophisticated, it merely barricades the entry point and alerts the experts. When this happens a SOC team is deployed to retaliate and counterattack. To find out more about how it works, visit this website.
24/7 monitoring
SIEM audits and analyses your network’s activity 24/7 all year round. It never takes a break.
SIEM optimization
Managing and getting the best out of your software is hard. SIEM is a complex software that needs a lot of fine-tuning. You’ll need an experienced team that can configure it accordingly and adapt it to your needs.
More affordable
Managed SIEM is more affordable and it reduces the cost of acquiring and training in-house security resources.
A Managed SIEM?
Protecting your company’s digital assets is a grueling job and one that constantly, daily, needs to be tweaked and adjusted to meet the demands of today’s highly invasive cybernated atmosphere. Cyberattacks are on the rise and, as we continue to allow greater access to our mainframes, we expose ourselves more to them.
Our consumers, our staff, and our shareholders demand innovative solutions and automated software that makes interacting with you a pleasurable experience. We are talking about multiple apps, software, platforms, content managing software, business communication platforms. Each time you add one, you need to update your SIEM and your protocols. Just think back on how many apps, third-party at that, that you are using right now to optimize your business — Slack, Zoom, Mails, Sheets, and dozens more. Those alone, have access to critical intel. Now, on top of that, add all we’ve discussed. WiFi; Your employees on vacation in Eastern Europe; fishy downloads on sketchy sites and you have a recipe for disaster –. SIEM management prevents that.