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Where SIEM Misses, TMDR Steps In

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Many dealers use Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions to manage their cybersecurity risk. While helpful in understanding some of your cybersecurity risks - assuming your SIEM is digesting the right log files -- it lacks the sophistication of modern cybersecurity solutions that provide both reactive and proactive managed detection and response. For dealers, SIEM solutions may help check the box on compliance, in practice though - due to its technical limitations - it lacks the ability to provide a true MDR solution.

See What Mackenzie Brown, VP of Security Has to Say

Watch a 3-minute video on why there are more proactive strategies than SIEM for a more proactive cybersecurity approach.
 
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Let's start by discussing what a SIEM is.

SIEM or Security Information and Event Management systems stand at the forefront of modern security infrastructure, acting as the nucleus of analysts' operations. By amalgamating data from various sources within an organization's ecosystem, these systems gather, process, and analyze information to detect security incidents and uphold compliance standards. Serving as a consolidated view of an organization's cybersecurity well-being, SIEM is widely recognized as an indispensable tool for navigating intricate cybersecurity landscapes and orchestrating effective responses.

Understanding SIEM: Its Capabilities and Limitations

CAPABILITIES LIMITATIONS
  • Log Aggregation, Analysis, and Storage - The ability to aggregate data from multiple sources, correlate this information to detect patterns or anomalies, and efficiently store it for future analysis is crucial.
  • Threat Detection - Detection and response are critical parts of a SIEM, serving to alert security analysts of events in their environment.
  • Identification of Known Threats - Threat detection on SIEMs is often focused on known bad behavior such as malware, signatures, and indicators of compromise (IoCs). This activity easily triggers alerts based on volumetric changes in the environment’s behavior.
  • Dashboards & Reporting - SIEMs make it easy for analysts to intuitively understand and interact with stored data.
  • Log Accessibility - SIEMs serve as a system of record to support forensic analysis post-breach. This allows analysts to review what has happened and potentially identify root causes.
  • Compliance Reporting - Insurance providers and compliance auditors engage with risk analysts to utilize SIEM to understand where customers comply with the various frameworks – CMMC, HIPAA, CIS and others.
  • Catching the Unknown in Time - Because SIEMs process alerts after event correlation is complete, there is often a noticeable delay in alerts, leading to successful threat actor behavior. In addition, true positives can get drowned out by the high volume of alerts.
  • Requires Large Amounts of Configuration and Management - SIEMs require ongoing support to ensure: Your data sources are configured; Data is flowing (Data Feed fidelity is key); Alerts and actions based off the analysis are set up correctly.
  • Data Dependency and Cost Concerns - Although SIEMs enable comprehensive attack analysis, their effectiveness hinges on complete data access. However, the cost of storing every log can become prohibitive due to pricing models that escalate quickly with increased storage.
  • Dependent on Additional Security Tools - SIEMs often have to use other security tools to ‘clean’ and reduce the amount of data that must be sent into the SIEM, increasing businesses’ spending on security stack tools.

Our Thoughts for Dealers

While SIEM systems provide significant capabilities in log management, they are insufficient for dealer’ security. Traditional SIEM-based Managed Detection and Response (MDR) services often fall short in several areas:

  • Delayed Alerts: SIEMs can have substantial delays in alert generation, hindering real-time threat response.
  • Manual Intervention: Effective response often requires manual intervention, complicating the coordination across different tools and systems.
  • Complex Threat Detection: Many SIEMs struggle to identify advanced or sophisticated threats, leading to a high volume of alerts and a substantial number of false positives.

Instead, we advocate for a holistic approach that seamlessly integrates the powerful detection and alerting features of what we call True MDR. Our innovative solutions are crafted to not only ensure compliance and detect advanced threats but also deliver real-time, automated responses that cater to the needs of dealers with efficiency and effectiveness.