SIEM and UEBA: A Match Made in Cybersecurity Heaven
02.06.2023
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Every cybersecurity professional knows how challenging it is to keep up with the ever-changing threats that target their organization.
They also know how crucial it is to monitor and analyze the behavior of users and entities on their network, as they can be the source or target of these threats.
This is where SIEM and UEBA come into play. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the role of SIEM and UEBA in your cybersecurity strategy.
SIEM and UEBA are complementary solutions that can work together to provide a comprehensive view of network activity and enhance the threat detection and response capabilities of cybersecurity teams. By integrating SIEM and UEBA, organizations can benefit from:
SIEM provides raw data from various sources, while UEBA enriches it with contextual information and behavioral insights.
SIEM supplies the rules and correlations to identify known threats, while UEBA provides machine learning and statistical models to identify unknown or emerging threats.
SIEM provides the alerts and notifications to inform cybersecurity teams of security issues, while UEBA produces the risk scores and evidence to prioritize and investigate them.
SIEM delivers the log management and reporting capabilities to support forensic analysis and compliance requirements, while UEBA provides the user profiles and timelines to support root cause analysis and remediation actions.
SIEM and UEBA integration can help cybersecurity teams detect different types of threats. For each type of threat, SIEM and UEBA integration can provide the following.
Excessive data access or downloads
Unusual login times or locations
Failed login attempts or password resets
Privilege escalations or unauthorized access
Accessing data or systems that are different from normal or peer behavior patterns
Transferring data using encryption or steganography techniques
Logging in from a new or unusual location or device
Exhibiting signs of disgruntlement, dissatisfaction, coercion, or manipulation
A risk score and evidence for each alert based on severity and frequency of the events and anomalies
A user profile and timeline for each alert that shows the user’s activity and behavior patterns over time
A root cause analysis and remediation actions for each alert that shows possible sources and methods of the threat and best ways to prevent or mitigate it
To illustrate the benefits and effects of UEBA and SIEM working together, let’s look at some real-life examples.
Insider threats pose significant security challenges for organizations because they involve trusted individuals with authorized access to sensitive data and systems. Effectively detecting insider threats requires continuous monitoring and analysis of user behavior, as well as their interactions with data and systems.
SIEM plays a crucial role in this process by gathering and correlating data from diverse sources, such as user accounts, access logs, and file activity logs. It employs predefined rules and thresholds to identify suspicious events, like excessive data access or abnormal login times and locations.
However, relying solely on SIEM may not be sufficient to detect all insider threats. Some threats can be subtle and sophisticated, bypassing the predefined rules and thresholds.
For instance, insiders might gain unauthorized access to restricted data or systems. They may also employ encryption or steganography techniques to conceal or extract data.
To address these challenges, UEBA comes into play. By leveraging machine learning and statistical models, UEBA security tools learn the typical behavior patterns of users and their interactions within the network. They can compare current user behavior with historical or peer patterns, allowing them to spot anomalies or deviations.
For example, UEBA can detect when a user attempts to access unfamiliar data or systems beyond their role or function. It can also identify unusual data transfers, communication channels, or protocols.
By integrating SIEM and UEBA, cybersecurity teams gain a comprehensive understanding of user behavior, empowering them to effectively detect insider threats and automate responses.
Credential compromise is a prevalent security issue for organizations, as it allows attackers to gain unauthorized access to critical data and systems. Detecting credential compromise necessitates monitoring and analyzing authentication and authorization events across the network.
SIEM plays a pivotal role in this context by collecting and correlating data from multiple sources, including authentication logs, authorization logs, and identity providers. It employs predefined rules and thresholds to identify suspicious events, such as failed login attempts, password resets, and privilege escalations.
However, relying solely on SIEM security tools might not be sufficient to detect all instances of credential compromise. Some compromises can be stealthy and sophisticated, evading the predefined rules and thresholds.
For example, attackers may exploit valid credentials obtained through phishing or brute force attacks. They might also abuse credentials belonging to low-risk or dormant users or entities.
This is where UEBA proves invaluable. UEBA learns the typical authentication and authorization patterns of users and entities within the network. It compares current events with historical or peer patterns, enabling the detection of anomalies or deviations.
For instance, UEBA solutions can identify logins from unfamiliar or unusual locations or devices. They can also detect access to data or systems that users or entities have never interacted with before or that fall outside their designated roles or functions.
Through the integration of SIEM and UEBA, cybersecurity teams gain a holistic view of authentication and authorization activities, enhancing their ability to detect credential compromise.
Additionally, this integration provides comprehensive information and guidance for prioritizing and investigating each alert, as well as preventing and mitigating future incidents.
Unifying security tools, such as SIEM and UEBA, is a powerful approach that empowers cyber security operations to proactively monitor and analyze user and entity behavior on the network.
At Logsign, we recognize the ever-evolving and sophisticated nature of cyber threats, emphasizing the critical need for a robust cybersecurity solution that unifies and strengthens the defense against such risks.
Our dedicated focus lies in providing comprehensive solutions that enable our clients to fortify their cybersecurity posture. Logsign UEBA is embedded within our SIEM platform, forming an essential and unified security infrastructure.
Through Logsign's unified SIEM solution, organizations can experience the assurance of built-in automated incident management and response, advanced data analytics, and comprehensive UEBA features.
This empowers them to proactively detect and respond to security incidents decisively and in real time, ensuring the continuity of their business operations.
If you are ready to take the first step towards unifying your security tools and embracing the digital landscape with unwavering confidence, we invite you to experience a live demo of Logsign SIEM.
