XDR: Advanced Threat Detection and Instant Response

Anyone who works with network traffic, IT infrastructure of various companies, manufacturing enterprises probably knows how important it is to constantly monitor network security, as well as immediately respond to identified cyber threats. If these works are not given due attention, the subsequent activities of the business may be in great question. Modern cyber wars have reached a new level, carrying extremely serious dangers.

During regular monitoring, the security service can detect uncharacteristic system behavior, changes in the access control policy. Such actions can provoke unexpected traffic flows between third-party web applications and local systems. Such a phenomenon is an early manifestation of an active cyber attack. And if this moment is not overlooked, the security team will have enough time to take appropriate measures and prevent serious consequences.

But it is not possible to notice anomalies, signatures and other manifestations of a network intrusion without special tools. The modern IT technology market offers a number of full-featured solutions aimed at monitoring network security. As a result, companies will be able to monitor network activity and instantly respond to various security incidents.

In today's review, we will take a closer look at such technologies as EDR and XDR. We will get acquainted with what they are and what tasks they are used for, we will identify similarities and differences. We will highlight a number of key advantages of XDR over EDR, which will allow you to be convinced of the prospects of using this solution in practice. We will talk about the main types of XDR. The information presented will help you navigate the advanced technologies in the field of network security and make appropriate adjustments to the methods used, increasing the effectiveness of their work in practice.

Getting to know EDR and XDR technologies

Corporate security is an issue that should occupy a leading position in the work of any business, regardless of its specifics and area of activity. This means that it is in the interests of any company to protect the confidentiality of its own data, as well as all technological devices used in the work process from cyber attacks. Moreover, it is necessary to work ahead of the curve, since attackers are constantly developing and expanding their tools for influencing corporate systems, launching increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect attacks.

In parallel with this, it is impossible to imagine any cybersecurity strategy without an innovative, stable and reliable detection and rapid response system. This is the only way to counter the threat before it gains momentum and causes serious harm to the business. That is, timely response is this is what will ensure increased resistance of your data, reputation and finances to the actions of intruders.

Today, there are 2 key technologies in this area:

1. EDR, that is, detection and response at endpoints.
2. XDR, that is, extended detection and response.

We are talking about innovative technologies, adaptive identification of cyber threats and response to them. They can become a reliable tool in the hands of security service specialists and increase the efficiency of their work. With their help, it will be possible to identify suspicious activity at an early stage, understand where the threat is coming from and take timely measures that will allow you to counter the danger and prevent external impact on the corporate system.

To understand which technology should be used in practice for your business, it is important to be well versed in the features of each solution, its strengths and weaknesses, and areas of use.

Features and advantages of EDR

The main purpose of the EDR system is to monitor and protect individual endpoints on a fairly large scale. With its help, security specialists will be able to quickly identify and respond to suspicious actions, including malicious activity, observed on endpoints. Among the distinctive features and functional capabilities of this technology are:

• Continuous monitoring of endpoints. If anomalies or even minor deviations are detected in the operation of these nodes, the system will immediately notify you about it. This technology involves tracking all endpoints in real time.
• Identification of potential threats. The system constantly collects information at each endpoint, analyzes it, comparing the received figures with those that are typical for stable operation. Thanks to this, potential cyber threats are easily and quickly identified and appropriate measures are taken to minimize, or even completely eliminate damage to the business.
• Rapid response to incidents. In the event that distributed attacks are detected, including DDoS (denial of service), EDR will promptly restore the operability of local systems. This significantly reduces downtime and minimizes potential damage.
• Significant simplification of work with identified cyber threats. With EDR, security personnel will have tools at their disposal that will help quickly move the device that has been maliciously affected to quarantine, carry out recovery without stopping the general operation of the local system.
• Hunting for potential threats. The system is capable of detecting signs of even complex and multi-level cyber attacks, which in most cases remain unnoticed for a fairly long period of time, until the intruders' plan is implemented and the business suffers losses. EDR helps security services identify such incidents and cyber threats at the earliest possible stage, which minimizes potential risks.

As you can see, this tool has quite a wide functionality and will be useful for representatives of various businesses.

Features and advantages of XDR

XDR is a technology that provides advanced tools for detecting threats and responding to them. In this case, the system is able to collect, combine and analyze information received from various security nodes, allowing you to identify potential risks and threats, as well as take timely appropriate measures to avoid harming the local corporate network and the business as a whole. XDR was developed back in 2018 and is an evolution of the EDR platforms we discussed above. The main difference between these solutions is that here we are talking not only about endpoints, but also about collecting data on potential threats from networks, servers, clouds, services, email and many other nodes. All information will be structured and transmitted to security specialists. Thanks to this, they will get a clear picture of the threat landscape that their company is facing.

Among the main functional capabilities of the XDR system, we will highlight:

• Advanced threat detection and response. This is about ensuring a full security stack, providing comprehensive capabilities when working with various cyber threats. Thanks to it, specialists will be able to provide the most effective protection even from complex, multi-stage cyber attacks.
• Providing complete visibility. Specialists will be able to track the overall activity of the system, identify its behavioral factors at any level of the security stack, be it endpoints, cloud applications, identities, email, data, etc. This is what will allow for the most rapid identification of complex cyberattacks literally at the moment of their launch.
• Automatic detection and prompt neutralization of malicious activity. Security service specialists will be able to pre-set the appropriate settings in the system, according to which it will respond to the identified threat without human intervention, thereby stopping the subsequent spread of malicious activity. That is, it is possible to prescribe a sequence of actions that the system will need to perform after it detects certain deviations.
• A single threat investigation and response system. XDR allows you to collect data from various tools, sources, and technologies within a single detection platform. This means that even the smallest deviations from the normal operation of the system will be detected regardless of where the malicious activity was launched.
• Performing a comprehensive data analysis. Security service specialists will be able to create a centralized monitoring panel by connecting an information collection system and analytics from different areas to it. This is what will increase efficiency and speed up response.

Let us repeat that in the case of XDR, security is ensured even beyond endpoints. This is what helps to counter even very complex modern cyber threats, such as those that, unfortunately, classic systems cannot identify. Among other things, this also includes identification of ransomware.

Why is it so important to use EDR and XDR in practice

As your business expands and develops, the number of workplaces increases, organizing the transparency of local corporate networks becomes an increasingly pressing issue. Today, when organizing many works, performing business operations, personal computers, servers, mobile gadgets are actively used. And all this will be extremely susceptible to various malicious effects, digital exploits and other actions that will lead to a fairly serious and large-scale cyber attack. If you do not learn how to promptly identify such threats and respond to them, your business may well face quite serious financial, operational and legal consequences.

Solutions such as EDR and XDR can become the basis for developing advanced strategies in the field of cybersecurity. High efficiency is largely ensured by the ability to adaptively identify various threats, using specialized neural networks. As a result, this tool is able to automatically identify a potential threat and independently respond to it even before the local network suffers from malicious influence.

And here it is time to think about which system will be optimal for your business. Only in this way can you make the most appropriate decision, which will become the basis for the effective work of the security service of your organization. And a significant help at this stage will be provided by comparing the two most advanced technologies, in particular EDR and XDR, identifying their similarities and differences.

Common features and functions of EDR and XDR

Despite the fact that EDR and XDR technologies differ somewhat in their areas of application, as well as their focus, they have quite a lot of similar points that have a positive impact on ensuring high security indicators of local systems. In this case, we are talking about such points as:

1. Threat detection. Both EDR and XDR were originally created to detect cyber threats in an adaptive mode. Among other things, this also applies to the identification of complex hacker attacks.
2. Real-time monitoring. Despite the fact that the scope of protection of both solutions will differ, both options will constantly monitor the activity of the system and its behavioral factors. This is what will help detect a cyber attack in real time.
3. Response to unforeseen situations. Both systems, after detecting potential dangers, can automatically respond to them, stopping the problem literally at the stage of its occurrence. As a result, the time for system recovery is significantly reduced.
4. Implementation of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. In this case, we are talking about generative technology that allows you to instantly identify cyber threats and immediately respond to them. Such systems can be trained. Security service specialists themselves set the markers that EDR and XDR will respond to and indicate what actions they should perform in a given case.

However, these technologies also have a number of fundamental differences that must be taken into account when choosing a system for yourself.

Fundamental differences between EDR and XDR

The focus of EDR and XDR is quite similar and involves adaptive detection of various cyber threats and immediate response to them. However, there are a number of fundamental differences, in particular:

• Detection area. If the activity of EDR systems is aimed at monitoring and protecting end devices in a corporate network, then more advanced and high-tech XDR solutions significantly expand the area of action. Any other levels present in the business security stack are added here, including various applications, devices related to the Internet of Things (IoT), etc.
• Automated tools for responding to potential threats. All EDR systems without exception are equipped with fairly broad functionality in responding to incidents. Thus, they will detect suspicious behavior and isolate the corresponding device. In the case of XDR, the functionality will be much broader, which is due to the work with the entire security stack.
• The volume of collected data. One of the most key differences in these technologies is the compatibility of information sources. In particular, EDR will focus on information received from end devices, while XDR - on absolutely all elements of the corporate system.
• Scalability and adaptability. Given the fact that you can connect XDR systems to multiple layers of the internal security stack of the system at the same time, such solutions will be easier and simpler to scale. They can be easily adapted to the fairly strict requirements that must be met when working with advanced cyber threats.

The Main Advantages of XDR vs. EDR

Now that you understand what EDR and XDR technologies are, and know their similarities and differences, you can highlight the main advantages that are characteristic of advanced detection and response systems. All these features are derivatives of a more extended area of influence, that is, they are associated with the ability to connect not only to endpoints, but also to other layers of the internal security system. So, from the main points that can be attributed to the key advantages of XDR, we will highlight:

• higher visibility of potential cyber threats at different levels of the corporate security system;
• work with a huge number of security domains and, as a result, improved threat detection;
• simpler and more flexible adaptability, scalability;
• simple correlation and obtaining visual information about each incident, which simplifies its investigation;
• high protection against complex hacker attacks, including in the case of ransomware launched by intruders.

I would also like to pay a little attention to more outdated technologies, in particular SIEM and SOAR, because many still confuse them with XDR. But there are still a number of fundamental differences.

In particular, classic SIEM systems are centrally located and receive network security logs, allowing you to detect threats and notify about them. In contrast to this solution, modern XDRs collect and operate a much larger volume of data. They can also perform most of the work automatically. But there is no log management and data storage function that a SIEM system requires. That is, even if you decide to implement XDR in your business, you still cannot do without a basic SIEM system.

SOAR is another technology that can expand the capabilities of classic SIEM systems, in particular in terms of automating actions to respond to various threats. It does not contradict XDR and does not act as its replacement. It is also an addition that would not be superfluous to implement in practice for modern businesses.

At this stage of our review, we can confidently say that XDR, that is, an extended threat detection and response system, is a fairly promising class of solutions aimed at countering complex modern cyberattacks. Such systems combine a large set of tools aimed at analyzing, correlating and normalizing data, extended threat identification and instant response to them in automatic mode. XDR already implements key functions in the field of EDR, UBA/UEBA, SOAR, NDR, SIEM technologies, which turns this tool into an advanced and high-tech solution.

Now let's move directly to getting acquainted with the main varieties of this solution.

Ways to deploy XDR solutions

If you have come to the conclusion that XDR technology will be useful for your business, it's time to get acquainted with the options for its deployment. In particular, today there are 2 possible options:

1. Open XDR, that is, an open method.
2. Native XDR, respectively, native.

Now we will consider both options in a similar way, highlight the main advantages and differences of each of them. This way, you can choose the XDR option that will be most effective for your company.

What is Open XDR

Many experts call Open XDR a hybrid solution, as it is focused on third-party integration using APIs. With their help, information security services will be able to collect relevant data and telemetry from various products and tools to which protection methods have been applied in advance.

Such a solution is completely independent of the vendor, which allows it to be integrated into various security systems, including those released to the market by third-party developers. Here, there is no need to copy and change all those security groups that are currently provided in your organization. Modern Open XDRs can be implemented into an existing base platform. They are ideal for providing centralized management of existing tools.

Among the main advantages characteristic of open XDR systems, we highlight:

• the ability to use those security tools that the business already uses in the work process: additional time and labor costs for performing all related settings and connections are eliminated;
• if certain changes occur in the work of the business that require adjustments to the security systems, then the relevant specialists will be able to quite easily and quickly replace some security tools with others;
• no binding to a single supplier: such systems can be combined, scaled, modified: the flexibility of settings here is very high;
• due to the fact that the open platform will transmit basic and related data directly to the central control panel, the fragmentation of security tools is eliminated: the entire system operates as a single closed mechanism, including in automatic mode mode.

However, along with these advantages, Open XDR also has a number of disadvantages and one of the most significant points here is the difficulty in choosing the right system. In particular, when choosing the right product for you, it is important to make sure that it will implement all the integrations you need. It is also very important that the system option you choose is regularly updated, supplemented, corresponding to the constantly growing cyber threats.

If you analyze all the solutions that are presented on the market today in the context of Open XDR, it becomes clear that the suppliers have simply neglected a number of niche products in the security field. Therefore, before choosing the right option for yourself, it is important to carry out a comprehensive study of the offers presented on the market and make sure that you can integrate them into your own security system without any problems.

Practice shows that platforms based on Open XDR attract more attention from fairly large companies. Those that are looking for best-in-class products that can complement the existing security stack.

What is Native XDR

Native, also known as closed XDR, is a platform that is supplied directly from a specific supplier. In practice, such a solution has found the greatest application directly in organizations where there is a maximally homogeneous IT environment. In this case, it is possible to use other security tools from the same vendor.

One of the most significant advantages of this solution is that security specialists will be relieved of the need to configure all the necessary integrations. In addition, quite convenient tools for automating actions have already been implemented here. This is due to the fact that the so-called "boxed solutions" will be universal when working with other security tools released by the same vendor.

One of the most serious problems that can be encountered in practice when working with Native XDR is that most modern businesses very rarely use security solutions from the same vendor. As a result, in practice there is a need to make appropriate improvements and adjustments, replace a number of existing tools with others. In addition, on such platforms, the ability to implement products from third-party manufacturers may initially be absent. Moreover, attempts to implement this may lead to the fact that the vendor will simply block all these actions. It is also impossible to rule out the possibility of blind spots when working with closed XDR.

All these features allow us to confidently state that native systems in practice are more suitable for small companies, including those with a limited budget for organizing security systems. In this case, relying on offers from one supplier, you can achieve good savings at the stage of technological deployment. But the main thing here is to choose the most reliable service.

Summing up

We hope that all the information that we presented in today's review helped you see how technologically advanced and advanced the XDR technology is in the field of cybersecurity. It combines innovative technical capabilities, as well as modern security tools that detect even very complex attacks at early stages and respond to them automatically.

XDR is devoid of all the limitations in operation that were characteristic of other similar tools, including EDR, SIEM and SOAR, which we also mentioned in our review. It already provides a more comprehensive and comprehensive approach to implementing security. But still, when choosing the most suitable option for yourself, in particular Open XDR or Native XDR, it is important to focus on the specifics and specific needs of the business, the existing security infrastructure.

For larger organizations that use disparate solutions in practice, Open XDR is the best option. It is highly flexible and easy to integrate with a wide range of solutions that are already used by businesses, even if these are products from different vendors. Here, your initial investment in security will not be in vain.

In turn, Native XDR is an option for smaller businesses that work primarily with the same security products. In this case, it will be possible to implement classic boxed solutions, but the choice of tools in the future may be quite limited.

We will not say that XDR is a full-fledged protection of all those technical, hardware solutions in the field of security that modern businesses use, because this is not true. This is a kind of add-on that allows you to work with fairly complex cyber threats and multi-level hacker attacks. That is, XDR is this is only part of a broader and more diverse strategy, and many should definitely think about its implementation.

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