The realm of cybersecurity makes use of a plethora of acronyms that, understandably, many are unfamiliar with. And as both technology and threat actors have evolved, more and more platforms are branding themselves with “D’s” and “R’s” for “detection and response.”
We shall have a look at a few of these acronyms and understand not only their meanings but also their relationship with one another to the organization’s cybersecurity efforts.
EDR
Endpoint detection and response (EDR) is a tool that offers full-time monitoring, threat detection, and threat response of an organization’s endpoints such as a computer, server, virtual machine or mobile device, as they can be a potential entry vector for an attacker. This data recorded by the EDR is used to detect potential threats.
In recent years, EDR technology has been folded into other platforms and tools, rendering it less used as a stand-alone cybersecurity option. This is primarily because, while all threats land on an endpoint eventually, there has been a growing need to observe and stop threats before they reach that stage of escalation as EDR is considered to be a “too little, too late” measure if a cyber attack is occurring.
NDR
Network detection and response (NDR) directs its detection capabilities onto data observed from the network traffic that flows through the organization, generally with the use of a network sensor placed in line with the network which observes this network traffic as it heads towards its destination or in a mirrored configuration, where a copy of the traffic is forwarded for analysis. NDR looks for potential threats based on anomalous or unauthorized protocols, port utilization, odd timing and transfer sizes, and more.
NDR does not rely on a deployed agent at every endpoint, making it ideal for environments where EDR may be unable to cover every system. Another advantage is that it can detect and respond to unauthorized devices, allowing uses to immediately act upon traffic from that device. However, it does not work as well for organizations with a large number of remote workers as NDR will have minimal visibility into what takes place beyond the physical network environment and may offer limited value.
TDR
Threat detection and response (TDR) is a broad and vague term as multiple vendors offer varying tools with this terminology attached, with endpoint TDR and analytical TDR being the most common tools.
Endpoint TDR is essentially a modified approach to EDR and the large amount of data it may generate as it only records data once it believes a potential threat is occurring, or only recording a strategic set of processes and events that are most likely to reveal a threat, thus eliminating the unnecessary noise that EDR tends to record as well. Analytical TDR, leverages big data models or the “data lakes” and applies threat detection analytics. Once a threat is detected, it can trigger an alert and the issue can be addressed.
TDR can also be referred to as a broader set of tools, technologies, and processes to prevent cyber attacks utilizing an organization’s real-time security data, such as vulnerability scans, behavioral analysis, threat intelligence, threat hunting, and penetration testing.
XDR
Extended detection and response (XDR) refers to a single platform that can ingest endpoint agent data, network-level information, and, in many cases, device logs. This data is correlated, and detections can occur from one or many sources of telemetry.
XDR streamlines the functions of the analyst role by allowing them to view detections and take response actions from a single console, which in turn facilitates faster time to value, a lowered learning curve, and quicker response times. It can also piece multiple sources of telemetry together to achieve a big picture view of detections. These tools are able to see what occurs not only on the endpoints, but also between the endpoints.
However, XDR is only as effective as how vendors designed it to be and many vendors offer XDR that is more limiting than it first appears. Some XDR solutions only take in telemetry from tools of the same vendor, while others are marketed as XDR but operate like more legacy solutions.
MDR
Managed detection and response (MDR) is the outlier of the offerings enumerated here so far because it is not necessarily a technology but instead a service solution, which incorporates technology, people, and processes as a managed service.
While MDR can take many forms, it is often categorized as either product-focused MDR, which generally involves vendors who sell tools and then offer managed services on top of those tools, or pure-play MDR provider, which works with an existing security stack to detect and respond to threats. Product-focused MDR is usually limited to providing only the tools they sell while pure-play MDR offers flexibility, allowing the organization to utilize third-party tools for their needs.
The Importance of Effective Detect and Response Solutions
Detection and response solutions are critical for the organization to quickly respond to cybersecurity incidents. However, it is important to note that singular or siloed tools offer a weak defense as these threats rapidly evolve. Thus, organizations need solutions that combine cutting-edge technology with human expertise, and which work proactively and reactively to both harden the attack surface and stop immediate threats.
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