How Do You Prioritize Security Alerts?

How Do You Prioritize Security Alerts?

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, prioritizing alerts is akin to an emergency room's triage system, as described by a seasoned Founder and CEO. Alongside expert insights, we've gathered additional answers that delve into the nuances of effective alert management. From leveraging machine learning to utilizing risk assessment matrices, join us as we explore the methods professionals use to keep their digital environments secure.

• Assess Alerts Like ER Triage
• Evaluate Impact and Severity
• Factor in Data Sensitivity
• Leverage Machine Learning
• Implement Threat Scoring Systems
• Adopt Cybersecurity Frameworks
• Use Risk Assessment Matrices

Assess Alerts Like ER Triage

Prioritizing security alerts is a bit like triage in an emergency room. We have to assess the situation quickly and decide which "patients" need immediate attention and which ones can wait a bit longer. We focus on a few key factors:

Severity: Obviously, critical alerts that indicate a potential breach or significant data loss take top priority.

Potential Impact: We consider the potential impact of an alert. Even if it's not classified as "critical," if it could disrupt our operations or damage our reputation, it gets bumped up the list.

Source and Context: Understanding where the alert originated and the context surrounding it helps us gauge its urgency. Is it from a known threat actor? Does it involve a sensitive system or data?

I remember one time we received an alert about unusual activity on one of our servers. It wasn't flagged as critical, but given the sensitive nature of the data stored on that server, we immediately prioritized it. We investigated further and discovered a minor configuration issue that could have potentially been exploited. By addressing it quickly, we prevented a potential breach.

In the end, it's about balancing urgency with thoroughness. We need to act fast on critical threats, but we also need to take a methodical approach to ensure we're addressing the root cause and preventing future incidents.

Evaluate Impact and Severity

To prioritize security alerts, you have to assess the impact they will have and the severity of them. If you receive alerts of a password breach, then there is a high risk of loss or further damage to your network and company as a whole, which includes reputation. You can also learn all the current attack trends and try to match the incoming alerts to differentiate between real threats and false positives.

One example is when we started receiving alerts of password-spray attempts every 15 seconds on numerous accounts. We quickly realized after a few minutes that the spray attack was legitimate and put a plan into action to limit and stop the threat.

Factor in Data Sensitivity

Prioritizing security alerts for a security team can depend on several key factors. A decision can be made by evaluating these factors, ensuring that the most significant threats are addressed effectively while avoiding alert fatigue.

1. Scope and sensitivity of data on key sources: Prioritize alerts that provide visibility across critical infrastructure components where the most sensitive data is stored, as this is directly proportional to business impact. While evaluating the sensitivity of the data, feel free to follow a framework, such as SOC, ISO, NIST, etc., to classify data appropriately.

2. Business & operational impact: Evaluate potential disruption to critical business operations affecting key business processes and customer-facing services. Assessing impact, along with threat intelligence exercises and indicators, will help assess the likelihood of exploitation corresponding to a known threat.

3. Consider defense in depth: Check whether systems/assets have existing security controls. An alert targeting a system with robust defenses and known IOCs could be deprioritized. Also, check whether the systems/assets involved have known or unpatched vulnerabilities.

4. Prioritization and severity: Prioritize alerts that might indicate a compromise despite security controls, especially if lateral movement or exfiltration is detected. Evaluate the impact based on the severity, scope, context, etc., of the alert itself.

5. Incident response capacity and alert volume: If resources are limited, the incident response team should focus on the most critical alerts by capacity planning. Planning can be based on the alert's time sensitivity, detailed SLA definitions, thorough incident response runbooks, the ratio of true positives versus false positives, and tuning alerts based on correlations or patterns with similar alerts.

Leverage Machine Learning

Security analysts often harness the power of machine learning to sift through vast amounts of data efficiently. By setting up systems that can detect anomalies, they can more quickly identify potential threats that deviate from normal patterns. This allows for a more proactive response to security incidents.

Given the volume of alerts they receive, this prioritization method helps focus their attention on the most critical issues. It is important to keep these systems well-trained with up-to-date information to maintain their effectiveness. Consider how incorporating machine learning could bolster your security posture.

Implement Threat Scoring Systems

One method used by security analysts to manage alerts is the implementation of threat intelligence scoring systems. These systems evaluate the severity of threats based on various factors such as known attack vectors, impact, and the vulnerability of the targeted system. By scoring each alert, analysts can prioritize those that pose the greatest risk.

These scoring systems can be tailor-made to align with the specific needs of an organization. To enhance the security alert process in your organization, it's worth exploring threat intelligence scoring systems for efficient prioritization.

Adopt Cybersecurity Frameworks

Adoption of cybersecurity frameworks provides guidance for security analysts on how to prioritize and respond to security alerts. These frameworks offer a comprehensive set of policies and procedures that help organizations in identifying, assessing, and managing cybersecurity risks. Aligning with a framework assists in identifying which alerts correspond to the most significant risks outlined in the framework.

Following a structured approach ensures a consistent and organized response to security threats. If your organization is looking to improve its threat response activities, adopting a recognized cybersecurity framework could be a significant step forward.

Use Risk Assessment Matrices

Employing risk assessment matrices is another strategy utilized by security analysts. A risk assessment matrix enables them to evaluate and prioritize alerts based on the likelihood of an incident occurring and the potential impact it could have on the organization. This visual tool assists analysts in quickly understanding the risk associated with each alert, focusing their efforts where it's most needed.

Continuous updating of the risk matrix is crucial as new threats emerge and organizational assets change. If you are seeking to refine the prioritization of security alerts, consider developing a risk assessment matrix tailored to your organization's landscape.