Exploring the 6 myths of SIEM

Jul 27, 2021

Home » Advanced » Exploring the 6 myths of SIEM

Have you investigated SIEM solutions lately? Because things have changed.

SIEM systems are rumored to be cumbersome and complicated, and hence only suitable for large enterprises. True, certain SIEMs are built for organizations of all sizes, but this misconception ignores the more advanced SIEM systems developed for enterprises of all sizes. 

It’s no secret that the cybersecurity sector is in desperate need of talent. Regardless of whether you use security solutions or not, they must be designed to allow you to remain productive in your job despite your (presumably) restricted resources. Look for possibilities to empower your security team and optimize the resources you already have when considering current SIEM solutions.

We’ll tackle the top six myths about SIEM and investigate what you should expect from a SIEM today.

Myth #1

A SIEM can only identify known risks; it can’t help with threats that aren’t yet identified. 

Only correlation is used by SIEM solutions to detect risks, and in order to build a successful correlation rule, you must first understand what to look for.

TRUTH

To discover both known and unknown threats, SIEMs employ a combination of real-time correlation, anomaly detection, machine learning, and behavior analytics. Advanced correlation is also used to connect the dots and analyze connected threat actions. When advanced analytics and real-time correlation are pre-built into your SIEM, you can apply them to network, asset, user, and application activity right out of the box, allowing you to go beyond merely identifying known risks to identifying abnormal actions that might signal undiscovered dangers.

Myth #2

SIEMs are only appropriate for large companies with well-trained security staff. According to conventional thinking, the finest 

SIEM systems on the market are exclusively meant for the largest businesses since they can grow to accommodate them.

TRUTH

To discover both known and unknown threats, SIEMs employ a combination of real-time correlation, anomaly detection, machine learning, and behavior analytics. Advanced correlation is also used to connect the dots and analyze connected threat actions. When advanced analytics and real-time correlation are pre-built into your SIEM, you can apply them to network, asset, user, and application activity right out of the box, allowing you to go beyond merely identifying known risks to identifying abnormal actions that might signal undiscovered dangers.

Myth #3

SIEMs need a large amount of data, and the expense of gathering all of that data is too expensive. 

Some security teams think that all SIEMs are the same way since certain suppliers in the industry are notorious for becoming unreasonably pricey very soon.

TRUTH

If you’re contemplating providers who charge by the quantity of data they keep, it might rapidly become prohibitively expensive. However, various suppliers charge varying prices for their services. 

Think about the problem(s) you’re trying to address before you commit to anything: Are you a shop who needs to keep credit card data safe? Is your company transitioning to Amazon Web Services and you’re looking for a way to see what’s going on? The information you gather for security purposes should assist you in addressing your specific use cases. If you don’t need to examine everything, don’t be misled into doing so.

However, if you have data-retention needs due to legislation or organizational norms, your SIEM provider should be able to offer a low-cost storage, search, and reporting option. You may tackle a SIEM project without blowing your budget by evaluating only what’s relevant to your business and transferring the remainder of your log and event data to low-cost storage.

Myth #4

To make a SIEM work, you’ll need a staff of full-time data scientists. They argue that in order to make a SIEM effective, you’ll need a full-time data scientist (or a team of them) to create all of the rules and analytics from the ground up.

TRUTH

If you can’t (or don’t want to) hire and pay a data science staff, 

Look for a vendor who not only understands security but actually offers it. 

out-of-the-box pre-packaged content 

Some suppliers believe that because the solution is likely to be adopted, they should follow this approach. 

Why not start with a blank slate? be modified anyhow, why not start with a blank slate? In the real world, 

Today’s security teams just do not have the resources to deal with such threats. 

Such a large undertaking necessitates such specific knowledge. In any case, 

You’ll need to submit details about your SIEM system. 

After that, you should be able to take advantage of the network. 

To begin detecting, use pre-written rules, analytics, and correlation policies. 

dangers as soon as possible.

You shouldn’t have to start from scratch. If you’re still concerned, several SIEM manufacturers collaborate with managed security service providers (MSSPs), allowing you to reap the benefits of a progressive SIEM while also benefiting from the assistance of security operations professionals.

Myth #5

A log management stack can give the same visibility as a SIEM. Log management and data lake providers use creative marketing to convince you that log management solutions are preferable to SIEM for detecting and investigating risks.

TRUTH

For aggregation, parsing, and storage, most SIEM vendors provide a log management layer or data lake as part of the solution. Often, the log management layer may be licensed independently from SIEM, allowing teams to build a security data lake with a predictable and cost-effective host-based pricing model. The out-of-the-box analytics (real-time correlation, machine learning, etc.) that conduct the hard lifting for monitoring and detection are where SIEM adds value. Simply said, log management is a function of a SIEM, not a SIEM in and of itself.

Myth #6

In my context, SIEMs are tough to combine with other solutions. Even though SIEMs rely on data from other solutions to deliver value, they have a reputation for being difficult to connect with other solutions.

TRUTH

Today’s prejudices are frequently based on antiquated technologies. Many of the top misconceptions were accurate when you assessed a SIEM solution 10 years ago — or even five years ago. However, SIEMs have developed in lockstep with the evolution of technology and threat environments. If you’re having trouble detecting threats or making sense of the logs in your log management, now is a good time to revisit SIEM solutions and see how much they’ve evolved.

CyberSecurity News

WHAT IS A SOC Center

WHAT IS A SOC Center

Increasingly exposed to various threats, companies put the security of their Information ...
Advanced
NIST Lifecycle

NIST Lifecycle

When it comes to cybersecurity, today's businesses are confronted with a perfect storm: the ...
Advanced
Vulnerability Assessment

Vulnerability Assessment

Over 23,000 new software vulnerabilities were identified and publicly published in 2020 alone. ...
Orientation