xIoTz End-point Detection & Response (EDR)

What is EDR?

EDR detects the end-point OS as well as its packages and patches to explore the system vulnerabilities and mitigate them significantly.

What is the Endpoint in EDR?

An “Endpoint” in EDR particularly refers to a device or node that serves as a point of access to a network such as a computer, laptop or server.

What is not an endpoint? – Mobile devices, OT and IoT devices

Mobile device comes under MDM (Mobile device management) category and
OT and IoT devices come under the category of sensors.

What is not EDR?

EDR should not be undoubtedly confused with Endpoint protection (EPP). While, EDR is used for detection and response, EPP particularly is for preventing malicious activities at the endpoint.

Top 10 difference between EDR and EPP

EDR	EPP
Focused on detecting and responding to security incidents at the endpoint level.	Focused on preventing and blocking malicious activities at the endpoint.
Provides continuous monitoring, behavior analysis, and response capabilities.	Includes features such as antivirus, anti-malware, firewall and other especially preventive measures.
Used actively by security staff to respond to incidents.	Does not actively require supervision.
Active threat detection allows for immediate response to incidents that EPP could not significantly detect.	Passive threat prevention.
Helps security teams aggregate event data from endpoints across the enterprise, thus providing visibility into activity.	Does not provide visibility into activity on endpoints.
Enables immediate response to threats that EPP could not detect.	Able to prevent known threats and some unknown threats.
Provides data and context for attacks spanning multiple endpoints.	Focused on protecting each endpoint in isolation.
Equipped with incident response capabilities to investigate, contain, and remediate security incidents.	Primarily designed for immediate threat prevention and may not have the same level of incident response capabilities.
EDR particularly also provides reports.	EPP doesn’t provide reports.
EDR also provides LIDS.	EPP doesn’t provide LIDS.

Why should you buy EDR and not EPP?

Every OS comes up with their own EPP which is particularly built to provide the best performance with the OS certainly. It is recommended to use a mixture of EDR and EPP for strong endpoint protection. While EPP focuses on preventing threats before reaching the endpoint, EDR takes the further lead with its assumption-of-breach model, emphasizing particularly on the critical need for effective response capabilities.

Why does EDR matter?

Comprehensive Endpoint Protection:

Analysts underscore the importance of a combination but additionally lean toward EDR as it comprehensively addresses the assumption of breach, a reality in the dynamic threat landscape.

Rapid Incident Response:

EDR’s rapid incident response capabilities are considered critical, particularly against Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) targeting endpoints as vulnerable links. Shortens detection time and assists in understanding, containing the entire kill chain.

EDR’s Proactive Stance:

The preventive role of EPP doesn’t particularly covers all threats. In contrast, EDR takes a proactive stance, assuming breaches and doing the response and detection mechanisms.

Visibility and Response Tools:

EDR provides comprehensive visibility and operational tools which empowers security teams to respond swiftly, particularly in dealing with advanced threats. This reduces the time required to detect and contain successful endpoint attacks.

So Invest in EDR, don’t waste your time and money by removing the existing EPP and installing another third party antivirus.

xIoTz EDR features

So, xIoTz EDR is feature rich with following capabilities:

1. System and OS vulnerability

Identifies potential vulnerabilities in the system and operating system and enhances overall security posture of the organization.

2. Third party and non-OS vulnerability–

Addresses vulnerability in third party applications such as:

Mozilla Firefox
VLC media player
Wireshark
Adobe flash player and
Google chrome, etc.

And all the OS that are available such as Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.

3. Identifying, isolating and prioritizing vulnerabilities based on CVE

Utilizes the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database to identify, isolate, and prioritize vulnerabilities as well as enabling efficient risk management.

xIoTz continuously tracks CVEs and CWEs to identify known vulnerabilities and weaknesses in endpoint software and configurations.

4. Patch Management

xIoTz offers comprehensive endpoint patching capabilities which includes:

System patching
OS patching and
Third party vulnerability patching.

This approach is commonly referred to as patch management ensuring that all aspects of the endpoint’s software are regularly updated and secured against potential vulnerabilities.

5. CIS-CAT Hardening

Implements security configurations based on the Center for Internet Security (CIS) benchmarks, as well as enhancing system hardening.

6. System Monitoring

Continues observation of a computer system’s performance, activities, and resources to identify anomalies, ensure optimal functioning, and detect potential security incidents.

Resource Usage: CPU, memory, disk space, and network bandwidth.
Performance Metrics: Response times, latency, and throughput.
User Activities: Login/logout events, and application usage.
Network Traffic: Inbound and outbound data flow.

7. System Auditing

Systematic examination and review of an information system’s activities, configurations and settings to ensure compliance, security, and adherence to organizational policies.

User Access: Login/logout timestamps and access permissions.
Configuration Changes: Modifications to system settings and configurations.
Security Events: Detection and response to security incidents.
Policy Adherence: Verification of compliance with established security policies.

8. OS Query

Perform querying and retrieving information about the operating system on a computer or device. It involves collecting data related to:

OS Version
Installed Updates and
Hardware Information.

9. Policy Monitoring

The continuous observation and enforcement of organizational policies governing the use and security of information systems. It ensures that users and systems adhere to established policies to maintain a secure and compliant environment.

10. File Integrity Monitoring (FIM)

Monitors and alerts on any changes to critical system files, ensuring the integrity of the system. It also includes Rootkit and Malware Detection to enhance security measures.

11. Regulatory Compliance (PCI-DSS, GDPR, HIPAA, NIST, TSC)

Regulatory compliance is the process of following laws, regulations, standards and other rules set by governments and other regulatory bodies.

xIoTz provides:

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard):

Monitor and protect endpoints to prevent unauthorized access to payment card data. It involves real-time threat detection, response, and logging to ensure the security of cardholder information.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation):

Continuously monitor endpoints for any unauthorized access or data breaches and contribute to the rapid detection and containment of security incidents, minimizing the risk of non-compliance.

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act):

Monitor and secure endpoints that handle protected health information (PHI). This includes detecting and responding to potential breaches to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of PHI.

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) Framework:

EDR aligns with NIST’s cybersecurity framework by providing capabilities for identifying, protecting, detecting, responding, and recovering from security incidents.

TSC-SOC2 (SOC2 Trust Services Criteria):

Securing endpoints against threats, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of telecommunications data, and implementing access controls to prevent unauthorized access.

12. EPP tracking

Manages and tracks:

Endpoint registration
Endpoint Connectivity and
Version tracking of Endpoint.

13. OS supported

xIoTz supports all the Operating System that includes:

Windows
macOS
Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS, Red Hat, etc.)
Unix
Android
iOS
FreeBSD
Solaris
Chrome OS and
AIX (IBM’s AIX).

14. Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS):

HIDS is significantly core component of EDR. It monitors host systems for signs of intrusion or malicious activity.

15. MITRE ATT&CK®

MITRE ATT&CK® stands for MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge (ATT&CK).

xIoTz aligns with MITRE ATT&CK® for adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures to help organizations detect and respond to advanced threats effectively.

In MITRE signatures are identified and we keep updating signatures every 6 hours.

The ATT&CK Matrix available for Enterprise are:

Reconnaissance
Resource Development
Initial Access Execution
Persistence
Privilege Escalation
Defense Evasion
Credential Access and
Discovery.

This dashboard shows:

Mitre techniques by agent
MITRE Timeline
Agent, Severity, Tactics & Techniques & GeoIP
Top Tactics
Top Techniques
Top tactics by agent
Alerts evolution over time and
Attacks by technique.

This whole summary is together in a Security Event dashboard.

Security Event

Security event is a comparative idea of all this EDR features connected in a single place and prioritized in a single dashboard.

This dashboard is also called SIEM (Security Information and Event Management).

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM):

xIoTz provides a solution for risk prevention, threat detection, and cyber security best practices. It as well as provides real-time analyzing of security alerts generated by applications and network hardware.

SIEM is mostly for endpoints such as cloud, servers, and desktops.

The dashboard looks like this:

Conclusion

It is recommended to buy EDR and not waste money and time buying EPP by seeing the difference between both. Investing in EDR is encouraged due to its assumption-of-breach model, rapid incident response, proactive stance, and provision of comprehensive visibility ,operational and security tools.

xIoTz End-point Detection and Response (EDR) emerges as a strong solution for enhancing cybersecurity measures through its comprehensive features.

The security event dashboard combines all these features in a single place which is known as SIEM. xIoTz EDR stands out as a valuable tool, which offers not only preventative measures but also proactive detection and response capabilities essential for robust cybersecurity.

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