Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Architecture

SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management, and it is made up of many monitoring and analytic components. SIEM is becoming a common security technique as a result of the recent increase in cyber threats, as well as the tighter security requirements that enterprises are forced to follow.By keeping a careful eye on and evaluating the resources within IT networks, the SIEM solution protects your entire IT infrastructure.Security alerts are also analyzed by SIEM in a timely manner. It is important for detecting security risks that are not apparent to the ISS (individual security system), analyzing issues connected to earlier security breaches, executing immediate incident responses, and creating reports to meet compliance needs, to name a few things.

What are the objectives of SIEM Architecture?

One of the key goals of SIEM architecture is to keep track of and manage system configuration changes, directory services, review, and log audits, as well as service and user privileges, with incident response thrown in for good measure. In addition, to maintain system security and eliminate external threats, applications connected to Identity and Access Management (IAM) must be updated on a regular basis.However, the SIEM training design must support the presentation, analysis, and collection of data from network and security devices. It’s also important highlighting the SIEM’s anomaly and visibility detection features. Detecting polymorphic code and zero-day exploits, as well as automatic parsing and log normalization, can help to identify trends that can be collected by SIEM visualization using security events.

Why do we need SIEM?

There is no denying that cyber-attacks on computer systems are increasing all the time. Coin mining, DDoS, ransomware, malware, botnets, and phishing are just a few of the threats that individuals fighting the good fight are up against today. System and network monitoring have always been critical in assisting businesses in defending themselves against these threats, and a variety of related strategies and techniques have evolved over time. What has become clear, however, is that the evolving nature of cybercrime implies that certain attempts will frequently go undiscovered.As cyber-attacks have become more common, compliance standards have become more strict. HIPAA, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) all require organizations to implement a comprehensive set of security controls, including monitoring and reporting, all of which are facilitated by a SIEM system.

How does SIEM work?

● It gathers data from a variety of sources, such as network protocols, host systems, antivirus filters, and so on.● Agents that assist in data gathering connected to event logs from corporate systems are frequently used to collect data.● After the data has been collected, it must be stored for subsequent investigation.● RDBMS storage is used in traditional SIEM solutions. Modern SIEM architecture and storage configurations for data storage have switched to distributed, horizontally scalable architecture and installations● Data enrichment stores data along with its true identity, geolocation, and threat intelligence, all of which can help with threat investigations, This allows SIEM to delve deeper into the investigation of any dangers within the enterprise.● Data must be saved in a variety of forms in order to be evaluated further. SIEM platforms often save data in one of two types over time:Tiered data simply means that different types of data are stored in different storage. This type of data has only lately been gathered. This information is saved on a storage medium that allows for the highest possible throughput rates, resulting in improved performance.Archived- This sort of material is stored in archived locations since it is less likely to be used. Let us now discuss about SIEM architecture.

SIEM componentsSIEM is a collection of distinct building elements that make up a system, rather than a single tool or application (however there are tools that help deploy a SIEM system, Although there is no standard SIEM protocol or approach.

Management of Logs: This is about data gathering, data management, and data retention from the past. As required, the SIEM captures both event data and contextual data. SIEM architecture basically collects event data from organized systems such as installed devices, network protocols, storage protocols (Syslog), and streaming protocols.

Normalization of Logs: SIEM, as expected, receives the event and contextual data as input. Normalization, on the other hand, is required. This is focused on the transformation of event data into useful security insights. Essentially, this procedure comprises the removal of irrelevant data from created data using a filtering procedure. The most important aspect of this is that only relevant data is kept for future examination.

Sources of Logs: Networking programs, security systems, and cloud systems all generate logs. Essentially, this procedure is concerned with how organizations feed logs into the SIEM in security.

Correlation of Data: Data must be presented in a relevant and organized manner because it is acquired from different devices. The correlation function aids in the presentation of a larger picture of data gathered from numerous points. A user can obtain information such as which user is connected, what device is being utilized, what errors were made, and so on, through this correlation activity.
Real-Time Monitoring: Users receive real-time information on any type of security breach. As a result, the threat may be tracked and eliminated in a timely and effective manner.

Automation: Any event can be automatically reacted to using SOAR (Security, Orchestration, Automation, and Response), which eliminates the need for security analysts.

Dashboards: SIEM dashboards make it simple for security analysts to understand changes in data patterns. As a result, a security analyst can rapidly and readily notice any irregularities in the network.

Reporting: Other administrators can use the SIEM reporting tool to generate various reports, reducing any uncertainty about their report task.SIEM generates reports quickly because it stores all log data in database tables.

Best SIEM tools:

Datadog Security Monitoring
Splunk Enterprise SIEM
McAfee ESM
Micro Focus ArcSight
LogRhythm
AlienVault USM
QRadar SIEM
Splunk Administration
Rapid7

SolarWinds SIEM Security and Monitoring

As a result, it’s important to note that classic SIEM architecture was monolithic and expensive in the past. The next-generation SIEM, on the other hand, is cheaper and provides superior technological advantages for effective security event management with advanced software and cloud-based technologies. Read our next blog The complete guide of Encoding, Encryption, and Hashing