Building Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Use Cases 

As your organization grows, so does the need to monitor and protect your network. A security information and event management (SIEM) system can give you visibility into activity on your network and help you detect and respond to threats.

There are many different ways to use SIEM, depending on the specific needs of your organization. In this article, we'll explore the importance of SIEM applications, some of the most common SIEM use cases, and how they can benefit your business. 

What Is Security Information and Event Management, and Why Is it Important? 

A SIEM platform is software that collects security data from multiple sources and provides real-time visibility into the state of an organization's security posture. SIEM tools collect, parse, normalize, and analyze security data. With such tools, security teams can more effectively detect, investigate, and respond to security incidents when data is collected from multiple sources and analyzed in real time. Additionally, SIEM can help organizations meet compliance requirements. 

SIEM can be essential to an organization's security practices because it gives security teams visibility into their whole state of security. SIEM enables security teams to automatically collect and analyze data from multiple security devices and applications, allowing them to quickly identify and respond to security incidents.  Without it, security teams would have to manually collect and analyze data from all the different security devices and applications in their environment, consuming time and resources better allocated elsewhere. 

How Can SIEM Applications Make Your Organization Safer? 

When used correctly, SIEM applications can be a powerful tool for enhancing and improving security operations. Utilizing a SIEM system can help detect threats, investigate security incidents, and speed up the response process. 

In this way, SIEM can help organizations meet compliance requirements. Organizations face stringent compliance requirements, with mandates that set expectations for how data should be collected, processed, and stored to protect consumers' privacy. 

While these regulations may vary by industry and geography, they all share the common goal of safeguarding sensitive information. SIEM applications can help organizations maintain compliance with regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and others by providing the necessary visibility into their entire IT environment. 

For example, let's say your organization wants to generate a report that shows whether it is compliant with HIPAA's requirements for securing electronic patient health information (ePHI). The report would need to show what safeguards are in place to protect ePHI and how effectively those safeguards prevent unauthorized access. Administrators can use a SIEM application to generate this report by collecting data on access control measures, such as user authentication and encryption, and analyzing it to determine whether ePHI is adequately protected. 

Benefits of Using SIEM Applications 

• Enhanced security: SIEM can help security teams detect and respond to security incidents more effectively by collecting and analyzing security data from multiple sources.
• Reduced costs: SIEM can help organizations save money by automating manual processes and improving operational efficiencies.
• Improved incident response: SIEM systems help speed up the incident response process by providing security teams with the data they need to quickly identify and fix the root cause of a security incident.
• Increased user activity visibility: SIEM applications can provide organizations with increased visibility into user activity, which can help identify potential security risks posed by insiders.
• Greater compliance: SIEM can help organizations meet compliance requirements by providing visibility into all security data.

Developing a SIEM Use Case lLibrary 

Developing a SIEM use case library can be a valuable exercise for any organization planning to implement a SIEM solution. Use cases can help identify the security risks most relevant to an organization and the best way to mitigate those risks. In addition, use cases can provide insights into the types of data that need to be collected and analyzed to detect and respond to security threats. By developing a comprehensive SIEM use case library, organizations can ensure that their SIEM solutions are tailored to their specific needs.

Organizations should consider the following security risks when developing SIEM use cases:

• Data breaches: A data breach occurs when sensitive or confidential information is accessed without authorization. Data breaches can occur through a variety of methods, including hacking, social engineering, and insider threats. Use cases focusing on data breaches can help organizations detect and respond to these threats.
• Malware: Malware is a type of software that is designed to damage or disable computers. Malware can be used to steal confidential information, spread viruses, or launch attacks against other computers. Use cases focusing on malware can help organizations detect and respond to these threats.
• Phishing: Phishing is a type of social engineering attack that involves sending fraudulent emails or messages in an attempt to trick people into revealing sensitive information. Phishing attacks can be used to steal confidential information, spread malware, or launch attacks against other computers. Use cases focusing on phishing can help organizations detect and respond to these threats.
• Denial of service: A denial of service attack occurs when an attacker prevents legitimate users from accessing a system or service. Denial of service attacks can be launched against websites, servers, or networks. Use cases that focus on denial of service attacks can help organizations to detect and respond to these threats.
• Insider threats: An insider threat is a security risk posed by employees, contractors, or other individuals who have authorized access to an organization's systems and data. Insider threats can occur when malicious insiders misuse their access for personal gain or to launch attacks against the organization. Use cases that focus on insider threats can help organizations to detect and respond to these threats.

Organizations should also consider the following data sources when developing SIEM use cases:

• Log data: Log data can be generated by a variety of systems, including security devices, applications, and databases. This data can be used to detect and respond to security threats.
• Network traffic data: Network traffic data can be used to detect and respond to security threats. This data can be collected by network security devices, such as routers and switches.
• Application data: Application data can be used to detect and respond to security threats. This data can be collected by application security devices, such as web application firewalls.
• Database data: Database data can be used to detect and respond to security threats. This data can be collected by database security devices, such as intrusion detection systems.
• Endpoint data: Endpoint data can be used to detect and respond to security threats. This data can be collected by security devices that are deployed on endpoint computers, such as antivirus software.

The Bottom Line 

Security information and event management solutions can provide a wealth of security benefits for organizations. However, these solutions must be configured correctly in order to be effective. Organizations should develop SIEM use cases that focus on the security risks and data sources most relevant to their environment. By doing so, they can ensure that their SIEM solutions effectively detect and respond to security threats.

**This blog was originally published on December 1, 2022.