Open-Source Security Operations Center (SOC)

7Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Security information and event management (SIEM) systems play a crucial role in modern security operations centers (SOCs) by facilitating detection, investigation, and response. Through consolidation and correlation of log data sources, SIEM solutions provide a centralized visibility platform to strengthen defense.

Fundamentals of SIEM Systems

At a basic level, SIEM software integrates diverse data sources like security devices, applications, endpoint activity, and operating systems into a consolidated repository. Logs stream into the SIEM utilizing standard protocols, including syslog or SNMP traps. Normalization procedures reformat entries into a uniform schema for faster searching and correlation (Gast, 2021). Next, correlation engines analyze log contents for relationships indicating potential incidents. Rules detect known patterns like failed login attempts, malware signatures, or policy changes. Maturing artificial intelligence (AI) expands rules through unsupervised machine learning (ML) clustering similar yet unnamed events. Establishing baseline behaviors also reveals anomalies warranting investigation.

Alerts generated undergo risk scoring, quantifying impacts to prioritize analyst review. Attributes like scope, data sensitivity, and compliance implications influence prioritization. Automation then routes higher-risk issues to the appropriate ticketing, case management, or orchestration systems according to preconfigured ...