It is increasingly difficult for cybersecurity teams to develop their detection and response capabilities quickly enough to defend against the latest tactics of cyber threat actors.
A growing number of businesses and organizations are turning to managed detection and response services to boost their internal capabilities.
Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) is a fully managed MDR service with 24 x 7 operation, providing holistic and robust protection against internal and external cyber threats.
More and more companies and organizations are turning to managed detection and response services to enhance their internal capabilities.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for cybersecurity teams to develop their detection and response capabilities quickly enough to defend against the latest threat actor tactics. More and more organizations are turning to managed detection and response services to boost their in-house capabilities. Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) is a fully managed, 24x7 MDR service that provides holistic, robust protection against internal and external cyber threats.
MXDR
MXDR managed services are built on XDR platforms that go beyond traditional endpoint detection and response (EDR) to integrate and correlate data from multiple domains, including endpoints, the network edge and core, applications, and identity systems, across on-premises and cloud environments. An MXDR provides XDR capabilities.
Organizations considering implementing an MXDR are faced with choosing between several MXDR offerings that are relatively different in capabilities, despite falling within the same service category or label.
What are the questions organizations should ask themselves when evaluating MXDR services to ensure they implement the service that best fits their needs?
1. Will it cover my entire infrastructure, and from the beginning?
An MXDR inherently provides a broader view of the network than an EDR-based detection and response service. However, even for an MXDR service, full network coverage is not a given, as it depends on the ability of the associated XDR to integrate with the customer’s existing cyber defense systems and IT and OT infrastructure.
If integration and subsequent network coverage is only partial, there will be blind spots that an attacker can exploit. This is a fact.
2. Is MXDR known for its reliability and effectiveness in real-world scenarios?
The best XDRs have been widely deployed by IR teams to enable rapid response to a wide range of incidents across a wide range of industries. The platform demands on IR teams are broad, and when an IR team is responding to a major incident, time is of the essence. Any XDR they use must be easy to deploy, facilitate triage, and drive containment—all at high speed. The XDR must provide advanced detection that prevents attacker reentry attempts, and provide the advanced reporting and forensic capabilities that IR teams and their customers require. For all of these reasons, IRs power XDRs that are optimal platforms for an MXDR service.
An effective MXDR is driven by an effective IR.
Forrester Research, February 2023
3. Will it eliminate event fatigue and saturation from our organization?
Detection accuracy is paramount. Too many false positives sent to the customer by the MXDR team will defeat one of the primary reasons most customers adopt MXDR: the elimination of event fatigue. False positives can also increase the chances of missing genuine threats, increasing the risk of a breach. To achieve sufficient decision accuracy, the MXDR must monitor the same entity from multiple data sources. For example, to monitor a cloud endpoint, the XDR must gather information from the relevant EDR, identity system, and SIEM.
4. What should be the experience level of the MXDR team?
MXDR analysts play a critical role, even when supported by advanced AI-powered detection. MXDR analysts leverage their expertise to add a critical layer of validation and decision-making to threat isolation, classification, containment, and remediation. These analysts must ensure that the actions taken are fully aligned with the client’s IT policies.
5. Does the MXDR team have support from other teams that bring concentric layers of expertise?
It is important to check to what extent the MXDR team is supported by others dedicated to:
- Incident response
- Adversary tactics
- Threat hunting
- Business Security
- Forensic
- Cloud
- OT
An MXDR team should be able to handle most detected security events on its own, and when particular situations arise that require specific subject matter expertise, internal support teams with the appropriate experience help ensure that event classification is accurate and that the transition from detection to response is fast and effective.
6. Is the latest threat intelligence integrated into the MXDR?
It is important to understand how and to what extent threat intelligence is collected and incorporated into the MXDR. Gathering quality intelligence involves constantly processing and analyzing data from across the global threat landscape to understand the latest threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and indicators of compromise being used across key industries, technologies, and regions. MXDR vendors that have a large in-house IR practice, as well as an in-house threat research team, having access to field intelligence will equip the MXDR with a higher level of detection and response capabilities.
7. When a real event is detected, will we need to find an IR provider ourselves?
Some MXDR vendors have experienced IR teams in-house, others do not.
The need for zero lag time between detecting an event and launching a response requires the vendor to have an in-house IR team to ensure security incidents are quickly contained and remediated.
8. When a real event is detected, will we need to find an IR provider ourselves?
If the Internal IR box is “checked,” then the experience level of that team should be probed. The IR team should be capable and experienced in responding to all types of attacks that may be launched against the client. With an increasing number of attacks launched by nation-state level threat actors, IR teams with experience in nation-state level cyber warfare have the best chance of containing and eradicating these types of attacks and facilitating recovery in the shortest time possible.
9. Does the MXDR service include an incident response advance?
Incident Containment and Response (IRR) mechanisms provide a roadmap, with predetermined critical interaction parameters, that will expedite the response to a cyber incident. IRR discovery sessions include a high-level review of the customer's network and IT architecture, critical systems, secure data sharing, and access processes. An IRR is a natural component of an MXDR implementation and should be considered a mandatory feature of an MXDR service.
10. Should MXDR be integrated with our existing security stack?
The effectiveness of an MXDR solution depends on its ability to seamlessly integrate with a wide range of pre-existing security tools within an organization’s security stack. “Out-of-the-box” integration capabilities greatly improve the speed and effectiveness of MXDR deployment. Some vendors will claim vendor neutrality, but at the same time strongly recommend that the customer implement specific products into their security stack to ensure optimal detection. That is not true vendor neutrality.
11. Does the MXDR provider offer a tailored approach to each case?
Organizations operate in different contexts, with unique threats, specific internal policies, governance processes, and compliance requirements. An MXDR provider should be able to provide a customized service that aligns with the customer’s operational context and network topology. A customized service can include detection scenarios unique to the customer’s industry vertical and response playbooks that define the degree of response autonomy.
12. Is AI used to optimize detection and ensure scalability?
XDR should use advanced machine learning or deep learning algorithms to analyze large volumes of data and detect anomalies, patterns, and indicators of potential threats. Additionally, the service should be able to monitor user behavior patterns to detect suspicious behavior, typically using tools such as user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA). AI enables scaling in the dynamics of faster detection, improved triage, and more accurate response.
Opting for an MXDR can be a strategic leap that improves an organization’s cybersecurity. By asking the right questions, organizations have a better chance of selecting a vendor that is a good fit for their business and threat landscape.
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