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Acronyms for Everyone
EDR.
NDR.
MDR.
XDR.
MXDR. – That’s a whole other ball of twine we’ll unravel another time.
It seems at times that the cybersecurity industry is going down the alphabet picking out random acronyms in order to name service offerings.
Acronyms aren’t a new thing, and that’s not what we’re going to talk about. We’re going to discuss the differences between these acronyms and why all services are not equal.
Side note: We at CyberMaxx are also aware that we aren’t the first to write on this topic.
The information security landscape is a constantly evolving arms race in order to keep up with threat actors and the new technology and techniques they are using to infiltrate networks and devices for an easy payday.
All of the acronyms above have two letters in common: ‘D’ & ‘R’, which stands for Detection & Response.
Threats don’t occur in the same places in a network or device, and responses will be different based on how, where, why, and when a threat occurs. Hence the different acronyms.
EDR, NDR, and MDR are broadly used and are fairly mature technologies. The newest kid on the block, XDR has been around for some time too. XDR was coined by Nir Zuk, Palo Alto Networks CTO, in 2018
But They All Sound the Same
While there are overlaps in what these different types of detection and response securities provide, there are several major differences that set their approaches to security apart.
When it comes to choosing a security solution for an organization, it is important to understand what each option provides in terms of protection. With so many vendors and products on the market, it can be difficult to make an informed decision.
MDR, XDR, NDR, and EDR are all best-in-class security solutions that share a lot of common features. However, they approach security in different ways, each with its own advantages and benefits. Let’s take a closer look at these three solutions to see what sets them apart.
Endpoint Detection And Response (EDR)
Endpoint Detection and Response, or EDR, is a security solution that monitors and collects data from endpoints in real-time, with rules-based automated response and analysis capabilities.
Endpoint security has traditionally been a reactive measure, only detecting potential threats after they have already occurred. EDR, however, is a proactive solution that focuses on identifying and stopping Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and never-before-seen malware. Most EDR solutions use a combination of cyber threat intelligence, machine learning, and advanced file analysis to detect these sophisticated threats.
EDR solutions provide a wealth of data that can be used to detect and analyze suspicious activities over time. In case of a breach or detection, EDR can contain the malware by isolating it and understanding its behavior through detonation in a safe environment (i.e., sandbox). EDR will also help conduct an extensive root cause analysis and aid with faster incident response.
Gartner predicts that by 2023, more than half of all enterprises will have replaced legacy endpoint security software with EDR solutions. This shift will help organizations better protect themselves against sophisticated attacks and improve their overall security posture.
Network Detection and Response (NDR)
NDR, or Network Detection and Response, monitors traffic for signs of malicious activity and can take immediate action to mitigate any threats that are detected. This helps organizations protect their networks from hackers, viruses, and other cyber threats.
Organizations have been capturing network data for performance analysis for some time. However, as data volumes increased, many organizations were unable to effectively use this information for cyber defense. Network traffic provides a wealth of data that can be used to detect and respond to security threats, but only when it is properly monitored.
As machine learning and artificial intelligence become more sophisticated, they are playing an increasingly important role in network security. By analyzing data from networks, these technologies can help identify potential threats and take action to protect against them.
Organizations that use NDR technologies have been able to improve their detection capabilities, prioritize threats according to risk level, and automate many tasks that used to be performed manually. This has allowed analysts to focus on strategic tasks such as triage and rapid response.
Machine learning models that analyze network behavior can detect sophisticated evasion methods, known unknown cyber threats, and brand-new zero-day threats. This makes advanced NDR tools essential for comprehensive security.
Wait…isn’t NDS just another name for IDS/IPS?
NDR solutions can give you the visibility and tools you need to detect and investigate threats, anomalous behaviors, and risky activity like unmanaged honeypots in production environments. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS) monitor the perimeter of networks for intruders and can fire alerts if they detect an attack.
IDS/IPS are core components of an NDR solution, but lack the automated tasks and detection of threats, unlike NDR.
Managed Detection And Response (MDR)
Manage Detection and Response (MDR) is an outsourced service that can help organizations hunt for threats and respond to them quickly and effectively. MSSPs, or managed security service providers, deliver MDR services by continuously monitoring an organization’s attack surface for potential threats. This allows organizations to focus on business goals while someone else takes care of keeping networks and device traffic safe and monitored.
Not all MSSPs have their own security operations center (SOC), but those that do have a virtual security operations center (VSOC) deliver services remotely that can help organizations rapidly detect, analyze, investigate and respond to threats.
MDR service providers offer a turnkey experience, using a predefined technology stack to collect logs, data, and contextual information. This telemetry is analyzed within the provider’s platform using a range of techniques, allowing for investigation by experts skilled in threat hunting and incident management. These experts then deliver actionable outcomes.
MDR services are not limited to any one technology but may include a variety of tools such as endpoint detection, SIEM, NDR, vulnerability management, and cloud security.
Extended Detection And Response (XDR)
This holistic, cross-platform approach goes beyond EDR by collecting and correlating activities across multiple endpoints, networks, servers, cloud workloads, SIEM, and more. Extended Detection And Response (XDR) provides a unified, single pane of glass view across multiple tools and attacks vectors for improved productivity, threat detection, and forensics. Out-of-the-box integrations and pre-tuned detection mechanisms across different products and platforms make XDR the easy choice for enterprises wanting to future-proof their security posture.
XDR is a cutting-edge security tool that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation to sift through thousands of information logs. By providing accurate, context-rich alerts to security teams, XDR has the potential to revolutionize the security industry. This makes it easier for security teams to manage and monitor their environment, as well as reducing the overall cost of ownership.
Conclusion
As IT departments strive to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of security threats, they face challenges when it comes to detection and response solutions.
Acronyms abound in the cybersecurity industry, making it difficult to determine which technology is best for their needs. EDR, NDR, MDR, and XDR are technologies that aim to provide greater visibility, threat detection, and response across all corporate endpoints.
As the workforce becomes more dispersed, it is important for IT teams to increase their visibility and ability to remediate remotely.
Today, 70% of all breaches still originate on the endpoint, so it is crucial for teams to have a solution in place that can effectively address this issue.
However, choosing the right solution can be difficult, as different vendors use different terminology. By understanding what each solution offers, you can make an informed decision that meets the needs of your organization.