Threat Detection Operational Guide

Security Operations Center (SOC) Team

• Monitors alert dashboards, investigates suspicious activity, and escalates confirmed incidents
• Maintains day-to-day operations of security tools (SIEM, EDR, etc.)

Network Operations (NetOps) Team

• Implements and maintains network equipment, network segmentation, and traffic monitoring
• Assists SOC in analyzing network-level threats (e.g., Intrusion Detection System alerts)

Endpoint Management Team

• Deploys and updates endpoint security solutions, including EDR and antivirus
• Ensures endpoint patches and configurations align with the security baseline

IT Governance / Compliance

• Ensures detection processes meet internal policies and regulatory requirements
• Conducts audits and reviews of security logs and procedures

Incident Response (IR) Team

• Takes the lead on confirmed incidents requiring containment, eradication, and recovery
• Coordinates post-incident reviews and documents lessons learned

3.1 Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Purpose: Aggregates logs and events from across the environment (network devices, endpoints, servers, applications).

Operational Requirements:

• Ensure all critical systems generate logs in the correct format
• Configure log parsers to normalize data
• Implement correlation rules to detect multi-step attacks
• Maintain data retention according to compliance requirements

3.2 Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Purpose: Provides visibility into endpoint processes, file changes, and system behavior.

Operational Requirements:

• Deploy EDR agents on all corporate endpoints, including servers and workstations
• Configure real-time scanning and behavioral detection policies
• Integrate EDR alerts into the SIEM for centralized monitoring
• Regularly update agents and detection signatures

3.3 Network Monitoring and IDS/IPS

Purpose: Monitors network traffic for signs of malicious activity or policy violations.

Operational Requirements:

• Place sensors or taps in strategic network segments
• Configure rule sets and update them regularly
• Correlate IDS/IPS alerts with other events in the SIEM
• Use network flow analysis to detect unusual traffic patterns

3.4 Behavioral Analysis & Anomaly Detection

Purpose: Identifies deviations from normal activity across users, devices, and network flows.

Operational Requirements:

• Baseline typical behaviors (e.g., user login patterns, data transfer volume)
• Alert on anomalies (e.g., logins from untrusted locations)
• Use machine learning where possible, but verify high-risk alerts
• Tune thresholds regularly to reduce false positives

3.5 Threat Intelligence Feeds

Purpose: Augments detection by matching observed indicators against known malicious sources.

Operational Requirements:

• Subscribe to relevant, reputable threat feeds
• Automatically ingest indicators into SIEM/IDS for correlation
• Conduct periodic reviews to remove outdated indicators

4.1 Initial Setup & Baseline

• Inventory Critical Systems: Identify all servers, endpoints, and network devices that must be monitored
• Configure Log Sources: Enable and standardize logging (syslog, Windows Event Logs, application logs)
• Deploy Security Agents: Install EDR agents and verify successful communication
• Establish Baseline Metrics: Collect at least 2–4 weeks of "normal" data

4.2 Daily Monitoring

• SOC Monitoring: Review alerts from the SIEM, EDR, and IDS in real time
• Alert Triage: Assign severity to each alert based on organizational risk
• Investigation & Enrichment: Use internal logs and threat intelligence
• Incident Escalation: Escalate confirmed malicious activities to IR team

4.3 Weekly/Monthly Tasks

• Rule & Signature Updates: Ensure IDS/IPS and EDR rules are current
• Threat Intelligence Review: Remove stale indicators, add new sources
• Tuning & Optimization: Adjust correlation rules and thresholds
• Reporting: Generate metrics on alert volume, MTTD, and MTTR

4.4 Incident Response Handoff

• Containment: Isolate affected systems using endpoint quarantine
• Eradication: Remove malicious software, revoke compromised credentials
• Recovery: Restore from backups if necessary, verify remediation
• Post-Incident Review: Document lessons learned, update detection rules

Policy Alignment

All threat detection efforts must align with the organization's security policies, which define data retention, privacy considerations, and incident response obligations.

Regulatory Requirements

For industries like finance, healthcare, or government, ensure logs and alerts meet regulatory standards (e.g., PCI-DSS, HIPAA, or FedRAMP).

Audits & Assessments

Periodically verify that detection controls and processes comply with both internal and external audit requirements.