Discerning and deducing what’s real in alert management keeps data from detonating. We know firsthand how hard this can be. Here’s an easy checklist to assess you’re seeing a smoke-screen or seeking a fire-starter:
I. Context Analysis
Examine:
- Source and destination of the activity
- Time and frequency of the event associated with user accounts or systems
- Compare with normal behavior patterns for the affected asset
II. Log Correlation
- Cross-reference the alert with logs from other security tools and systems
- Look for supporting evidence in network, endpoint, and application logs
- Check if multiple sources corroborate the suspicious activity
III. Threat Intelligence
- Compare IoCs with known threat intelligence
- Check if IP addresses, URLs, or file hashes are associated with known malicious activities
- Assess if the observed behavior matches known attack patterns
IV. Environmental Knowledge
- Consider scheduled maintenance or authorized changes that might trigger alerts
- Check if the activity aligns with expected business operations
- Verify if recent system or network changes could cause false alarms
V. Historical Data
- Consider scheduled maintenance or authorized changes that might trigger alerts
- Check if the activity aligns with expected business operations
- Verify if recent system or network changes could cause false alarms
VI. Reproducibility
- Attempt to recreate the conditions that triggered the alert in a safe environment
- Verify if the same actions consistently trigger or fail to trigger the alert
VII. Asset Criticality & Vulnerability
- Assess if the affected asset is a likely target based on its role and data
- Check if the asset has known vulnerabilities that align with the alert
VIII. Alert Logic Examination
- Review the specific conditions and thresholds that triggered the alert
- Assess if the alert logic is overly sensitive or prone to false positives
IX. User Verification
- When appropriate and safe, contact the user or system owner to verify the activity
- Check if the action was intentional and authorized
X. Forensic Analysis
- For high-severity alerts, perform a quick forensic triage on the affected system
- Look for artifacts that confirm malicious activity, e.g., malware remnants, unauthorized changes
XI. Behavior Analysis
- Examine the sequence of events before and after the alert
- Assess if the overall behavior is consistent with a genuine security threat
XII. False Positive Patterns
- Be aware of common causes of false positives in your environment
- Check if the alert fits known patterns of false positives specific to your tools or infrastructure
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