What is XDR and What is Patch Management

Today it’s harder to identify good from bad so traditional signature-based antivirus approaches alone are a weak defense against ransomware and unknown threats, which often slip through. A security breach for some businesses is unfortunately inevitable because not all malicious activity can be stopped. Small and Midsize Businesses will continue to look to MSPs to help close security gaps. MSBs are evaluating managed detection and response services to both combat the sophisticated threat landscape and cut mitigation costs to simplify audit and compliance readiness. 

XDR Definition

Extended detection and response is a new approach to threat detection and response that provides complete protection against cyberattacks, unauthorized access, and misuse. According to analyst firm Gartner, Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is „a SaaS-based, vendor-specific, security threat detection and incident response tool that natively integrates multiple security products into a cohesive security operations system that unifies all licensed components“. 

How does XDR work?

Extended detection and response solutions bring a proactive approach to threat detection and response. An effective and timely response is providing increasingly critical to businesses across a variety of industries and consumer segments. It delivers visibility across all data, including endpoint, network, and cloud data.  

XDR benefits:

• 24/7 monitoring – Automatically detect sophisticated attacks 24/7 with the use of out-of-the-box analytics and custom rules to detect advanced persistent threats and other covert attacks. 

• Early detection of threats – It blocks known and unknown attacks with endpoint protection. Block malware, exploits, and fileless attacks with integrated AI-driven antivirus and threat intelligence. 
• Incident investigation – It focuses on identifying and correcting root causes, not on finding fault or blame, also improves workplace morale and increases productivity, by demonstrating an employer’s commitment to a safe and healthful workplace. 
• Threat source identification – It examines IT vulnerabilities and determines their capacity to compromise your system. It’s a key element of your organization’s risk management program. 
• Infection chain/Root cause Analysis – RCA is the process of discovering the root causes of problems in order to identify appropriate solutions. RCA systematically prevents and solves underlying issues rather than just treating ad hoc symptoms and putting out fires. 
• Incident reports – Reports provide a summary of incidents in your environment, with incidents prioritized and listed by severity, assignee, incident age, and affected hosts. 

• Some extra benefits like Cross-product correlation and Cross-customer analysis, MSP-facing monthly reports, Access to security experts, Remediation assistance, and recommendations 

From a business perspective, XDR platforms enable organizations to prevent successful cyberattacks as well as simplify and strengthen security processes. XDR, or extended detection and response, is a cybersecurity solution that combines the capabilities of multiple security tools to deliver both automated and human-driven threat mitigation. It’s an end-to-end approach that aims to achieve situational awareness across every device, network, and endpoint that connects to the corporate network. The goal of XDR is to use an end-to-end approach rather than a siloed approach to detecting and responding to cybersecurity threats. 

Retailers have been forced into a defensive mindset because they don’t want their customers’ information stolen or compromised. For example, when Target stores were hacked last year, many consumers were concerned about whether their personal information had been compromised – and whether they would ever shop at Target again due to the incident. To prevent this kind of situation from happening again (and prevent future attacks), retailers need tools like XDR that provide them with automated protection against cyberattacks while also allowing them full visibility into what’s happening within each department so they can determine if there are any gaps in security measures before any harm occurs.  

How does XDR compare to EDR or MDR?

XDR is a more modern alternative to traditional reactive approaches that provide only layered visibility into attacks, such as endpoint detection and response (EDR), network detection and response (NDR), user behavior analytics (UBA), and security information and event management (SIEM). NDR focuses on analyzing packet data in network traffic rather than endpoints or other data streams to detect potential cyber threats. EDR is centered on endpoint protection, offering detailed visibility and threat prevention for specific devices. EDR, or extended detection and response, is a cyber defense approach that combines the capabilities of multiple security tools to deliver both automated and human-driven threat mitigation.SIEM combines Security Event Management (SEM) from event data analysis with Security Information Management (SIM), which collects and analyzes log data. An XDR system can include SIEM, endpoint protection, threat hunting, and other security features. UBA is the tracking, collecting, and assessing of user data and activities using monitoring systems.  

Clearly, EDR has been enormously valuable, however, despite the depth of its capability, EDR is restricted because it can only detect and respond to threats inside managed endpoints. Network traffic analysis (NTA) tools’ is also limited to the network and monitored network segments. 

Why do enterprises need XDR security?

Are you a business owner or an IT guru? If so, chances are you’ve heard of the term “XDR security.” It’s become more popular in recent years as organizations struggle to stay protected from cyberattacks. But what exactly is XDR security and why should enterprises care about it? 

As more and more data moves online, cybercrime is on the rise. This has created a need for enterprises to be able to detect and respond to attacks. In order to do so, they must be able to detect attacks quickly and with minimal impact on their business operations. 

The good news for organizations that want better protection against malicious activity is that XDR security solutions can help them achieve these goals by providing advanced threat detection capabilities in two ways: network application monitoring (NAM) software or endpoint protection software (EPS). 

Network Application Monitoring Software – This type of solution monitors traffic entering an enterprise’s network through its firewall, which allows it to see what types of applications are being used by users within its environment; how often those applications were used; if any suspicious behavior was detected during testing periods such as when someone opens up an email attachment without knowing what they’re downloading onto their computer…etc 

What can enterprises expect with an XDR solution?

XDR security can help detect and stop attacks. With XDR, you have the ability to detect threats quickly, which means that you can respond faster than before. This is important because it reduces the amount of time your organization must spend on keeping its data safe from attackers. 

With XDR, you’ll be able to reduce the time it takes for an attack to be detected by as much as 50 percent—and this is just one way that XDR helps protect against malicious activity! 

Worry-Free Services Advanced

The threat landscape used to be black and white—you kept the bad stuff out and the good stuff in. Now it’s harder to tell the good from the bad, and traditional signature-based antivirus approaches alone are a weak defense against ransomware and unknown threats, which often slip through. Next-generation technologies help with some threats but are in no way foolproof, and adding multiple anti-malware tools on a single endpoint result in too many products that don’t work together. To complicate matters, your users are increasingly accessing corporate resources from a variety of locations and devices, and even services in the cloud. You need endpoint security that is smart, optimized, and connected by a proven vendor you can trust. 

Trend MicroTM Worry-Free Services Advanced, powered by XGenTM, is cloud-based security specifically designed to protect all of your endpoints with the award-winning device and email protection. To save you time and resources, it is hosted and maintained by Trend Micro and combines the following; Worry-Free Services to protect your devices, Trend MicroTM Hosted 

Email Security to protect your on-premises email, and Trend MicroTM Cloud App Security to protect your Microsoft® Office 365TM email, Microsoft® OneDrive®, Microsoft® Sharepoint®, and collaboration tools such as Google DriveTM, DropboxTM, and Box. 

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services Advanced gives you: 

• Automatic detection and response against an ever-growing variety of threats, including fileless and ransomware
• Insightful investigative capabilities and centralized visibility across the network by using an advanced EDR toolset (with an optional Endpoint Sensor add-on)
• The ability to stop email threats in the cloud before they reach your network
• Protection against spear phishing, credential phishing, business email compromise, and advanced targeted attacks
• An all-in-one lightweight agent

What is Xgen Security?

Trend Micro Worry-Free Services, powered by XGen security is the first to infuse high-fidelity machine learning which uniquely analyzes files not only before execution—but also during runtime for more accurate detection with other detection techniques for the broadest protection against ransomware and advanced attacks. 

Threat detection capabilities: 

• High-fidelity machine learning (pre-execution and runtime) 
• Behavioral analysis (against scripts, injection, ransomware, memory, and browser attacks) 

• File Reputation 
• Variant protection 
• Census check 
• Web reputation 
• URL Filtering 

• Command and control blocking 
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) 
• Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) 
• Application control 
• Firewall 

• Business Email Compromise detection 
• Writing style DNA 
• Phishing and Credential Phishing detection

Our XDR Services

Far Out Solutions Managed XDR services are tailored for those looking to boost their security service portfolio quickly and affordably. Gain security expertise without the cost and time with Managed XDR services. 

What is Patch Management? 

Patch Management is the process of identifying and deploying software updates („patches“) to a variety of endpoints, including computers, mobile devices, and servers. This can involve installing a patch on a client device or server, or it may be done remotely. Patch management is essentially finding and applying fixes to vulnerabilities in software that have been identified by security researchers and developers. 

A „patch“ is a specific change or set of updates provided by software developers to fix known security vulnerabilities or technical issues. It’s important to understand that patch management can be a time-consuming process, but it’s also critical for ensuring your organization’s security in short-term, until the next full software release.

Patch Management Process

Patch management is a process where IT admins or operations managers must identify and prioritize patching needs, obtain, and test these patches or fixes, and deploy them to update, improve, or repair existing code.  

This process usually includes several phases. Here are the essential steps for understanding the patch management procedure: 

1. Create an inventory of standard items
2. Collect information on software patches and vulnerabilities 
3. Determine the vulnerability, assign relevancy, and filter to endpoints 
4. Utilize a test lab setting 
5. Have the security team evaluate the stability of the patch 
6. Patch management review, approval, and mitigation 
7. Conduct a trial deployment of some patches 
8. Document systems pre and post-patching 

Importance of Patch Management

Securing Networks & Endpoints: Patch management is an absolutely essential element within the organization’s cybersecurity vulnerability and patching strategy. In fact, unpatched software applications or operating systems are one of the leading causes of security breaches today. A fast and timely patch management process, along with supplemental monitoring, detection, and remediation tools and processes, will help reduce the risk of such events. 

The benefits of Patch Management: 

1. Enhances Security – Security should never be taken lightly. A missing patch is among the most frequent reasons for a security lapse. Patching vulnerabilities regularly aids in managing and lowering the risk in your environment. This is an effective shield from unexpected security lapses. 
2. Supports bring your own devices (BYOD) – Allowing employees to bring their own devices to work is becoming popular. No matter where an employee uses a device, patch management will keep it safe. Also, it protects remote workers. 
3. Prevents interruptions in productivity – If the patch is missing, systems and computers can crash. The result will be reduced productivity. Enterprises can avoid system crashed through patch management to keep productivity at the highest levels. 
4. Detects outdated software – Any software that needs to be updated before it poses a security risk will be found through patch management. 
5. Provisions timely feature updates – New features boost output and make the system function more efficiently.  
6. Drives innovation – It ensures that you have the most recent software with the most up-to-date features that could help your business.

Conclusion

A patch management system is a set of tools that helps you manage both the software and hardware on your network. It’s important to have one because software updates can be released by vendors without warning, which can leave your system vulnerable if you aren’t prepared for them. By using a patch management system, you can ensure that all of your systems are running up-to-date versions of the popular applications you use every day.