Splunk Enterprise Security (Splunk ES) Overview
Splunk Enterprise Security (Splunk ES) is a comprehensive security information and event management (SIEM) solution designed to enhance the detection, response, and management of security threats within an organization. It is built on the Splunk Enterprise platform and can be deployed in various environments, including on-premises, public and private clouds, and hybrid deployments.
Key Functionality
Continuous Monitoring and Visibility
Splunk ES provides continuous monitoring capabilities that help organizations visualize their security posture. This is achieved through predefined dashboards and Custom Glass Table views, which include security and performance metrics, trending indicators, and static and dynamic thresholds. The Use Case Library within Splunk ES facilitates quicker detection of both new and known threats.
Incident Response and Management
The platform optimizes incident response workflows by offering centralized logs, pre-defined reports and correlations, alerts, and incidents. It enables security teams to prioritize and act on incidents efficiently, using features such as incident response workflows and the ability to assign incidents to specific users for investigation. The Incident Review dashboard allows teams to investigate notable events and move them through the investigation workflow.
Rapid Investigations
Splunk ES facilitates rapid investigations with ad hoc search capabilities and static, dynamic, and visual correlations. This helps in detecting malicious activities quickly and developing threat context by investigating and pivoting on various data fields. The platform also supports multi-step investigations, enabling teams to analyze breaches and trace activities associated with compromised systems using tools like the investigator journal and the investigation timeline.
Endpoint Protection
The solution includes robust endpoint protection features, such as reports, searches, and a library of alerts for rare activities, malicious software (malware), and resource utilization and availability. It integrates with other endpoint security solutions like Symantec Endpoint Protection, McAfee Endpoint Protection, and IBM Proventia Desktop, allowing for comprehensive threat prioritization and long-term trend analysis.
Risk-Based Analysis
Splunk ES enables risk-based analysis by allowing users to assign risk scores to assets, events, users, and behavior. These scores help in prioritizing security events and investigations based on the relative importance or value of each component. This feature aids in actively managing business risk by tracking the security status of various components.
Integration and Analytics
The platform integrates with a Threat Intelligence Framework, aggregating public security threat information from various sources, including government authorities and open-source databases. It also integrates with Splunk User Behavior Analytics (UBA) to detect anomalous behavior from both inside and outside the organization. Additionally, Splunk ES can be enhanced with Splunk Mission Control and Splunk SOAR (formerly Splunk Phantom) for better SOC management, efficient investigations, and automated response to security incidents.
Key Features
- Data Collection and Indexing: Splunk ES can collect and index data from virtually any source, transforming logs into metrics and analyzing data without traditional database constraints.
- Dashboards and Reporting: Pre-built dashboards and reporting capabilities are tailored for security use cases, providing real-time visibility into security events and performance metrics.
- Correlation Searches and Alerts: The platform includes pre-built correlation rules and alerts, which can be customized to detect specific security threats and anomalies.
- Incident Review and Workflow Management: Features like the Incident Review dashboard and security workflow management help in managing the entire incident lifecycle, from detection to remediation.
- Integration with Third-Party Tools: Splunk ES integrates with various third-party threat intelligence feeds and security solutions, enhancing its capabilities and providing a holistic security view.
In summary, Splunk Enterprise Security is a powerful SIEM solution that enhances an organization’s ability to detect, respond to, and manage security threats. Its comprehensive features and integrations make it an essential tool for security operations centers (SOCs) and security practitioners.