Improving Preparedness for Responding to Incidents Using Wazuh
Managing and resolving security breaches or cyber-attacks follow a structured method known as incident response. Security teams face various difficulties like prompt detection, complete data gathering, and synchronized efforts to enhance preparedness. Enhancing these aspects guarantees a rapid and efficient response, reducing harm and restoring regular operations swiftly.
Hurdles in incident response
Dealing with incidents presents a range of obstacles that need to be tackled for a swift and effective rebound from cyber assaults. Below are some of these challenges:
- Promptness: A significant hurdle in incident response is addressing incidents promptly to minimize damage. Delays can result in additional compromises and heightened recovery expenses.
- Data correlation: Security teams commonly struggle with effectively collecting and correlating pertinent data. Without a comprehensive overview, grasping the entire extent and implications of the incident becomes problematic.
- Harmonization and correspondence: Incident response demands coordination among different stakeholders, including technical units, management, and external collaborators. Inadequate communication can lead to disarray and ineffective responses.
- Limitations in resources: Numerous organizations function with restricted security resources. Understaffed teams may find it hard to manage multiple incidents simultaneously, resulting in prioritization challenges and potential oversights.
Sequences of incident response
- Preparation revolves around crafting an incident response blueprint, training teams, and setting up appropriate tools for spotting and addressing threats.
- Identification stands as the subsequent crucial phase, relying on efficient monitoring for swift and accurate alerts about suspicious activities.
- Containment entails taking immediate measures to contain the incident’s spread. This includes short-term actions to isolate the breach and prolonged strategies to fortify the system before it fully recovers.
- Eradication involves tackling the root causes of the incident by removing malware and rectifying exploited vulnerabilities.
- Recovery means reinstating systems and closely monitoring them to ensure they are clean and functioning well post-incident.
- Extracting lessons involves evaluating the incident and the responses to it, a crucial step for enhancing future reactions.
Enhancing Incident Response Preparedness with Wazuh
Wazuh is a free platform providing unified security information and event management (SIEM) and extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities across various environments, both in the cloud and on-premises. Wazuh analyzes log data, monitors file integrity, detects threats, sends real-time alerts, and automates incident response. Below, we explore how Wazuh enhances incident response.
Automated incident response
The Wazuh active response module triggers responses to specific events on monitored endpoints. When an alert meets predefined criteria like rule ID, severity level, or rule group, the module executes predefined actions to address the incident. Security administrators can configure automated responses to manage particular security incidents.
Incorporating active response scripts in Wazuh involves defining commands and setting up responses. This ensures that scripts run under the correct conditions, allowing organizations to tailor their response to their unique security requirements. A broad outline of the implementation process includes:
- Defining commands: Outline the command in the Wazuh manager configuration file, specifying the script’s location and necessary parameters.
<command> <name>quarantine-host</name> <executable>quarantine_host.sh</executable> <expect>srcip</expect> </command>
- Configuring active response: Set up the active response to determine execution conditions, associate the command with specific rules, and define execution parameters.
<active-response> <command>quarantine-host</command> <location>any</location> <level>10</level> <timeout>600</timeout> </active-response>
- Linking rules: Connect the custom active response to specific rules in the Wazuh ruleset to ensure the script runs when relevant alerts are triggered.
This setup allows security teams to automate responses effectively and tailor their incident response strategies.
Default security measures
Wazuh active response automatically executes specific actions in response to certain security alerts by default, on Windows and Linux endpoints. These default actions include, but are not limited to:
Blocking a known malicious actor
When an alert triggers, Wazuh can prevent known malicious actors by adding their IP addresses to a ban list immediately. This helps prevent unauthorized access and safeguards the network.
Active response guarantees swift disconnection of malicious actors from their targeted systems or networks.
The procedure usually entails continuous monitoring of log data and network traffic to unearth compromise or unusual behavior. Wazuh preconfigured rules trigger an alert once suspicious activity is pinpointed. The active response module of Wazuh takes action by running a script to update firewall rules or network access control lists, thereby hindering the malicious IP address. The execution of a response action is documented, and notifications are dispatched to security personnel for further scrutiny.
This particular scenario leverages a public IP reputation database such as the Alienvault IP reputation database or AbuseIPDB, which contains flagged IP addresses recognized as malevolent to recognize and prevent known threats. The figure below depicts the process of identifying and blocking a malevolent IP address based on the IP reputation database.
Detection and eradication of malware with Wazuh
Wazuh oversees file activity on endpoints through its File Integrity Monitoring (FIM) capability, integrations with threat intelligence, and established rules to pick up on abnormal patterns that might indicate potential malware assaults. An alert is activated upon the detection of alterations in files matching known malware characteristics. The active response module of Wazuh then triggers a script to eliminate the malicious files to prevent them from executing or inflicting further damage.
All actions are recorded, and comprehensive notifications are produced for security personnel. These logs furnish details about the anomaly detected and the response actions taken, showcasing the state of the impacted endpoint. Security teams can subsequently utilize the detailed logs and data from Wazuh to scrutinize the attack and instate additional remedial measures.
The image below exhibits Wazuh identifying malicious software with VirusTotal, and the subsequent removal of the identified malware by the Wazuh active response.
Enforcement of policies
Account lockdown serves as a security precaution against brute force attacks by restricting the number of login attempts a user can undertake within a specified duration. Organizations can employ Wazuh to automatically enforce security policies like deactivating a user account following multiple failed password attempts.
Wazuh utilizes the disable-account, a predefined active response script, to incapacitate an account after three unsuccessful authentication tries. In this instance, the user remains suspended for five minutes:
<ossec_config> <active-response> <command>disable-account</command> <location>local</location> <rules_id>120100</rules_id> <timeout>300</timeout> </active-response> </ossec_config>
<command>: Designates the disable-account active response script to be executed.
<location>: Specifies where the configured active response will be implemented, which is locally on the monitored endpoints.
<rules_id>: Indicates the rule ID, governing the execution condition of active response command.
<timeout>: Defines the duration the active response action must endure. In this scenario, the account’s deactivation persists for 300 seconds. Post this duration, the active response reverts its action and re-enables the account.
In the illustration below, the Wazuh active response module deactivates a user account on a Linux endpoint and subsequently reinstates it automatically after 5 minutes.
Adaptable security measures
Wazuh also offers versatility by enabling users to craft personalized active response scripts in any programming language, empowering them to tailor responses to their organization’s unique prerequisites. For instance, a Python script could be formulated to quarantine an endpoint by adjusting its firewall settings.
Integration with external incident response tools
Wazuh collaborates with various external incident response tools, enhancing its capabilities and providing a more comprehensive security solution. This integration permits organizations to optimize existing investments in security infrastructure while reaping the benefits of Wazuh’s functionalities.
For instance, merging Wazuh with Shuffle, a security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) platform, facilitates the development of sophisticated automated workflows that streamline incident response procedures.
Likewise, enhancing incident response with Wazuh and DFIR-IRIS integration delivers a comprehensive fusion of perspectives.of electronic discovery and event response (EDEER). EDEER-IRIS is a flexible event response framework that, when combined with Wazuh, provides extended event examination and alleviation capabilities.
These mergers can support:
- Automated ticket generation in IT service management (ITSM) platforms.
- Coordinated threat intelligence searches to enrich alarm data.
- Synchronized response measures across multiple security instruments.
- Tailored reporting and alert workflows.
For example, if Wazuh identifies a phishing email with a harmful link, an instant ticket is automatically established in the ITSM system, assigning it to the relevant team for prompt review. At the same time, Wazuh interrogates a threat intelligence source to add additional information about the malicious link, such as its source and related risks. The security coordination mechanism automatically segregates the impacted endpoint and halts the harmful IP across all network devices. Personalized reports and alerts are produced and forwarded to pertinent stakeholders, ensuring they are informed about the event and the measures taken.
By utilizing these connections, security teams can swiftly and efficiently react to the phishing assault, lessening potential harm and halting further propagation. This bolsters event reaction readiness through simplified and automated processes enabled by merging external tools with Wazuh.
Final Thoughts
Boosting event response readiness is vital for decreasing the consequences of cyber assaults. Wazuh presents a thorough solution to assist your organization in reaching this goal with its real-time monitoring, programmed response abilities, and potential to merge with external tools.
By tapping into Wazuh, security teams can oversee events, reduce response durations, and ensure a resilient security stance. Explore more about Wazuh by examining our documentation and engaging in our community of experts.
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