What is EDR?
EDR is a cybersecurity technology that continuously monitors endpoints for evidence of threats and performs automatic actions to help mitigate them. Endpoints—the many physical devices connected to a network, such as mobile phones, desktops, laptops, virtual machines, and Internet of Things (IoT) technology—give malicious actors multiple points of entry for an attack on an organization. EDR solutions help security analysts detect and remediate threats on endpoints before they can spread throughout your network.
EDR security solutions log behaviors on endpoints around the clock. They continuously analyze this data to reveal suspicious activity that could indicate threats such as ransomware. It can also perform automatic actions to contain threats and alert security professionals, who then use the recorded data to investigate precisely how the breach occurred, what it has affected, and what needs to be done next.
WHAT IT DOES
The role of EDR in cybersecurity
For organizations working to stay safe from a cyberattack, EDR represents a step up from antivirus technology. An antivirus program is designed to bar malicious actors from entering a system by checking for known threats from a database and taking automatic quarantine actions if it detects one of them. Endpoint protection platforms (EPPs) are the first line of defense including advanced antivirus and antimalware protection, and an EDR provides additional protection if a breach happens by enabling detection and remediation.
EDR has the ability to hunt for as-yet-unknown threats—those that get past the perimeter—by detecting and analyzing suspicious behaviors, otherwise known as indicators of compromise (IOCs).
EDR gives security teams the visibility and automation they need to speed up incident response and keep attacks on endpoints from spreading. They’re used to:
Monitor endpoints and keep an exhaustive record of activity to detect suspicious activity in real time.
Analyze this data to determine whether threats warrant investigation and remediation.
Generate prioritized alerts for your security team so they know what needs to be addressed first.
Provide visibility into and context for the full history and scope of a breach to aid security teams’ investigations.
Automatically contain or remediate the threat before it can spread.
How Does EDR Work?
While EDR technology may vary with each vendor, they work in broadly the same way. An EDR solution:
Continuously monitors endpoints. When your devices are onboarded, the EDR solution will install a software agent on each of them to ensure the whole digital ecosystem is visible to security teams. Devices with the agent installed are called managed devices. This software agent continuously logs relevant activity on each managed device.
Aggregates telemetry data. The data ingested from each device is sent back from the agent to the EDR solution, which can be in the cloud or on-premises. Event logs, authentication attempts, application use, and other information are made visible to security teams in real time.
Analyzes and correlates data. The EDR solution uncovers IOCs that would otherwise be easy to miss. EDRs typically use AI and machine learning to apply behavioral analytics based on global threat intelligence to help your team fend off advanced tactics being used against your organization.
Surfaces suspected threats and takes automatic remediation actions. EDR solution flags a potential attack and sends an actionable alert to your security team so they can respond quickly. Depending on the trigger, the EDR system may also isolate an endpoint or otherwise contain the threat to prevent it from spreading while the incident is being investigated.
Stores data for future use. EDR technology keeps a forensic record of past events to inform future investigations. Security analysts can use this to consolidate events or to get the big picture about a prolonged or previously undetected attack.
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Key EDR capabilities and features
A comprehensive EDR solution can give your security team distinct advantages that allow them to protect work data more effectively. It enables them to:
Eliminate blind spots
Block the most sophisticated attacks
Proactively hunt threats
Use next-generation investigation tools
Remediate threats faster
Integrate detection and response with SIEM
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