Decoding Cybersecurity: Why SOC Teams Are Struggling and How to Turn the Tide
...And 12 Cybersecurity Posts from around LinkedIn
In this Issue
Foreword | 12 Posts on Cyber | Featured Leader | From Cyngular's Founder | Afterword
Foreword
We're excited to share 12 more posts about cybersecurity from across LinkedIn. Useful content this week includes the importance of digital forensics in cybersecurity and law enforcement, the importance of risk registers, and highlights from a 2024 whitepaper on AI in cybersecurity.
We highlight a Featured Leader again this week.
Finally, a piece from Cyngular Security 's research team which discusses why security operations teams are struggling and how to overcome the challenges they face.
We're happy to send out our thirty-eighth issue, written to deliver content of value that is easily digestible.
We welcome all feedback, submissions, and input from our readers. If you have questions, submissions, or concerns, contact Rebecca Fera .
12 Posts on Cyber
Useful LinkedIn Posts This Week in Cybersecurity
Chris H. dove into what AI governance and certifications organizations need to stay compliant, in a helpful interview
Single Sign-On authentication process and why it matters, broken down by G M Faruk Ahmed, CISSP, CISA
The key differences of machine learning and generative AI, explored in a recent article by Alexander Turgeon
In her weekly cybersecurity update, Aditi Patil discussed the importance of digital forensics in cybersecurity and law enforcement
The importance of risk registers, outlined in 5 key points by Sourabh Chakraborty CISA,CISM,CRISC(Q)🟢
Praveen Singh highlighted a useful audit checklist for initial access in cybersecurity
Featured Leader
Ofek Lahiani
Currently a Threat Hunting Researcher for Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 , Ofek Lahiani works as a cybersecurity professional who focuses on analyzing and understanding cyber threats including Malware, attack vectors, and threat actors. With 7 years in the industry, Ofek has a proven track record of success in understanding what it takes to protect a network and ensure its security.
Ofek is another featured leader we are happy to share with you this week.
From Cyngular's Research Team
By sharing these insights, I aim to help organizations rethink their cybersecurity strategies and make informed decisions that enhance their resilience in the face of growing cyber threats.
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, cybersecurity has become a top priority for organizations of all sizes. Despite increased investments in security measures, many companies continue to struggle with reducing critical metrics such as Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Uncover (MTTU), and Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) to threats. This article delves into the challenges that hinder SOC teams' performance and highlights key differences between on-premises and cloud environments. The statistics and comparisons presented here underscore the importance of investing in the right cybersecurity strategies.
The Stark Reality: SOC Teams Are Struggling
SOC (Security Operations Center) teams are the heart of an organization’s cybersecurity defense, yet they often face significant obstacles that hinder their ability to quickly detect and respond to threats. Here’s why:
Alert Overload and False Positives:
Volume Challenge: SOC teams often deal with upwards of 10,000 alerts per day, with approximately 50% being false positives. This leads to alert fatigue and increases the likelihood of missing critical alerts.
Impact on MTTD/MTTU: Companies with high alert volumes experience an 85% slower MTTD and a 70% slower MTTU compared to organizations with optimized alert management.
Skills and Expertise Gaps:
Workforce Shortage: The global shortage of cybersecurity professionals is expected to reach 3.5 million by 2025. This shortage leaves many SOCs understaffed, with 55% of organizations citing skills gaps as a primary reason for delayed threat detection.
Training and Expertise: Organizations that invest in continuous training for SOC teams report a 45% faster MTTD and 35% faster MTTR compared to those that don’t.
Tool and Technology Limitations:
Integration Issues: SOCs using disparate, poorly integrated security tools face 30% longer response times compared to those with integrated systems.
Automation: Only 29% of organizations have fully automated their SOC processes, yet those that do experience a 50% reduction in MTTR.
Complex and Dynamic IT Environments:
Hybrid and Multi-Cloud: Over 80% of enterprises now operate in hybrid or multi-cloud environments, which have increased complexity. Organizations with hybrid environments report an 87% higher likelihood of experiencing delayed threat detection.
Visibility: Companies with poor visibility into their cloud environments see a 65% slower MTTD compared to those with robust cloud monitoring.
Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and Sophisticated Attack Techniques:
Stealthy Attacks: SOC teams dealing with APTs report an average of 96 days to uncover threats, significantly higher than the 25-day average for more straightforward attacks.
Threat Evolution: Companies that don’t regularly update their detection tools report a 40% slower MTTD when encountering new or polymorphic malware.
Resource Constraints and Budget Limitations:
Budget Shortfalls: 62% of organizations cite budget constraints as a significant barrier to enhancing their SOC, leading to an 80% longer MTTR in critical incidents.
Impact on Operations: Organizations with limited budgets also report 50% more frequent operational disruptions following cyber incidents.
On-Premises vs. Cloud: A Comparative Analysis
The challenges SOC teams face differ significantly between on-premises and cloud environments. Here’s how they compare:
Visibility and Monitoring
On-Premises:
High Visibility: SOCs in on-prem environments have 30% better visibility into network traffic and endpoints, leading to a 20% faster MTTD.
Centralized Logging: With centralized log management, these SOCs can correlate events more efficiently, resulting in a 25% lower MTTR.
Cloud:
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Visibility Challenges: SOCs in cloud environments often struggle with visibility, particularly in multi-cloud setups, leading to a 50% slower MTTD compared to on-prem environments.
Decentralized Data: The distribution of log data across services can increase MTTU by 40%.
Attack Surface and Threat Landscape
On-Premises:
Defined Attack Surface: The static nature of on-prem environments results in a 35% lower likelihood of undetected threats.
Physical Security: Strong physical controls contribute to 20% fewer incidents.
Cloud:
Expanded Attack Surface: The cloud’s broader attack surface leads to a 45% higher likelihood of data breaches compared to on-prem environments.
Unique Threats: Misconfigurations in cloud environments account for 25% of all cloud security incidents.
Scalability and Resource Management
On-Premises:
Scalability Limits: On-prem SOCs often face a 50% higher operational cost when scaling up, leading to a 30% slower response time during high-demand periods.
Resource Constraints: The physical limitations of on-prem environments can result in a 40% slower incident resolution.
Cloud:
Elastic Scalability: SOCs in cloud environments can scale resources as needed, resulting in a 30% faster MTTR during peak periods.
Cost Efficiency: Cloud SOCs report a 25% lower operational cost when scaling up compared to on-prem SOCs.
Detection and Response Tools
On-Premises:
Traditional Tools: SOCs relying on traditional tools experience a 35% slower MTTD for emerging threats.
Manual Processes: Manual workflows result in a 45% longer MTTR compared to automated processes.
Cloud:
Cloud-Native Tools: Cloud environments benefit from cloud-native detection tools, resulting in a 30% faster MTTD.
Automation: SOCs utilizing automation in the cloud report a 50% reduction in MTTR.
Compliance and Regulatory Challenges
On-Premises:
Regulatory Control: SOCs in on-prem environments experience 20% fewer compliance violations due to tighter data residency controls.
Complex Compliance: Managing compliance across different regions can lead to a 30% slower response to regulatory incidents.
Cloud:
Shared Responsibility: The cloud’s shared responsibility model results in 40% more complex compliance challenges, impacting MTTU by 35%.
Rapid Evolution: SOCs in the cloud face 25% more frequent regulatory changes, complicating compliance management.
The Consequences of Underinvestment
Failing to invest adequately in a robust SOC—whether on-premises or in the cloud—can have severe consequences. The statistics are clear:
With vs. Without SOC:
Incident Frequency: 71% of companies without a SOC experience a cyber incident annually, compared to 26% of those with SOCs.
Operational Disruption: Companies without SOCs face a 60% likelihood of operational disruption, versus 15% for those with SOCs.
Financial Impact: The average cost of a data breach is $4.24 million for organizations without SOCs, compared to $1.85 million for those with SOCs.
Internal vs. External SOC:
Detection Time: Internal SOCs report a 28-day median detection time, compared to 42 days for those using external SOC services.
Response Time: Internal SOCs have a 12-day median response time, whereas external SOCs average 18 days.
Operational Impact: Organizations with internal SOCs experience 35% fewer operational disruptions than those relying on external SOC services.
On-Prem vs. Cloud SOC:
MTTD and MTTR: On-prem SOCs generally achieve a 20% faster MTTD and a 15% faster MTTR compared to cloud SOCs. However, cloud SOCs that leverage automation and cloud-native tools can close this gap significantly, reducing MTTR by up to 30%.
Incident Costs: On-prem SOCs report 25% lower incident costs due to better visibility and control, while cloud SOCs can achieve similar reductions by investing in advanced detection and automation tools.
Conclusion: Investing in the Right Place
The data is compelling: Organizations that invest in a robust SOC, whether on-premises or in the cloud, significantly reduce their risk of cyber incidents and associated costs. However, to truly optimize detection and response times, it’s essential to address the specific challenges faced by SOC teams, including alert overload, skills gaps, and tool integration issues.
By understanding the unique challenges of on-premises versus cloud environments and tailoring their investments accordingly, organizations can better protect themselves against the ever-evolving threat landscape. The cost of underinvestment is simply too high, and the consequences too severe to ignore.
Take Action Today: Evaluate your current SOC capabilities, identify gaps, and invest in the right tools, training, and resources to empower your team to reduce MTTD, MTTU, and MTTR effectively. Your organization’s security—and its future—depend on it.
Cyngular Security - We make the impossible, possible
Cyngular is a groundbreaking comprehensive platform dramatically enhances your SOC (either external or internal) to reducing their MTTD, MTTU & MTTR.
By using ML & AI capabilities within an advanced operational approach and full automation of Threat-hunting, Deception, Investigation and Response, Cyngular’s THIRDhub platform makes the impossible possible.
Afterword
That's all for this week's newsletter. Our next issue will include another piece from Cyngular's Founder, a Featured Leader, and a new batch of 12 useful posts. Connect with us if you have anything to submit for our next issue or want to know more about Cyngular.
Notice:
The posts in this issue reflect the views only of the individual LinkedIn users and do not reflect the views of Cyngular Security, its employees, or any other entities. The links shared in this issue were written by LinkedIn users and do not constitute an endorsement of Cyngular Security, any other entities, or this newsletter by those users, entities, or the "Featured Leader."
Reach out to Rebecca Fera if you have any concerns about CISO Signal.