Implement XDR Tools with C2C - Zero Trust Activity 2.7.2

Implement XDR Tools and Integrate with C2C Part 1 (Activity 2.7.2)

In Activity 2.7.1, “Implement Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) Tools and Integrate with C2C,” we deployed EDR solutions to protect, monitor, and respond to threats directly on our endpoints and critical services, linking crucial device health data to network access controls. While EDR provides advanced visibility into the endpoint, modern threats don’t stop there. Attackers move across networks, into cloud services, and exploit vulnerabilities in applications and identity systems.

This is where we evolve our detection and response capabilities to a new dimension with Zero Trust Activity 2.7.2: Implement Extended Detection & Response (XDR) Tools and Integrate with C2C Part 1.

Activity 2.7.2 directs DoD Components to procure and implement Extended Detection & Response (XDR) solution(s). XDR takes EDR’s endpoint telemetry and integrates it with data from other security pillars – explicitly mentioning network, cloud services, and applications. These cross-pillar integration points are identified and prioritized based on risk, ensuring XDR provides the most valuable correlated insights. The XDR solution is also aligned with the Comply to Connect (C2C) program, reinforcing that detection intelligence feeds into access decisions. XDR capabilities are designed to either supplement or replace existing EDR implementations, signifying a transition to a broader security vision. All the rich analysis and correlation capabilities are sent from the XDR solution stack to the SIEM, ensuring centralized visibility.

The outcomes for Activity 2.7.2 Part 1 highlight this expanded scope:

XDR solution is implemented, and replaces EDR where possible.
Integration points have been identified and prioritized per capability.
XDR and SIEM have integrations to gain a comprehensive view of data integration, correlation, analytics, incident response, and automation.

The ultimate end state for this activity: Expanding from an EDR to an XDR solution provides a holistic view of the threat landscape, allowing for coordinated response, automation, and orchestration when responding to threats. This is the next logical step in achieving comprehensive detection and response in Zero Trust.

Solutions for Activity 2.7.2: Implement Extended Detection and Response (XDR) Tools and Integrate with C2C Part 1

Implementing XDR requires a strategic approach to data integration and correlation, building on your EDR foundation. Solutions focus on consolidating and enriching security telemetry from across your enterprise:

Procure and Implement an XDR Solution (Native or Hybrid):
- Select an XDR platform that is designed to ingest and correlate data from a wide variety of third-party security tools (e.g., your existing network firewalls, cloud security logs, IdP, email gateway) alongside its own endpoint telemetry.
- Deploy the XDR solution, ensuring it’s either an extension of your existing EDR (if from the same vendor) or a new platform that replaces it.
Identify and Prioritize Cross-Pillar Integration Points:
- Conduct a thorough assessment to identify all relevant data sources across your network infrastructure, cloud services, applications, identity systems, and email gateways.
- Prioritize integrations based on risk: Focus first on high-value assets, critical applications, and known high-risk data sources (e.g., integrating cloud activity logs for critical cloud applications, or network flow data from key internal segments).
- Establish secure, efficient data pipelines to bring this telemetry into the XDR solution.
- Implement tools and processes to aggregate and optimize raw source data before it reaches the XDR. This is crucial because raw security logs can be voluminous, noisy, and in disparate formats. Optimization steps might include:
  - Filtering: Removing irrelevant log entries to reduce data volume.
  - Parsing and Normalization: Transforming data from different sources into a common, standardized format that the XDR can easily process for correlation.
  - Enrichment: Adding contextual information (e.g., user’s department from HR, threat intelligence about an IP address) to raw logs to make them more valuable for XDR analysis.
Align XDR with C2C Program:
- Ensure that the XDR solution’s insights and real-time threat intelligence can be consumed by your Comply to Connect (C2C) solution (from Activity 2.2.1).
- This allows C2C to make more dynamic and intelligent network access decisions based not just on endpoint health but also on correlated threat indicators from across your extended environment.
Integration with SIEM for Comprehensive View:
- Configure the XDR solution to send its enriched, correlated alerts, incidents, and detailed telemetry to your Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system.
- The SIEM then provides the overarching “comprehensive view” of security operations, acting as the central repository for all security data. XDR enhances the SIEM by providing pre-correlated, higher-fidelity alerts, reducing noise.

Key Considerations:

Data Source Breadth and Depth: XDR’s effectiveness hinges on the quantity and quality of telemetry it ingests from across your security stack.
Data Pipeline Efficiency: Investing in tools and processes for data aggregation, optimization, and normalization before XDR ingestion is vital to prevent data overload, improve XDR performance, and ensure accurate correlation.
Integration Complexity: Integrating XDR with diverse third-party security tools and cloud services can be complex; prioritize platforms with robust, well-documented APIs and pre-built connectors.
Correlation and Analytics Engine: Evaluate the XDR’s ability to perform sophisticated correlation and behavioral analytics across disparate data types to identify complex threats that individual tools might miss.
Scalability: The XDR solution must be able to ingest, process, and store massive volumes of security data from across the enterprise.
Impact on Security Operations: XDR aims to improve SOC efficiency by reducing alert fatigue and providing richer context for investigations.
Roadmap to Part 2: This is Part 1. Plan for the evolution towards more advanced correlation, automation, and orchestration that will likely be covered in subsequent activities.

For the Technical Buyer:

Activity 2.7.2 marks a significant evolution in your organization’s threat detection and response capabilities within the Zero Trust framework. By implementing an XDR solution, you gain a holistic view of the threat landscape by correlating data across endpoints, networks, cloud services, and applications. For technical buyers, success in this activity hinges on selecting an XDR platform that can effectively integrate with your existing security ecosystem, identify and prioritize those crucial cross-pillar data sources, and ensure that its enriched insights flow seamlessly into your SIEM for comprehensive security operations. This activity is about moving beyond fragmented alerts to a unified, intelligent defense capable of coordinated response, automation, and orchestration, a vital step towards achieving advanced threat detection and response in your Zero Trust journey.

Pillar: Device

Capability: 2.7 Endpoint and Extended Detection and Response

Activity: 2.7.1: Implement XDR Tools and Integrate with C2C Part 1

Phase: Target Level

Predecessor(s):