Security operations

It’s impossible to sum up a year that felt like 1000 in a single blog post. But we did gather some topline takeaways on security trends and the evolving role of the CISO from Expel’s Bruce Potter.

We’ve been doing a lot of investigations in AWS using CloudTrail logs and have been noticing some interesting things along the way. So we created an AWS mind map for our team (and you). Check it out!

In this second post in our three-part series on all things metrics and SOC leadership, our team dives into details of what metrics and techniques are used to protect the SOC against volatility.

You’ve heard that Expel integrates with your tech. But not YOUR tech. What gives? Well, sometimes it doesn’t always make sense. Expel’s COO explains why and what this means when working with us.

How do you establish metrics for SOC efficiency? This first post in a three-part series shares our team’s approach to setting SOC goals, creating a strategy and measuring success.

Expel recently integrated Microsoft Defender ATP into our platform and we gotta say, we’re impressed! Our SOC analysts share why they love it and show us how they use it to triage alerts.

Think you can get a co-managed SIEM and then step away to let the magic happen? Not so fast. Our CISO shares some common myths and the realities you should consider before making a decision.

To build something useful you must first understand your users. Find out how Expel used Terraform and Atlantis to build a platform that makes self-service provisioning in cloud infrastructure easy.

Wonder what real-life investigation and response looks like in the cloud? Buckle up! Our team walks you through a coin-mining attack in AWS that they recently foiled – all the way from alert to fix.

Find out how our SOC analysts used automation to reduce the time it takes to investigate and report a suspicious login by 75%. The team outlines the process and shares a case study of it in action.

During a recent red team engagement, the CrowdStrike EDR Platform alerted our SOC team on the execution of a suspicious VBScript file. This is what they learned from untangling the malware code.

Our analysts had to think fast when they recently encountered an incident involving compromised AWS access keys. Find out how they identified the attack and then kicked the bad guy out.

For many of us, Zoom is the app that’s keeping us connected. But recent news about security concerns has a lot of us wondering if it’s too risky. So... is it? Our CISO shares his thoughts.

Whether you work in security or are an informed voter (or both!), the security of our election ecosystem is everybody’s business. Here are the challenges our system faces and what we can do about them.

When we founded Expel nearly four years ago, we set out to provide our customers with greater peace of mind about security – whether they’re operating “business as usual” or facing more challenging circumstances.

Security ops is a team sport … but how do you “play” together when your company’s working 100% remotely? Jon’s got some advice.

There’s lots to like about the NIST CSF. Here are our practical tips for how to use it, plus a preview of a new NIST feature we introduced in Expel Workbench™.

Creating alert thresholds is critical to *not* driving your SOC analysts batty, but what’s the “right” number? Here are some tips, tricks and favorite tools we use to determine alert thresholds for customer environments.

We love EDR tools too, but here are our best tips and tricks for combining EDR data with other (equally) important security signals.

What’s this new framework and how should you use it? Our CISO’s got all the details plus a FREE downloadable self-scoring tool to help you assess where your org’s at when it comes to privacy.

Is your data really safer in the server room next door? Probably not. Here are five reasons why the cloud offers better security than your on-prem environment.

If you’re running workloads on AWS, then you’ll want to know all about the latest and greatest AWS-native security tools. We’ve got you covered in our latest post.

Jupyter Notebook gave us the freedom to rethink the way we analyzed hunting data. Here are some tips and tricks you can use in your own analysis.

If you’re running workloads on AWS, then you’d better be running GuardDuty. But what is it and how can you make sense of all the signals? Here are our pro tips.

Is Signal Sciences WAF part of your tech stack? Then you’ve got an amazing webshell detection method right at your fingertips.

Think MFA will be your web mail’s knight in shining armor when a crafty attacker strikes? Think again, and do these four things to make sure your org’s protected.

NIST isn’t only useful for corporations -- it’s helpful for guiding security activities around processes like our national elections. Our CISO’s got some thoughts on exactly how to apply NIST to election security.

Looking to get more or better security signals out of AWS? Then you’ll wanna read our pro tips on making the most of Amazon CloudTrail.

Relativity CSO Amanda Fennell shares the top five, easy-to-get-started things she sees forward-thinking law firms doing to improve their security.

If you use or are considering trying JupyterHub, it’s your lucky day -- we’re sharing configuration tips and tricks, how we’re using it to make technical research easier, and much more.

So you decided you want to build a threat hunting program ... but where do you start? Here are our three must-dos when you’re planning your hunt.

How often does a business email compromise actually happen? And what should you do about it? Our infographic answers those questions and more.

Got Macs in your org? Here are a few recent Mac OS attack trends and how you can become more resilient to ‘em.

SOAR isn’t really about “orchestration and response.” It’s an engineering problem at its core. Here’s why.

Finding anomalous process relationships -- commands that don’t belong together -- might indicate a problem within your environment. Here’s how to spot ‘em.

Your IT team isn’t racking and stacking servers like they used to, but cracking the cloud security code is easier than you think. Get our pro tips for doing just that.

How do you decide which tech to use to carry out your hunt? This post’s got some pro tips for when and how to use different technology for your threat hunting mission.

If you’ve got a blank canvas with the opportunity to build a security program from scratch, here’s how to get started and make the most of your new program

The NIST Privacy Framework will revolutionize how we think about privacy. Here’s how your org might use it.

Practice these habits consistently and you’ll have an engaged, talented and all-around awesome security team.

Need to expand your security tool chest? Our CISO’s got some tips to consider when thinking about what tech to keep or buy.

How well is your MSSP or MDR going to manage your fleet of security signals over time? Here’s how to figure out whether they’re up for the challenge.

Want to test your analysts’ detection skills in the cloud? Here are our tips and tricks for building your own threat emulation exercise in AWS.

How can you figure out if the quality of the service you’re about to sign up for will improve over time? Our COO Yanek Korff’s got some tips for making sure you choose a service that’ll last.

If you're left holding the hot potato of a legacy lackluster security program, or are suddenly forced to protect your org and its data with less, here are a few quick steps to take to get cybersecurity efforts back on track.

If you're feeling like your SaaS security knowledge is a bit cloudy, these three pro tips will get you started on the right path.

Figuring out how to protect your SaaS infrastructure like Office 365 -- especially if you’re newer to cloud -- can feel overwhelming. So here are five Office 365 security best practices to check out right now.

Close common compliance gaps, without building a SOC, for NIST 800-171 security requirements. And a bit about how we can help.

Understanding how to think about cloud security differently is half the battle. We've thought a lot about it, and we’ve identified three key points that should inform your cloud strategy.

Let us walk you through our third-party assessment process. We think it's lightweight but still achieves the objective - determining if a vendor can be trusted.

In this guest post, Amanda Fennell, CSO at Relativity reflects on what she’s learned.

See if these four telltale warning signs get your head nodding. If so, learn how to get started on regaining control.

In case doing a “stare-and-compare” of the original and updated frameworks isn’t your idea of fun, I’ve highlighted three important changes here.

We want to demystify what hunting is and what it’s not. So here goes nothin’ ...

We give you a quick tour of the NIST Cybersecurity framework and describe how you can baseline your efforts in a couple of hours. So check it out.

A little nerdy (and a lot math-y) post to help you better understand your SOC's systems, so you know how changes will impact its operation. If you’re wondering what “I Love Lucy” has to do with this then read on.

Not all 24x7 SOCs are created equal. To figure out how much it costs to go 24x7, you have to first figure out what kind of SOC you’re trying to build. We outline four possible security operations centers and an estimate of your costs.

An uncommonly clear review of what managed detection and response (MDR) is, where it came from and what it can/can't do for you.

NIST has polished up their Cybersecurity Framework based on thousands of organizations implementing it over the past three years. Our CISO, Bruce Potter, highlights three of the most significant (and practical) changes.

We cut through the hype to explain what EDR products can do for you.

Look out for these five indicators that it's probably time to start considering alternatives to your managed security services provider. Plus, questions to ask to avoid these traps.

Guidance and a short list of things you can do to help you answer the common question "how much should I spend on cybersecurity?"

Set yourself up for success by asking these four questions before you purchase new security products.

Discover the three most common mistakes companies make when developing their first set of operational metrics.