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Use CasesConfigure Threat Detection, Investigation, and Response (TDIR) Use Case Categories

Configure the Data Leak Use Case

Configure Exabeam Security Operations Platform to protect your environment against the Data Leak use case. Ensure that you collect the right data, set up investigation tools, enable response mechanisms, and import relevant Data Lake reports.

To protect against a use case, you might follow an end-to-end workflow that looks like:

  • Collect – Ensure that you bring in the correct logs for the use case and that all fields populate.

  • Detect – Use out-of-the-box rules and models to identify suspicious activity.

  • Investigate – Ask important questions about the data from log sources, rules, and models.

  • Respond – Isolate, neutralize, eliminate, and mitigate any threats you find.

  • Report – Gather all the evidence in a report so you can share your investigation with others or use for compliance purposes.

Let's configure everything you need to successfully follow each stage of this workflow.

Collect

Collect the data needed to investigate the Data Leak use case and ensure all context tables are populated correctly.

  • Ensure that you contacted Exabeam Customer Success and they helped you onboard and validate the log sources needed to implement the Data Leak use case.

  • Ensure that you have specific out-of-the-box context tables:

    • is_competition

    • is_disposableemail_domain

    • is_publicemail_domain

    • sourcecode_file_extensions

    • user_is_privileged

  • Ensure that users and assets have the correct labels based on the context tables. For example, if a user is in the user_is_privileged context table, navigate to the user's profile to verify they have the privileged label.

Detect

Ensure you have all mechanisms in place, like rules, models, watchlists, and Threat Hunter searches, to successfully identify suspicious activity.

Rules and models

Validate out-of-the-box rules and models to ensure you accurately detect anomalous activity.

  • Import the latest content packages on the Exabeam Community. These content packages contain the latest rules and models, which aren't available to install in Content Updates settings. You must download them from the Exabeam Community, then import them.

  • Ensure that related rules and models are triggering correctly.

Threat Hunter searches

To quickly search for events that indicate someone is leaking data, create and save the suggested Threat Hunter search queries.

Threat Hunter search

Search criteria

Users who uploaded a lot of data to move outside the organization

  • Reasons:

    • A-WEB-DLP-A

    • WEB-GBytes-A-FS

    • WEB-GBytesSum-EWD

    • WEB-New-File-20

    • WEB-OBytes-A-FS

    • WEB-OBytesSum-EWD

    • WEB-UBytesSum-EWD

    • WEB-UBytesSum-Out-FS

    • WEB-UDLP-A

    • WEB-UDLP-A-FS

    • WEB-UDLP-A-JS

    • WEB-URank-DLP

    • WEB-New-File-20-Block

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users who moved a lot of data outside the organization using a removable device

  • Reasons:

    • UW-BSum

    • UW-FNum

    • UW-PST

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users who printed a lot of data to move outside the organization

  • Reasons:

    • PR-BSum

    • PR-NPSum

    • PR-SRC-CODE

    • PR-UP-A

    • PR-UP-F

    • PR-UT-TOW

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users who triggered Data Loss Prevention (DLP) alerts

  • Reasons:

    • A-DLP-AN-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-AN-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-HN-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-HN-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-OA-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-OA-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-ON-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-ON-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-ZN-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-ZN-ALERT-F

    • DLP-GA-F

    • DLP-GBp-F

    • DLP-GP-A

    • DLP-GP-F

    • DLP-MPolicy

    • DLP-MProtocol

    • DLP-OA-F

    • DLP-OBp-F

    • DLP-OG-ALERT-A

    • DLP-OG-ALERT-F

    • DLP-OP-A

    • DLP-OP-F

    • DLP-OU-ALERT-A

    • DLP-PT-F

    • DLP-UA-F

    • DLP-UBp-F

    • DLP-UPolicy-A

    • DLP-UPolicy-A

    • DLP-UPolicy-F

    • DLP-UProtocol-A

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users suspected of leaving the organization who triggered DLP alerts or moved data abnormally

  • User Labels – Suspected Leavers

  • Reasons:

    • A-DLP-AN-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-AN-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-HN-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-OA-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-OA-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-ON-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-ON-ALERT-F

    • A-DLP-ZN-ALERT-A

    • A-DLP-ZN-ALERT-F

    • DLP-GA-F

    • DLP-GBp-F

    • DLP-GP-A

    • DLP-GP-F

    • DLP-MPolicy

    • DLP-MProtocol

    • DLP-OA-F

    • DLP-OBp-F

    • DLP-OG-ALERT-A

    • DLP-OG-ALERT-F

    • DLP-OP-A

    • DLP-OP-F

    • DLP-OP-A

    • DLP-OU-ALERT-A

    • DLP-PT-F

    • DLP-UA-F

    • DLP-UBp-F

    • DLP-UPolicy-A

    • DLP-UPolicy-F

    • DLP-UProtocol-A

    • DLP-UProtocol-F

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users or devices that uploaded more than 500MB of data

  • Data Upload – 500

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users or devices exhibiting MITRE ATT&CK® Exfiltration tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)[a]

  • Rule Tags:

    • Exfiltration Over Alternative Protocol

    • Exfiltration Over Other Network Medium

    • Exfiltration Over Physical Medium

    • Automated Exfiltration

  • Dates – Last 7 days

Users who sent emails to personal email accounts

  • Reasons:

    • EM-BSum-5MB

    • EM-BSum-5MB-Fail

    • EM-BSum-personal

    • EM-FNum-personal

    • EM-Personal-Job

    • EM-EXEC-Personal

    • EM-Personal-Privacy

    • EM-Personal-PrivacySize

  • Dates – Last 7 days

[a] MITRE ATT&CK and ATT&CK are trademarks of The MITRE Corporation ("MITRE"). Exabeam is not affiliated with or sponsored or endorsed by MITRE. Nothing herein is a representation of the views or opinions of MITRE or its personnel.

Configure Settings to Search for Data Lake Logs in Advanced Analytics

If you have an on-premises deployment, ensure that you configure certain Advanced Analytics settings so you can search for Data Lake logs from a Smart Timelines™ event.

If you have a cloud-delivered product offering, ensure that you configure Data Lake as a log source.

Investigate

Ensure you have the tools you need, like tasks and incident types, to investigate the evidence you collect from log sources, rules, and models.

Case Manager Incident Type

In Case Manager, ensure that you have the out-of-the-box Data Leak incident type, or create one if it isn't available out-of-the-box in your Exabeam product offering. Ensure the incident type has all corresponding incident fields.

Case Manager Tasks and Phases

In Case Manager, define a clear response plan to ensure everyone across your organization responds to a Data Leak incident consistently. Under each phase, prescribe the relevant tasks for investigating, containing, and remediating a Data Leak incident.

The out-of-the-box Data Leak incident type comes with suggested phases and tasks. If you don't have the out-of-the-box Data Leak incident type, create the following suggested phases and tasks for your custom Data Leak incident type.

Phase: Detection & Analysis

  1. Task name – Identify suspicious activity

    Task instruction:

    • Determine how the data was leaked; for example, through web, email, network, or physical device.

    • Identify what the user accessed; for example, application, file, or database.

    • Identify the files the user accessed.

  2. Task name – Review user and asset Smart Timelines™ and profiles

    Task instruction:

    • Review all user Smart Timelines for anomalies.

    • Review all user profiles and what's considered normal for the user.

    • Review all asset Smart Timelines for anomalies.

    • Review all asset profiles and what's considered normal for the asset.

  3. Task name – Analyze and scope

    Task instruction:

    • Determine how the data loss was discovered.

    • Determine if the threat is ongoing.

    • Identify relevant third-party alerts and link them to the incident.

    • Identify the credentials initially used to access the data.

    • Identify all accounts associated with the credentials.

    • Identify the initial attack vector.

    • Classify the data leaked; for example, public, internal only, confidential, or restricted.

  4. Task name – Retrospectively search for anomalous activity

    Task instruction:

    • Determine if logs from potentially impacted systems were sent to your centralized SIEM or log aggregation platform.

    • Determine if there was any additional anomalous activity, like if the account accessed new applications, triggered security alerts, or exfiltrated data.

    • Determine if any new processes were executed or software was installed. Investigate if the processes or software were used nefariously.

    • Determine if the user disabled any security tools on the endpoint, like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP), or Data Loss Prevention (DLP) tools.

    • Identify any suspicious outbound network traffic.

    • Determine if the asset abnormally connected to networks at abnormal times.

    • Determine if there was an unusual amount of outbound network traffic.

    • Determine if the user forwarded email to a personal or non-work account.

    • Determine if the user transferred data to USB or other removable device.

  5. Task name – Proactively monitor impacted users and systems

    Task instruction – Add the relevant assets and users to a watchlist.

  6. Task name – Reassess the severity of the incident

    Task instruction – If appropriate, edit the incident priority.

Phase: Containment

  1. Task name – Tell the SOC Manager about the incident

    Task instruction:

    • If needed, inform your SOC Manager of the incident and include the incident's expected start and end date.

    • Determine whether additional team members or teams, like HR, Legal, or Physical Security, must get involved.

  2. Task name – Determine adequate response measures to contain the threat

    Task instruction:

    • Isolate the system from where the data leaked.

    • Disable the user's accounts as appropriate.

    • Disable the user's physical badge.

Phase: Eradication

  1. Task name – Preserve logs for impacted systems and users

    Task instruction:

    • Retrieve and preserve Data Lake logs associated with the user from the expected start to the present.

    • Upload the Data Lake logs to the incident.

    • If there's possible nefarious intent, obtain a forensic image of the system or isolate the physical machine from the network.

    • Obtain a copy of the leaked data.

  2. Task name – Remediate

    Task instruction:

    • If necessary, reduce the user's network access; for example, block ports or restrict web access.

    • Remove all persistence methods.

    • Ensure any code pushes or infrastructure as code (IaC) is free of persistence methods.

    • As necessary, deploy new patches.

Phase: Recovery

  1. Task name – Proactively check systems

    Task instruction:

    • Reset all affected credentials

    • Restore disabled credentials as necessary,

  2. Task name – Implement relevant global security measures

    Task instruction:

    • Change permissions and access levels as appropriate.

    • Implement new Data Loss Prevention (DLP) security rules as necessary.

Phase: Post-Incident Activity

  1. Task name – Update documentation

    Task instruction:

    • Ensure the incident contains documentation of all relevant events and actions taken.

    • Identify methods to improve the team’s response to future incidents.

  2. Task name – Hold post-mortem meeting

    Task instruction:

    • Meet with your team. Review the incident and lessons learned.

    • Document and track administrative and technical gaps identified during the incident.

Case Manager Incident Email Communication

To collaborate on an incident with people across your organization, ensure that you configure incident email communication.

Respond

Enable response mechanisms you need to isolate, neutralize, eliminate, and mitigate any threats you find.

In Incident Responder, create triggers for all turnkey playbooks.

Report

To share your investigation with others or for compliance purposes, ensure you have the relevant out-of-the-box Data Lake reports:

  • Exabeam - Data Loss Prevention Activity - Host Based

  • Exabeam - Data Loss Prevention Activity - User Based

  • Exabeam - Data Loss Prevention Activity Summary