[Update Links] SANS SEC555: SIEM with Tactical Analytics v2023

Many organizations have logging capabilities but lack the people and processes to analyze it. In addition, logging systems collect vast amounts of data from a variety of data sources which require an understanding of the sources for proper analysis. This class is designed to provide individuals training, methods, and processes for enhancing existing logging solutions. This class will also provide the understanding of the when, what, and why behind the logs. This is a lab heavy course that utilizes the open-source Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana (ELK) Stack along with additional open-source projects to provide the class with a SIEM solution, to train hands on experience and provide the mindset for large scale data analysis.

Today, security operations do not suffer from a “Big Data” problem but rather a “Data Analysis” problem. Let’s face it, there are multiple ways to store and process large amounts of data without any real emphasis on gaining insight into the information collected. Added to that is the daunting idea of an infinite list of systems from which one could collect logs. It is easy to get lost in the perils of data saturation. This class is the switch from the typical churn and burn log systems, to achieving actionable intelligence and developing a tactical Security Operations Center (SOC).

This course is designed to demystify the Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) architecture and process, by navigating the student through the steps of tailoring and deploying a SIEM to full Security Operations Center (SOC) integration. The material will cover many bases in the “appropriate” use of a SIEM platform to enrich readily available log data in enterprise environments and extract actionable intelligence. Once collected, the student will be shown how to present the gathered input into useable formats to aid in eventual correlation. Students will then iterate through the log data and events to analyze key components that will allow them to learn how rich this information is, how to correlate the data, start investigating based on the aggregate data, and finally, how to go hunting with this newly gained knowledge. They will also learn how to deploy internal post-exploitation tripwires and breach canaries to nimbly detect sophisticated intrusions. Throughout the course, the text and labs will not only show how to manually perform these actions, but how to automate many of the processes mentioned so students may employ these tasks the day they return to the office.

The underlying theme is to actively apply Continuous Monitoring and analysis techniques by utilizing modern cyber threat attacks. Labs will involve replaying captured attack data to provide real world results and visualizations.

BUSINESS TAKEAWAYS:

This course will help your organization:

• Use log data to establish security control effectiveness
• Combine data into active dashboards that make analyst review more tactical
• Simplify the handling and filtering of the large amount of data generated by both servers and workstations
• Apply large data analysis techniques to sift through massive ammounts of endpoint data
• Quickly detect and respond to the adversary

This Course Will Prepare You To:

• Demonstrate ways most SIEMs commonly lag current open-source solutions (e.g. ELK)
• Bring students up to speed on SIEM use, architecture, and best practices
• Know what type of data sources to collect logs from
• Deploy a scalable logs solution with multiple ways to retrieve logs
• Operationalize ordinary logs into tactical data
• Develop methods to handle billions of logs from many disparate data sources
• Understand best practice methods for collecting logs
• Dig into log manipulation techniques challenging many SIEM solutions
• Build out graphs and tables that can be used to detect adversary activities and abnormalities
• Combine data into active dashboards that make analyst review more tactical
• Utilize adversary techniques against them by using frequency analysis in large data sets
• Develop baselines of network activity based on users and devices
• Develop baselines of Windows systems with the ability to detect changes from the baseline
• Apply multiple forms of analysis such as long tail analysis to find abnormalities
• Correlate and combine multiple data sources to achieve more complete understanding
• Provide context to standard alerts to help understand and prioritize them
• Use log data to establish security control effectiveness
• Implement log alerts that create virtual tripwires for early breach detection
• Understand how to handle container monitoring and log collection
• Baseline and find unauthorized changes in cloud environments
• Integrate and write custom scripts against a SIEM

SEC555 reinforces knowledge transfer by having many hands-on labs. This goes well beyond the traditional lecture and delves into literal application of techniques. Labs are wide ranging such as:

• Log collection
• Log augmentation and enrichment
• Windows log analysis
• System and network baseline
• Daily Immersive “Bootcamp Style” Cyber Challenges utilizing the NetWars-based game engine, to build on to the daily class lecture by diving into hands on labs going deeper into the concepts discussed
• NetWars-based Final Capstone called Defend the Flag (DTF) designed to test the students understanding of the course material in a team centric question and answer game through students demonstrating their ability to ingest, parse and process logs and utilize the SIEM to hunt for indicators and threats

The SEC555 Workbook provides a step by step guide to learning and applying hands on techniques but also provides a “challenge yourself” approach for those who want to stretch their skills and see how far they can get without following the guide. This allows students of varying backgrounds to pick a difficulty and always have a frustration free fallback path.

To make learning go from great to awesome days one through five include a SEC555 custom NetWars experience. This game engine provides a fun and entertaining way to reinforce skills and learn concepts. It also provides a fun excuse to give students more hands on experience, a key component often missing in organizations.