Detection engineering is the process of creating, testing, deploying, and maintaining detections that alert security teams to malicious activity in their environment. Detection engineering is a critical component of a threat-informed defense, which is a proactive approach to cybersecurity leveraging threat intelligence, attack emulation, and behavioral analytics to improve security posture and reduce risk.
- Lack of visibility and context into the latest threats, actors, techniques, and indicators
- Difficulty in translating threat intelligence into actionable, high confidence, low noise detections
- Complexity and diversity of data sources, query languages, and detection platforms
- Limited testing and validation capabilities for detections
- Difficulty in measuring and improving detection coverage, accuracy, and performance
- Lack of collaboration and integration between security teams and tools
Fortunately, there are solutions that can help detection engineers overcome these challenges and enhance their detection engineering workflow. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can supercharge your detection engineering workflows using the powerful combination of SnapAttack and Mandiant Threat Intelligence.
We’ll also help you take your threat hunting capabilities to the next level and bolster your defense strategy with world class intelligence for a more mature and informed security posture.
What is Mandiant Threat Intelligence?
In summary, Mandiant Threat Intelligence provides security teams with timely, relevant, and actionable insights into the latest threats, actors, malware, vulnerabilities, and indicators from around the globe.
Mandiant’s threat intelligence is enriched with the expertise and experience of their frontline researchers, global analysts, machine learning, and operational responders who have been investigating and responding to the most sophisticated cyberattacks for over 15 years.
- Stay ahead of emerging threats with real-time alerts and reports on the latest threat activity and trends
- Gain context and understanding of the adversary’s motives, capabilities, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs)
- Prioritize and mitigate vulnerabilities based on their exposure and exploitation by threat actors
- Enrich alerts and investigations with relevant threat intelligence data and indicators of compromise (IOCs)
- Integrate threat intelligence into existing security tools and workflows using Mandiant’s web portal, browser plugin, and API
Why SnapAttack for Enterprises?
SnapAttack for enterprises is a cloud-based platform that helps security teams create, test, deploy, and manage detections across multiple data sources and detection platforms. SnapAttack is powered by purple teaming, which is a collaborative approach that combines the offensive skills of red teams with the defensive skills of blue teams to improve security posture.
SnapAttack enables enterprise security teams to:
- Leverage thousands of pre-built detections (growing every day) and bad actor specific collections that are mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK™ framework and validated against real-world scenarios
- Build custom high confidence, low noise detections using a no-code detection builder that supports multiple query languages and logic checks
- Test detections against live or simulated attacks in a cloud-based attack capture lab
- Deploy detections to any environment using a universal detection translator that supports over 30 direct integrations with popular SIEMs, EDRs, NDRs, etc.
- Measure detection coverage, accuracy, performance, and confidence using SnapScore and MITRE ATT&CK™ heatmaps
- Collaborate and integrate with other security teams and tools using tasking and reporting features
How Can Mandiant Threat Intelligence With SnapAttack Enhance Your Detection Engineering Workflow?
By combining Mandiant Threat Intelligence and SnapAttack, detection engineers can achieve a comprehensive and streamlined detection engineering workflow that covers the entire lifecycle of detection development.
In addition, our suite of integrated tools simplifies the process of threat detection and hunting. By combining top-notch threat intelligence from Mandiant, finished reporting, and IOCs within Mandiant Threat Intelligence, alongside behavioral TTP detections from SnapAttack, we create a comprehensive hunt pack and detection strategy that covers the entire Pyramid of Pain.
Here are some of the benefits of using these two solutions together:
- Gain visibility and context into the latest threats: Detection engineers can use Mandiant Threat Intelligence to stay informed of the latest threat activity and trends. They can also use Mandiant’s web portal or browser plugin to access detailed threat intelligence reports, alerts, advisories, IOCs, etc. for specific threat actor research purposes and detection engineering.
- Translate threat intelligence into actionable detections: Detection engineers can use SnapAttack to browse thousands of pre-built detections that are mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK™ framework. In addition, SnapAttack’s no-code detection builder is available to create custom detections based on the threat intelligence data from Mandiant. They can also use SnapAttack’s universal detection translator to convert any detection into any query language they need.
- Test detections against real-world scenarios: Detection engineers can use SnapAttack’s cloud-based attack capture lab to test their detections against live or simulated attacks. They can also use Mandiant Threat Intelligence to validate their detections against real-world scenarios and adversaries. They can also use SnapAttack’s SnapScore to evaluate the accuracy and confidence of their detections.
- Deploy detections to any environment: Detection engineers can use SnapAttack’s direct integrations with over 30 popular SIEMs, EDRs, NDRs, etc. to deploy their detections to any environment they need. They can also visualize Mandiant Threat Intelligence information directly within the SnapAttack platform. Once deployed, SnapAttack offers a streamlined approach to detection engineering and threat hunting that is both fast and efficient, providing reliable and comprehensive coverage. We achieve this by leveraging captured adversary tradecraft to ensure confidence in our methods before and after implementation, accelerating the hunt process.
- Measure and improve detection coverage and performance: Detection engineers can use SnapAttack’s MITRE ATT&CK™ heatmaps to measure and visualize their detection coverage for a specific actor or threat. They can also use Mandiant Threat Intelligence’s reports and alerts to update their detections based on the latest threat trends and techniques. Additionally, teams can utilize SnapAttack’s tasking and reporting features to collaborate and communicate with other security teams and stakeholders.
- Optimizing the SIEM Deployment: The Google Chronicle SIEM Deployment is a continuous process that requires thoughtful planning, regular monitoring, and adaptation to changing threats. Utilizing the one button detection deployment feature within SnapAttack, you’re able to deploy thousands of high confidence, low noise detections in an instant. This allows you to focus on tuning the SIEM to your specific environment while maintaining high levels of protection.
- Moreover, with Mandiant MSV providing advanced, real-world attack scenarios for controls validation, SnapAttack maps these attacks to detection content. This synergy enables MSV users to swiftly address identified issues and conduct historical hunts to ensure that any gaps have not been previously exploited.
- By integrating Mandiant Threat Intelligence as metadata, you can connect SnapAttack content with your specific context, facilitating prioritization and tailored threat model recommendations. This approach significantly enhances your security posture. Together, we are committed to delivering the most effective and comprehensive solutions to bolster your security defenses.
Enhance Detection Engineering Outcomes with Mandiant Threat Intelligence and SnapAttack
Detection engineering is a vital process for a threat-informed defense, but it also comes with many challenges. By utilizing Mandiant Threat Intelligence and SnapAttack together, detection engineers can overcome these challenges and enhance their detection engineering workflow.
These two solutions can help detection engineers gain visibility and context into the latest threats, translate threat intelligence into actionable detections, test detections against real-world scenarios, deploy detections to any environment, and measure and improve detection coverage and performance.
Working together, Mandiant and SnapAttack offer more actionable, comprehensive protection vs. traditional threat intelligence products and feeds for better security outcomes.
If you are interested in learning more about how Mandiant Threat Intelligence and SnapAttack can enhance your detection engineering workflow and overall security hygiene, you can book a demo or request more information of these solutions here:
