What exactly is the ELK Stack then? Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana are three open source projects that are collectively referred to as “ELK.” A search and analytics engine is Elasticsearch. Elasticsearch-style “stashes” are where data is stored after it has been transformed by a server-side data processing pipeline called Logstash. Users of Elasticsearch can view data using charts and graphs using Kibana.

SIEM Building Blocks

A SIEM solution requires a lot of different parts, but as the adage goes, it’s not what you have, but what you do with it, that counts.

  • Log collection: Combine information from many data sources, such as applications, servers, databases, firewalls, VPNs, network infrastructure (such as routers, DNS), and external security databases (e.g. threat feeds). You may create a logging architecture with numerous data pipelines by combining Beats and Logstash. It’s not for the weak of heart, but it is possible.
  • Log processing: Each type of data source produces data in a unique format. In order to search and interpret the data, logs must be normalized. This normalization procedure entails decomposing the various log messages into intelligible field names, appropriately mapping the field types, and, if necessary, enhancing particular fields. Without log parsing, there would be no meaning or useful information.
  • Storage and retention: To enable you to process bigger volumes of data over time, index data for quick search and retain it for forensic and compliance reasons. Think about how you handle disconnections, scalability, fault resilience, and data surges.
  • Querying comes after your data has been gathered, processed, and indexed in Elasticsearch. You can use log queries to look into earlier security occurrences forensically. With Kibana, you can accomplish this using the Lucene syntax.
  • Dashboards: Kibana offers a variety of different display options and gives users the freedom to manipulate their data anyway they see fit. To be useful, you can construct pie charts, graphs, maps, single metrics, data tables, and more.
  • Correlation: When signals from many data sources are connected in a pattern, it may be possible to detect a security breach. The precise order of events that results in this pattern is defined by a correlation rule. The ELK stack doesn’t support anything like that. Your security analysts must now utilize Kibana queries to correlate events based on the parsing and processing done using Logstash.
  • Alerts: In its open source version, the ELK Stack lacks a built-in mechanism for sounding an alarm in the event of suspicious behaviour. To use this functionality, the ELK Stack must have an alerting plugin or add-on installed.

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