Introducing Cisco XDR Playbooks: Finding the stability in automating and guiding incident response

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Introducing Cisco XDR Playbooks: Finding the stability in automating and guiding incident response


Security Operations is the beating coronary heart of any group, a united staff vigilantly standing guard in opposition to cyber threats. To outsmart their adversaries, they need to delve deep into the intricate world of know-how and human conduct. As they navigate these advanced landscapes, they need to additionally transition from counting on tribal information and ad-hoc maneuvers to a mature, high-performing operation. The key? Embracing consistency and cultivating efficient procedures.

With this in thoughts, enter the world of Cisco XDR. At its inception, it launched a static default playbook with 19 duties. However, let’s face it, “I want to do all the tasks” is a phrase no analyst has ever uttered with enthusiasm. That’s why we automated duties, placing advanced integrations within the background and bringing safety operation duties to the forefront, all with the ability of automation.

Now, we’re excited to introduce you to the subsequent stage: Cisco XDR Playbooks. They’re not simply job builders, they’re a mix of process documentation and automation. Let’s dive into the small print of those thrilling, modern Playbooks.

What are Playbooks in Cisco XDR?

In Cisco XDR, “Playbooks” are the strategic guides for sturdy incident response, designed to streamline the establish, comprise, and eradicate processes for cyber threats. They additionally pave the best way for a swift restoration, restoring methods to full performance post-attack. These Playbooks are structured as a sequence of “Phases,” every housing a set of “Tasks” that present clear path for safety analysts and incident responders. These phases are thoughtfully aligned with the SANS Institute’s PICERL methodology, guaranteeing a complete response technique. Additionally, to boost effectivity, every job inside a Playbook may be coupled with an Automation Workflow. The mixture of Playbooks and workflows , but in addition accelerates the response by automating numerous steps within the course of permitting for autonomous safety operations to begin with Artificial Intelligence or expedited job execution with better consistency and effectiveness.

New Workflow template: Incident Response

When you create a brand new Automation Workflow in Cisco XDR, now you can select a selected kind or “Intent”. As a part of the brand new Playbook characteristic, we’ve launched a brand new Intent referred to as “Incident Response” workflow. These Workflows can be utilized for Playbook Tasks and Incident Automation Rules. They reference the Incident properties in the identical method, which can appear like a boring characteristic till you notice this makes them reusable, shareable, and environment friendly

The Playbook Editor

When you open the Editor for the primary time, solely the Cisco Managed Incident Playbook is displayed and is designated because the “Default” Playbook. This default Playbook is assigned to all new Incidents till a brand new default playbook is designated, or “Assignment Rules” are created that assign a distinct playbook to new Incidents (extra on that later). This playbook can also be marked as “Read-only”, which suggests you can not modify or delete it, as this can be a playbook that’s Cisco Managed. However, you possibly can duplicate it to make use of as a template to create altered variations of this playbook. Obviously, it’s also possible to create a brand-new playbook from scratch. 

To summarize: with the Playbook Editor, you possibly can view the playbook particulars, create a brand new playbook, edit a playbook, duplicate a playbook and customise it, specify which playbook is utilized by default, and delete a playbook (besides, after all, for the Cisco Managed Incident Playbook which can’t be deleted). 

The Playbook Assignment Rules

Now let’s dive into the beforehand talked about “Assignment Rules”: this characteristic means that you can create particular guidelines to assign playbooks to new Incidents. When an Incident is created that matches the situations of an project rule related to a playbook, that playbook is displayed on the Response web page in Incidents. For instance, if an Incident accommodates sure MITRE techniques, and a rule accommodates these as situations, the related playbook could be assigned to that Incident. You might, for instance, have a Ransomware Recovery Playbook, and an Assignment Rule that makes use of MITRE Technique T1486 (Data Encrypted for Impact) and Tactic TA112 (Impact) as situations to assign that Playbook to these Incidents.  

If the Incident doesn’t match any guidelines assigned to playbooks, the default playbook is assigned to the Incident. Once a playbook is assigned to an Incident, the project Incident can’t be modified, even when the playbook is edited. A duplicate of the playbook because it was when assigned to the Incident is saved for auditing functions. The project guidelines work in a top-down precedence order, and so they cease processing on the primary match.  

In this weblog put up, we’ve mentioned the evolution and significance of Cisco XDR in standardizing the incident response course of, enhancing effectiveness, and for constant incident response. Cisco XDR’s new Playbooks are customizable, strategic guides for sturdy Incident response, designed to extend the maturity of any safety operations staff. 

It is vital to notice that that is simply the beginning of our Playbook journey. There is far more in improvement proper now, which we’ll cowl in subsequent weblog posts. How will Cisco AI Assistant for Security use these Playbooks? Stay tuned… We aren’t simply your dad’s networking firm, we’re Cisco – constructing the bridge to innovation. 

 


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