Splunk Inc.

Phantom Cyber Corporation

Symantec Corporation

Splunkinc.

Govind Salinas

Sourabh Satish

Atif Mahadik

Oliver Friedrichs

Robert John Truesdell

Glenn Gallien

Trenton John Beals

Ryan Russell

Ryan Connor Means

Zulfikar Ramzan

Matthew Conover

Brian Robert Earle

Vincent Cheong

Aspects described herein provide security actions based on a current state of a security threat. In one example, a computer-implemented method includes identifying a security threat within a computing environment comprising a plurality of computing assets. The method further includes obtaining state information for the security threat within the computing environment from computing assets of the plurality of computing assets in the computing environment. The method further includes determining a current state for the security threat within the computing environment based on the state information. The method further includes obtaining enrichment information for the security threat that relates kill-state information to an identity of the security threat. The method further includes determining one or more security actions for the security threat based on the enrichment information and the current state for the security threat.

Managing security actions in a computing environment using enrichment information

Described herein are systems and methods for enhancing an interface for an information technology (IT) environment. In one implementation, an incident service causes display of a first version of a course of action and obtains input indicative of a request for a new action in the course of action. The incident service further determines suggested actions based at least one the input and causes display of the suggested actions. Once displayed, the incident service obtains input indicative of a selection of at least one action from the suggested actions, and causes display input indicative of a selection of at least one action from the suggested actions.

Generating action recommendations based on attributes associated with incidents used for incident response

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide for validating security actions before they are implemented in a computing network. In one example, a computing network may include a plurality of computing assets that provide a variety of different operations. During the operations of the network, administration systems may generate and provide security actions to prevent or mitigate the effect of a security threat on the network. However, prior to implementing the security actions within the network, computing assets may exchange security parameters with the administration systems to verify that the security actions are authentic.

Security action verification in a computing network

Techniques are described for automatically identifying and configuring IT and security application connectors relevant to users' IT environment by obtaining and analyzing data reflecting activity within an IT environment. The identification of types of assets within an IT environment may be based on analyzing a 'source type' field included in events associated with the IT environment, where the source type field included in each event provides an indication of a type of device or service to which the event relates. The values stored in the source type field of events associated with a user's IT environment might indicate, for example, the presence of various types of computing devices, software applications, network devices, and so forth. Based on the identification of types of assets present in an IT environment, an IT and security operations application automatically configures corresponding connectors for those types of assets.

Automatically configuring connectors of an information technology and security operations application

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide security actions based on the current state of a security threat. In one example, a method of operating an advisement system in a computing environment with a plurality of computing assets includes identifying a security threat within the computing environment. The method further includes, in response to identifying the security threat, obtaining state information for the security threat within the computing environment, and determining a current state for the security threat within the computing environment. The method also provides obtaining enrichment information for the security threat and determining one or more security actions for the security threat based on the enrichment information and the current state for the security threat.

Managing security actions in a computing environment based on movement of a security threat

The technology presented herein improves incident handling in an IT environment. In a particular example, a method provides identifying a first incident in the IT environment. From incident handling information that indicates how a plurality of previous incidents were handled by one or more users, the method provides identifying first information of the incident handling information corresponding to one or more first previous incidents of the plurality of previous incidents that are similar to the first incident. The method further provides determining a suggested course of action from the first information and presenting the suggested course of action to a user of the information technology environment.

Generating suggested courses of actions for incidents based on previous incident handling

Described herein are improvements for generating courses of action for an information technology (IT) environment. In one example, a method includes identifying a first course of action for responding to an incident type in an information technology environment and generating a simulated incident associated with the incident type. The method further includes initiating performance of the first course of action based on the generation of the simulated incident. The method also includes, upon reaching a particular step of the first course of action that prevents the performance of the first course of action from proceeding, providing a first simulated result that allows the performance of the first course of action to proceed.

Obtaining simulated results for a course of action executed in an information technology environment

Described herein are improvements for generating courses of action for an information technology (IT) environment. In one example, a method includes determining that a decision step occurs between a one step and two or more other steps of a first course of action associated with an incident type in the information technology environment. The method further includes determining possible outputs of the one step that, when used as input to the decision step, cause the first course of action to proceed from the decision step to respective steps of the two or more other steps. The method also includes incorporating logic into the decision step to direct the course of action to respective steps of the two or more other steps based on one or more of the possible outputs.

Determination of decision step logic for incident response in an information technology environment

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide action recommendations to administrators of a computing environment based on effectiveness of previously implemented actions. In one example, an advisement system identifies a security incident for an asset in the computing environment, and obtains enrichment information for the incident. Based on the enrichment information a rule set and associated recommended security actions are identified for the incident. Once the recommended security actions are identified, a subset of the action recommendations are organized based on previous action implementations in the computing environment, and the subset is provided to an administrator for selection.

Providing action recommendations based on action effectiveness across information technology environments

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide security actions based on related security threat communications. In one example, a method of operating an advisement system includes identifying a security threat within the computing environment, wherein the computing environment comprises a plurality of computing assets. The method further provides obtaining descriptor information for the security threat, and retrieving related communication interactions based on the descriptor information. The method also includes generating a response to the security threat based on the related communication interactions.

Identifying automated responses to security threats based on communication interactions content

Generating action recommendations for courses of action used for incident response

Described herein are systems, methods, and software to enhance the management of responses to incidents. In one example, a method of improving incident response comprises identifying an incident in an information technology (IT) environment associated with a first entity of a plurality of entities, and identifying action implementation information related to the incident. The method further anonymizes the action implementation information for the incident, and determines action suggestions based at least on the anonymized action implementation information.

Generating incident response action flows using anonymized action implementation data

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide for managing service level agreements (SLAs) for security incidents in a computing environment. In one example, an advisement system identifies a rule set for a security incident based on enrichment information obtained for the security incident, wherein the rule set is associated with action recommendations to be taken against the incident. The advisement system further identifies a default SLA for the security incident based on the rule set, and obtains environmental characteristics related to the security incident. Based on the environmental characteristics, the advisement system determines a modified SLA for the security incident.

Modifying incident response time periods based on incident volume

Described herein are systems, methods, and software to enhance incident response in an information technology (IT) environment. In one example, an incident service identifies a course of action to respond to an incident in the IT environment. The incident service further identifies a particular step in the course of action associated with a credential requirement based on traits associated with the particular step, and generates a credential request to obtain credentials to support the credential requirement.

Runtime credential requirement identification for incident response

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for implementing security actions in a computing environment. In one example, a method of operating an advisement system to provide actions in a computing environment includes identifying a security incident in the computing environment, identifying a criticality rating for the asset, and obtaining enrichment information for the security incident from one or more internal or external sources. The method also provides identifying a severity rating for the security incident based on the enrichment information, and determining one or more security actions based on the enrichment information. The method further includes identifying effects of the one or more security actions on operations of the computing environment based on the criticality rating and the severity rating, and identifying a subset of the one or more security actions to respond to the security incident based on the effects.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Govind Salinas