Security Event Triage

Security event triage is the initial, rapid process of assessing, sorting, and prioritizing incoming security alerts to determine their urgency and potential impact. Within the broader field of cybersecurity operations, triage acts as a crucial filter, allowing analysts to quickly sift through a high volume of events generated by security tools to distinguish credible threats from false positives or benign activities. By evaluating key data points and context, analysts can escalate the most critical incidents for immediate in-depth investigation and response, ensuring that finite security resources are focused on the most significant risks to the organization's systems and data.

1. Foundations of Security Event Triage
   1. Defining Security Event Triage
      1. Role in Cybersecurity Operations
         1. Integration with Security Operations Center (SOC)
         2. Relationship to Incident Response
         3. Support for Threat Hunting
      2. Goals and Objectives
         1. Rapid Threat Identification
         2. Efficient Resource Utilization
         3. Reducing Business Impact
      3. Triage vs. In-depth Investigation
         1. Scope and Depth of Analysis
         2. Time Constraints
         3. Escalation Criteria
   2. Core Terminology
      1. Events
         1. Definition and Characteristics
         2. Event Sources and Types
      2. Alerts
         1. Alert Generation Mechanisms
         2. Alert Fatigue
      3. Incidents
         1. Incident Definition
         2. Incident Lifecycle
      4. Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)
         1. Types of IOCs
         2. IOC Collection and Management
      5. Indicators of Attack (IOAs)
         1. Behavioral Indicators
         2. Use in Detection
   3. The Importance of Triage
      1. Managing Alert Volume
         1. Alert Overload Challenges
         2. Filtering and Deduplication
      2. Reducing Analyst Fatigue
         1. Causes of Fatigue
         2. Strategies for Mitigation
      3. Prioritizing Resource Allocation
         1. Assigning Analyst Workloads
         2. Balancing Automation and Manual Review
      4. Minimizing Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)
         1. Factors Affecting MTTD
         2. Metrics and Measurement
      5. Minimizing Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)
         1. Response Coordination
         2. Impact on Containment and Recovery
   4. Triage in the Incident Response Lifecycle
      1. Preparation
         1. Playbook Development
         2. Tool and Process Readiness
      2. Detection and Analysis (Triage Phase)
         1. Alert Review Process
         2. Initial Classification
      3. Containment, Eradication, and Recovery
         1. Handoff to Response Teams
         2. Feedback to Triage Process
      4. Post-Incident Activity
         1. Lessons Learned
         2. Process Improvement