Learn some steps to enhance your Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) solutions, which can help you automate and streamline your incident response workflows.

one key dimension of use case process is to match the need with the feasibility. Think of the use cases that you need the most, based on risk and enterprise requirements. Then think of the easiest use cases that will let you succeed and learn the ropes. Then select from the overlap of the two.

Last updated on Feb 13, 2024

Your incident response team needs to improve its SOAR solutions. What can you do to help?

Incident response is a critical process for any network security team, but it can also be challenging, time-consuming, and prone to human errors. That's why many organizations are adopting Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) solutions, which are platforms that integrate various security tools and workflows to automate and streamline incident response tasks. However, not all SOAR solutions are created equal, and your team may need to improve its SOAR capabilities to achieve better results. Here are some steps you can take to help your team enhance its SOAR solutions.

1 Assess your current SOAR maturity

Before you can improve your SOAR solutions, you need to understand your current SOAR maturity level and identify the gaps and opportunities for improvement. You can use a SOAR maturity model, such as the one proposed by Gartner, to evaluate how well your team performs in four key areas: people, process, technology, and governance. The model defines five levels of maturity, from ad hoc to optimized, and provides criteria and best practices for each level. By assessing your current SOAR maturity, you can determine your strengths and weaknesses, prioritize your goals, and measure your progress.

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2 Define your SOAR use cases

One of the main benefits of SOAR solutions is that they can be customized to fit your specific incident response needs and scenarios. However, this also means that you need to define your SOAR use cases clearly and carefully, to ensure that your SOAR solutions align with your business objectives and security requirements. A SOAR use case is a description of a specific incident response problem that you want to solve or improve with SOAR, such as phishing detection, ransomware mitigation, or threat hunting. A SOAR use case should include the following elements: the trigger, the input, the workflow, the output, and the metrics.

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Anton Chuvakin

Security Advisor at Office of the CISO, Google Cloud
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one key dimension of use case process is to match the need with the feasibility. Think of the use cases that you need the most, based on risk and enterprise requirements. Then think of the easiest use cases that will let you succeed and learn the ropes. Then select from the overlap of the two.

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Varun Malhotra

Product Security | M&A | Innovator | Problem Solver | Career Coach | APAC Leader
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My view in simplest form. SOAR -> Keeping it simple with the equation. [SO (Identify Threat => Risk) + AR (Rapid Response)]. Lets decipher the equation, Part# 1 (SO). Information gathered from all the sources and analyzed in the simplest form can assist defining the meaningful use (/abuse) cases. Further proceeding with its feasibility can assist identify the threats / associated risk and their impact. Part# 2 (AR). Once all the risks (with impact / severity) known, automation can assist with rapid mitigation as a response.

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3 Select and integrate your SOAR tools

Another important step to improve your SOAR solutions is to select and integrate the right SOAR tools for your use cases. SOAR tools are software applications that provide various functions and features to support your incident response workflows, such as data collection, analysis, enrichment, orchestration, automation, response, and reporting. Some examples of SOAR tools are Splunk Phantom, IBM Resilient, or Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR. When choosing and integrating your SOAR tools, you should consider factors such as compatibility, scalability, usability, security, and cost.

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4 Develop and test your SOAR playbooks

A SOAR playbook is a set of predefined rules and actions that automate and orchestrate your incident response workflows for a specific use case. A SOAR playbook can help you reduce manual tasks, improve consistency and efficiency, and enhance your team's capabilities and performance. However, developing and testing your SOAR playbooks can be a complex and iterative process that requires careful planning, design, implementation, and evaluation. You should follow a structured methodology, such as the one suggested by MITRE, to create and test your SOAR playbooks, and ensure that they meet your expectations and standards.

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5 Train and educate your SOAR team

The final step to improve your SOAR solutions is to train and educate your SOAR team on how to use and manage them effectively. Your SOAR team should include different roles and skills, such as analysts, engineers, managers, and stakeholders, who need to collaborate and communicate well to execute your SOAR strategies and operations. You should provide your SOAR team with adequate training and education on the concepts, principles, tools, and techniques of SOAR, as well as the specific use cases, playbooks, and procedures that your team is responsible for. You should also encourage your SOAR team to share feedback, lessons learned, and best practices, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Your incident response team needs to improve its SOAR solutions. What can you do to help?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Assess your current SOAR maturity

2 Define your SOAR use cases

3 Select and integrate your SOAR tools

4 Develop and test your SOAR playbooks

5 Train and educate your SOAR team

6 Here’s what else to consider

Network Security

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Your incident response team needs to improve its SOAR solutions. What can you do to help?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Assess your current SOAR maturity

2 Define your SOAR use cases

3 Select and integrate your SOAR tools

4 Develop and test your SOAR playbooks

5 Train and educate your SOAR team

6 Here’s what else to consider

Network Security

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