What is Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)?

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a cybersecurity technology that monitors endpoints (computers, servers, mobile devices) for suspicious activities and provides tools to investigate and respond to potential threats. For Australian businesses, EDR represents a critical evolution from traditional antivirus to advanced threat detection and response capabilities.

How EDR Works

EDR solutions operate through continuous monitoring and analysis of endpoint activities:

1. Data Collection

EDR agents installed on endpoints continuously collect information about:

• Process activities: Application launches, process creation, and termination
• File operations: File creation, modification, deletion, and execution
• Network connections: Inbound and outbound communications
• Registry changes: System configuration modifications
• User activities: Login events and privilege usage
• System events: Service starts/stops, driver installations

2. Behavioral Analysis

Advanced analytics engines analyze collected data to identify:

• Deviations from normal behavior patterns
• Known attack techniques and tactics
• Indicators of compromise (IoCs)
• Living-off-the-land attacks using legitimate tools
• Fileless malware and memory-based attacks

3. Threat Detection

EDR systems use multiple detection methods:

• Signature-based detection: Known malware patterns
• Behavioral analysis: Suspicious activity patterns
• Machine learning: AI-powered anomaly detection
• Threat intelligence: External threat feeds and indicators
• Rule-based detection: Custom rules for specific threats

4. Response Capabilities

When threats are detected, EDR solutions enable:

• Automated threat containment and isolation
• Process termination and file quarantine
• Network connection blocking
• System rollback and recovery
• Evidence collection and preservation

EDR vs Traditional Antivirus

Core EDR Capabilities

Real-Time Monitoring

Continuous surveillance of all endpoint activities including:

• File system changes and access patterns
• Process execution and memory usage
• Network communication and data transfers
• User authentication and privilege escalation
• System configuration and registry modifications

Threat Hunting

Proactive search capabilities for threat discovery:

• Query-based investigation of historical data
• Custom search queries using threat intelligence
• Timeline reconstruction of security events
• Cross-endpoint correlation and analysis
• IOC sweeping across the environment

Incident Response

Comprehensive response capabilities including:

• Remote endpoint isolation and containment
• Live response and remote shell access
• File and process management operations
• Memory dump and forensic image collection
• Automated playbook execution

Forensic Analysis

Detailed investigation tools providing:

• Complete attack timeline reconstruction
• Process tree and parent-child relationships
• File provenance and modification history
• Network connection mapping and analysis
• Evidence preservation and chain of custody

EDR Implementation Considerations

Deployment Models

Cloud-Based EDR

Advantages:

• Rapid deployment and scalability
• Automatic updates and maintenance
• Lower infrastructure requirements
• Built-in threat intelligence

Considerations:

• Internet connectivity requirements
• Data sovereignty and privacy concerns
• Subscription-based pricing models

On-Premises EDR

Advantages:

• Complete data control and privacy
• Network air-gapped environment support
• Custom integration capabilities
• Compliance with strict data requirements

Considerations:

• Higher infrastructure and maintenance costs
• Internal expertise requirements
• Manual update and threat intelligence management

Hybrid EDR

Combines cloud and on-premises components for:

• Flexible deployment across different environments
• Data sovereignty while leveraging cloud intelligence
• Scalable architecture with local control
• Reduced latency for critical operations

Performance Impact Considerations

EDR implementation requires careful consideration of:

• CPU usage: Continuous monitoring overhead
• Memory consumption: Agent memory footprint
• Disk I/O: Log collection and storage impact
• Network bandwidth: Data transmission to management console
• Storage requirements: Historical data retention needs

EDR Selection Criteria

Detection Capabilities

Evaluate EDR solutions based on:

• MITRE ATT&CK coverage: Detection of known attack techniques
• False positive rates: Accuracy of threat detection
• Zero-day detection: Unknown threat identification
• Behavioral analysis depth: Sophistication of analysis engines
• Threat intelligence integration: External intelligence feeds

Response Capabilities

Consider response features including:

• Containment speed: Time to isolate threats
• Response automation: Playbook and orchestration capabilities
• Remediation actions: Range of available responses
• Recovery tools: System restoration capabilities
• Integration APIs: Third-party tool connectivity

Usability and Management

Assess operational considerations:

• Dashboard and reporting: Management console usability
• Alert management: Prioritization and workflow capabilities
• Investigation tools: Query and analysis interfaces
• User interface design: Analyst workflow optimization
• Mobile management: Remote administration capabilities

Integration with Broader Security Architecture

SIEM Integration

EDR solutions should integrate with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms for:

• Centralized log aggregation and correlation
• Cross-platform threat detection
• Compliance reporting and audit trails
• Automated incident ticket creation

Security Orchestration Integration

Connection with SOAR platforms enables:

• Automated response playbooks
• Cross-tool orchestration and coordination
• Incident management workflow automation
• Response action standardization

Threat Intelligence Feeds

Integration with threat intelligence provides:

• Real-time indicator of compromise (IoC) updates
• Attribution and threat actor profiling
• Industry-specific threat information
• Contextual threat analysis

EDR for Different Business Sizes

Enterprise EDR

Large organizations typically require:

• Centralized management for thousands of endpoints
• Advanced customization and integration capabilities
• Dedicated security operations center (SOC) integration
• Compliance and audit reporting features
• Multi-tenant and role-based access controls

SMB EDR Solutions

Small and medium businesses benefit from:

• Simplified deployment and management interfaces
• Managed detection and response (MDR) services
• Cost-effective subscription pricing models
• Cloud-based deployment with minimal infrastructure
• Basic incident response and containment capabilities

Managed EDR Services

Many Australian organizations partner with managed security service providers for EDR management. Leading providers like Affinity MSP offer comprehensive EDR services including:

• 24/7 monitoring and threat detection
• Expert incident response and investigation
• Tool selection and implementation
• Custom rule development and tuning
• Regular reporting and security assessments

Benefits of Managed EDR

• Expertise access: Security analysts and threat hunters
• 24/7 coverage: Round-the-clock monitoring and response
• Cost efficiency: Reduced internal staffing requirements
• Faster response: Immediate threat containment
• Continuous improvement: Regular tuning and optimization

Compliance and Regulatory Considerations

Essential Eight Alignment

EDR supports several Essential Eight controls:

• Application control: Monitoring and enforcement
• Patch management: Vulnerability detection and verification
• Administrative privileges: Privilege escalation detection
• Network segmentation: East-west traffic monitoring

Privacy and Data Protection

Australian organizations must consider:

• Privacy Act compliance: Personal data collection and storage
• Data sovereignty: Location of data processing and storage
• Retention policies: Data lifecycle management
• Access controls: Who can access collected data