Key Takeaways
- SOAR combines orchestration & response
- Playbooks codify response procedures
- Automation reduces MTTR dramatically
- Start small with high-volume, low-risk tasks
Contents
1. Security Automation Fundamentals
Security automation uses tools to perform repetitive security tasks without human intervention. It reduces response time, eliminates human error, and allows analysts to focus on complex investigations.
2. SOAR Platforms
SOAR Components
- Orchestration: Connect disparate security tools
- Automation: Execute multi-step workflows
- Response: Take action on alerts
- Case management: Track incidents
Popular SOAR Platforms
- Palo Alto XSOAR: Market leader, extensive integrations
- Splunk SOAR (Phantom): Strong Splunk integration
- Microsoft Sentinel: Built-in SOAR for Azure
- TheHive + Cortex: Open-source option
3. Playbook Development
# Playbook structure:
# 1. Trigger (alert, schedule, manual)
# 2. Data enrichment
# 3. Decision logic
# 4. Actions
# 5. Notification/escalation
# Example: Phishing playbook
trigger: Email security alert
steps:
- enrich:
- Check sender reputation
- Analyze URLs (VirusTotal)
- Check attachment hashes
- decide:
if malicious:
- Quarantine email
- Block sender
- Check if clicked
- Reset user password
- Create ticket
- Notify SOC
else:
- Mark false positive
- Update whitelist4. Automation Use Cases
| Use Case | Automation |
|---|---|
| Phishing | Analyze, quarantine, block |
| Malware alerts | Isolate host, collect IOCs |
| User offboarding | Disable accounts, revoke access |
| Threat intel | IOC blocking, enrichment |
| Vulnerability | Ticket creation, prioritization |
5. Tool Integration
# Key integrations:
# SIEM: Splunk, Sentinel, QRadar
# EDR: CrowdStrike, Carbon Black, Defender
# Firewall: Palo Alto, Fortinet
# Ticketing: ServiceNow, Jira
# Email: O365, Proofpoint
# Threat Intel: VirusTotal, OTX, MISP
# API-first approach
# REST APIs for automation
# Webhooks for real-time triggers6. Infrastructure as Code Security
# Automate security in CI/CD
# Terraform security scanning
tfsec /path/to/terraform
checkov -d /terraform
# Automated remediation
# Detect misconfiguration → create PR to fix
# Policy as Code
# OPA, Sentinel, CloudCustodian
# Example: Auto-tag untagged resources
# Example: Auto-close public S3 buckets7. ROI & Metrics
- MTTR reduction: From hours to minutes
- Alert handling: 10x more alerts processed
- Analyst time: 80% reduction on repetitive tasks
- Consistency: 100% playbook compliance
8. Implementation Roadmap
- Identify high-volume, low-risk automation candidates
- Document current manual processes
- Build integrations with key tools
- Develop playbooks (start simple)
- Test in staging, monitor closely
- Gradual rollout, human approval initially
- Measure and optimize
FAQ
What should we automate first?
Start with phishing triage, IOC enrichment, and user account operations. These are high-volume, well-defined processes with low risk of automation errors.