SIEM in Action : Real-World Use Cases and Advanced Techniques

August 13, 2025 đŸ‘©đŸœâ€đŸ”Ź Letisia Pangata'a

Intermediate

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms are more than just log collectors, they are powerful tools for proactive threat detection, investigation, and response. This post explores intermediate SIEM concepts and practical techniques to help you get more value from your SIEM investment.

Threat Hunting with SIEM

Threat hunting is the process of proactively searching for signs of compromise that automated tools might miss. SIEMs provide the data and analytics needed for effective hunts.

Example: Detecting Lateral Movement

  • Query authentication logs for unusual login patterns (e.g., a user logging in from multiple locations in a short time).
  • Correlate with endpoint logs to spot suspicious process creation or privilege escalation.
// Example KQL for Microsoft Sentinel
SecurityEvent
| where EventID == 4624 // Successful logon
| summarize Count = count() by Account, IPAddress, bin(TimeGenerated, 1h)
| where Count > 5

Custom Correlation Rules

Default SIEM rules are a good start, but custom rules tailored to your environment catch more threats and reduce false positives.

  • Combine multiple event types (e.g., failed logins + new user creation + privilege escalation).
  • Use threat intelligence feeds to enrich alerts.
  • Regularly review and tune rules based on incident learnings.

Automating Response with SOAR

Modern SIEMs often integrate with Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms. This enables:

  • Automated ticket creation for high-severity alerts
  • Blocking malicious IPs or disabling compromised accounts
  • Notifying security teams via chat or SMS

Example Workflow:

  1. SIEM detects a brute-force attack.
  2. SOAR playbook triggers: blocks the source IP, notifies the SOC, and opens an incident ticket.

Visualizing Security Trends

Dashboards help security teams spot trends and communicate risk to stakeholders.

  • Track top alert types, incident response times, and attack vectors.
  • Use heatmaps to visualize login attempts by geography or time.
  • Share executive summaries with non-technical audiences.

Best Practices for Intermediate SIEM Users

  • Baseline Normal Activity: Understand what normal looks like to spot anomalies.
  • Integrate More Data Sources: Cloud, SaaS, and OT/IoT logs provide a fuller picture.
  • Continuous Improvement: Review incidents, update rules, and automate repetitive tasks.
  • Collaborate: Work with IT, DevOps, and business units to understand context and reduce noise.

Conclusion

Intermediate SIEM skills unlock the platform’s true power—enabling proactive defense, faster response, and better communication. Start experimenting with custom rules, threat hunts, and automation to take your security operations to the next level.

← Go Back