What is XDR?
Extended Detection and Response
A security platform that correlates telemetry across endpoints, network, cloud, email, and identity sources to detect multi-stage attacks and provide unified investigation and response.
XDR extends EDR's endpoint-centric model by ingesting and correlating data from multiple security layers. Instead of investigating alerts from EDR, email security, cloud workload protection, and network detection as separate incidents, XDR stitches related signals into a unified incident view. A phishing email that delivers a payload, triggers an EDR alert, and results in anomalous network traffic to a known C2 domain would surface as a single correlated incident rather than three disconnected alerts.
There are two architectural approaches: native XDR, where all telemetry comes from a single vendor's product suite, and open/hybrid XDR, which ingests data from third-party tools via APIs and standard formats like STIX/TAXII. Native XDR offers deeper integration but creates vendor lock-in. Open XDR offers flexibility but requires significant integration effort.
In relation to SASE, XDR represents the detection and response layer that consumes SASE telemetry. SWG logs, CASB alerts, ZTNA access events, and DLP violations are all valuable data sources for XDR correlation. Some SASE vendors are building XDR capabilities into their platforms, blurring the line between network security and detection-and-response.
An endpoint security platform that continuously monitors endpoint activity, detects suspicious behavior, and provides investigation and response capabilities for threats that bypass preventive controls.
A platform that aggregates, normalizes, and correlates security event logs from across the enterprise, providing real-time alerting, historical analysis, and compliance reporting.
A platform that automates security operations workflows by orchestrating actions across multiple security tools, enabling standardized incident response through predefined playbooks.
Curated, actionable information about current and emerging threats, including indicators of compromise (IoCs), attacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and contextual analysis that informs security decisions.
One email per publish. Unsubscribe anytime.