Why Identity Security is the Cornerstone of Cyber Resilience

Cyber criminals are laser-focused on one key objective: access. User identity credentials have become the most coveted prize because once adversaries gain the right (or wrong) credentials, they can move laterally within a target environment and exfiltrate data largely unnoticed. This is where identity protection comes into play and why it’s a fundamental pillar of modern cybersecurity strategies.

At its core, identity security is about safeguarding the access points that bad actors crave the most. While technology solutions, like CrowdStrike or Microsoft XDR, certainly have their place, the most critical element lies in having the right expertise to deploy and manage those solutions effectively. Cyberseer helps customers unlock the full potential of identity security platforms to protect user credentials, detect suspicious activity in real-time, and maintain a resilient cybersecurity posture.

Why Identity Security Matters

When thinking about cybersecurity, many still focus on perimeter defences: firewalls, email gateways, and endpoint detection. While these are crucial, the modern threat actor knows how to slip past these layers undetected if user credentials are compromised. Credentials can be phished, guessed, or even obtained via dark web marketplaces; and once inside, attackers can blend in as “legitimate” users. The crucial question becomes:

How do you spot and stop adversaries who appear to be regular employees?

The answer lies in continuous identity monitoring and adaptive access controls. By analysing user behaviour - where, when, and how users are logging in - anomalies can be detected instantly, helping security teams respond before widespread damage occurs. This approach requires sophisticated technology on one hand, and on the other, advanced knowledge of attack patterns and detection methods. Our team helps bridge that gap.

Deploying the Right Technology

We support all customers who require robust identity security to combat a surge in credential-based attacks. For those that are looking for a solution that can integrate seamlessly into their existing infrastructure, provide real-time visibility into suspicious activities, and scale without undue complexity, both CrowdStrike and Microsoft XDR offer strong identity security capabilities, offering:

1. Comprehensive Visibility
   By collecting and analysing authentication data, CrowdStrike’s solution presents a unified view of login attempts, privilege escalations, and other user interactions across both on-premises and cloud environments.
   
   
2. Adaptive Policies
   Leveraging advanced analytics, CrowdStrike’s identity protection security engines can dynamically adjust access policies depending on user risk scores, geolocation, and other contexts. For example, the system may trigger multi-factor authentication (MFA) for a user logging in from an unusual location or device.
   
   
3. Rapid Detection
   With real-time threat intelligence behind the scenes, suspicious or malicious behaviour trigger alerts, enabling quick investigations. By correlating events across endpoints and identities, security teams can detect malicious activity patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.

However, technology is only as good as the team that implements and manages it. Our experts work closely with clients to design a holistic strategy. This involves analysing their unique risk profiles, selecting the right controls for enforcement, and configuring security alerts to match the workflows of the client’s IT teams.

Implementation and Key Learnings

During some of our internal discussions, between two of our security architects, a few recurring themes emerged around effectively deploying CrowdStrike or Microsoft Defender for identity security:

1. Tailored Policy Configuration:
   Out-of-the-box identity security solutions often come with general templates. While these can get you started, our team tailors policies to fit the customer’s risk appetite and compliance requirements. For instance, certain high-privilege accounts might trigger immediate alerts if any login attempts originate outside specific networks.
   
   
2. Integrating with Existing Workflows:
   A crucial aspect of our service is ensuring that alerting workflows don’t overwhelm teams with false positives. We use our detection expertise to fine-tune the signals - turning raw logs into actionable insights. This way, security teams see only pertinent alerts. In other words, our job is to simplify complexity, not add to it.
   
   
3. Addressing Google MFA Limitations:
   One real-world challenge we encountered was the lack of direct integration for Google MFA, a widely used two-factor authentication method. Since this wasn’t natively supported, we had to implement alternative safeguards, such as password resets or layering in other MFA solutions, to ensure continuous protection for user identities.
   
   
4. Continuous Tuning and Testing: 
   Identity attacks evolve quickly. Tactics that worked six months ago might be obsolete today. We regularly revisit the policies, rule sets, and detection thresholds to ensure they stay aligned with the latest tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by threat actors. Identity protection must be agile - it’s not a ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ solution.
   
   
5. Zero Trust Mindset:
   We encourage and help customers adopt a zero-trust approach, where every access request - internal or external - must pass stringent checks. The principle of “never trust, always verify” ties perfectly into identity security. This capability is possible with CrowdStrike or Microsoft Defender. By segmenting networks and applying granular permissions, potential lateral movement by attackers can be drastically limited.

Real-World Impact

Across multiple deployments, our customers experienced a significant difference in their security posture after implementing tailored identity policies:

• Faster Detection and Response:
  With enhanced identity visibility, security teams detected and responded to credential-based attacks within minutes, significantly reducing the risk of prolonged exposure and potential lateral movement.
  
  
• Enhanced User Awareness:
  The solutions highlighted poor password hygiene in certain teams, prompting targeted training and fostering a stronger security culture across organisations.
  
  
• Improved Admin Oversight:
  With enhanced visibility into privileged accounts, security teams could proactively monitor admin access, ensuring that high-privilege identities were used appropriately and detecting unauthorised escalations in real time.
  
  
• Simplified Compliance:
  Granular logging and robust reporting features helped customers easily demonstrate due diligence in compliance audits, reducing time spent on manual record-keeping.

The Path Forward

Identity protection is not just another cybersecurity add-on; it’s rapidly becoming the backbone of any robust security strategy. Organisations that fail to invest in comprehensive identity security measures risk providing attackers with invisible pathways into critical systems. But the challenge often lies in implementation: to truly harness the benefits of identity-focused solutions, you need experts who understand the nitty-gritty of these platforms, as well as attacker mindsets.

For us, identity protection engagements focus on:

• Educating clients on emerging threats and the realities of credential-based attacks.
  
  
• Custom-configuring solutions like CrowdStrike and Microsoft Defender’s identity security features to align with each client’s environment.
  
  
• Providing ongoing tuning to keep detection capabilities agile and relevant.
  
  
• Offering expert response services whenever an incident arises, ensuring minimal downtime and damage.

Get in Touch

If you’d like to learn more about how we can support your organisation with identity security - whether you’re already using CrowdStrike or Microsoft Defender or looking to explore new solutions - our team is here to help. We can walk you through best practices, potential pitfalls, and advanced configurations that secure your identities without hindering productivity.

Ready to discuss tailored identity security?
Contact us to explore our services or to schedule a consultation with our security specialists. Don’t let unauthorised credentials become an open door to your most sensitive data - fortify your defences by putting identity protection at the forefront of your cybersecurity strategy.