Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR)

It’s no longer enough to monitor your devices - modern cybersecurity must also be focused on securing your credentials and identities online.

For years, cybersecurity was focused on building defences through software solutions and endpoint detection focused on securing devices. Now, with infinitely more insidious ways for malicious agents to seek out and attack these vulnerabilities, those defences are not as rigid as they used to be. With remote work, cloud services, and more complex access needs, user identity is now the primary target for cyber criminals, and the new control plane to disrupt your entire business.

With over 67% of alerts in the last year being related to identity exploits, Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) has emerged as an absolute necessity for your business.

What is ITDR?

ITDR is a dedicated security discipline focused on protecting your identity infrastructure and defending against attacks that exploit legitimate user accounts.

While Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) watches your devices for malware and suspicious activity; ITDR watches the credentials and privileges for signs of compromise, misuse, or configuration flaws.

ITDR vs. Traditional IAM

ITDR goes beyond traditional Identity and Access Management (IAM) by providing active, real-time detection and response specifically for identity-based threats.

  • Traditional IAM focuses on authentication and authorisation (setting up who can access what).

  • ITDR focuses on detecting and responding to an attack in progress when an identity has been compromised or its privileges are misused. Paired with Managed Detection & Response (MDR) it provides the ultimate in proactive management of cyber attacks.

Why ITDR is Critical for Australian Businesses Today

Attackers no longer need to write complicated code to breach your organisation. They simply need to steal a valid set of credentials! Once inside, they use that legitimate identity to surreptitiously move about the network, accessing files and moving laterally without setting off traditional alarms.

ITDR is your defence against these common, high-impact attack scenarios:

  • Credential Theft: Detects tools used to harvest passwords from memory such as pass-the-hash hacking techniques.

  • MFA Bypass: Recognising techniques attackers use to circumvent multi-factor authentication.

  • Privilege Escalation: Flags an account attempting to rapidly gain higher administrative rights.

  • Lateral Movement: Recognises a user logging into a server they have never accessed before, or from an unusual location.

  • Account Takeovers: Spots suspicious login activity e.g., from a high-risk country, or immediately following an impossible travel scenario.

  • Active Directory Attacks: Identifies signs of compromise within your core identity infrastructure, such as Golden Ticket attacks.

  • Misconfigurations: Proactively scans and alerts on security flaws in your identity services e.g., weak policies, over-privileged accounts).

Key Components of an Effective ITDR Solution

A comprehensive ITDR strategy provides visibility across your entire identity ecosystem in the following ways:

  1. Identity Analytics & Behavioural Monitoring: Uses Machine Learning and AI to establish a baseline of normal user activity and flags any deviation from this, resulting in series of alerts and actions for an SOC (Security Operation Centre), such as our experts at IT Strategic, to intervene.

  2. Identity System Hardening: Proactive assessment and remediation of vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in your core identity stores (e.g., Domain Controllers).

  3. Real-Time Threat Detection: Continuous monitoring of authentication logs, access attempts, and privilege changes to spot Indicators of Compromise (IoCs).

  4. Triggering Automated Response: The ability to immediately revoke session tokens, enforce MFA, disable the compromised account, or reset a password upon detection.

The synergy between ITDR, EDR & MDR

While ITDR and EDR are two sides of the same security coin, multiplying each other's effectiveness, a Managed Detection & Response (MDR) service provides the 24/7 human intervention required to fully and effectively manage responses when technology alone cannot.

  • An EDR alert on a compromised device provides the context needed for the ITDR system to investigate associated accounts.

  • An ITDR alert about a suspicious login provides the context for the EDR system to immediately isolate the endpoint being used for that login.

  • An MDR service acts as the service and human layer to validate, remediate and report on actions taken to resolve incidences and implement measures to stop them from recurring.

By integrating all three, you will have effectively transitioned from siloed security alerts to a unified view that reveals the complete attack chain: from the initial endpoint breach to the compromised identity, final targeting and remediation to lock-out, secure, fix or wind-back compromises and report on incidences.

Are you ready to protect your business identity from cyberattack?

Don't let a stolen credential unravel your entire business! Securing your identity infrastructure with ITDR is the most critical step you can take today to protect your organisation.

Talk to IT Strategic today for a consultation on implementing a robust, integrated cybersecurity solution including ITDR, end-point-detection and MDR that’s tailored for your business.