What is Darktrace NDR and How Does it Work?

How about the dream of a proactive system that detects and responds to cyber threats as they happen without your help? As stated above, cyber trends develop daily with new varieties of attacks, and traditional security measures frequently fail to protect businesses. So this is where Darktrace NDR (Network Detection and Response) comes into play. It is helping businesses to defend themselves against the most advanced cyber threats using AI and ML.

However, the next question of interest is, how is Darktrace NDR distinctive from other approaches to network protection? Why is it crucial for enterprises at the moment? Moreover, how might you best incorporate the ideas into your organization’s security plan to keep pace with cyber threats?

Now, let’s see how it works, what are the advantages of having this, and why it might change the way you think about securing your network.

What is Darktrace NDR?

Darktrace NDR is a machine learning and artificial intelligence-powered next-gen cybersecurity solution that offers network detection and response. However, preventing threats from harm is a critical security goal. Unlike many traditional security tools that heavily depend on having a database of signatures or rules in place to identify threats, Darktrace’s approach is different. It specializes in behavioral observation specifically of your network traffic and learns from the behavior characteristics of the activity across your systems.

Darktrace’s self-learning AI is always learning what a normal network looks like so it can easily identify any abnormal activity. So no matter if it’s strange data flow, suspicious user behavior, or cybersecurity intrusion. Darktrace NDR is capable of identifying it and responding proactively to halt a threat in its tracks.

Key Features of Darktrace NDR:

1. Threat Detection: For effectiveness, it is recommended to detect threats at the initial stage when they occur.
2. Self-Learning AI: This can be developed and enhance the certainty of detection sequentially.
3. Automated Response: Moreover, automatically responds to threats that are identified minimizing the role of the human element.
4. Behavioral Analysis: Unlike traditional IDSs that only look for traffic patterns similar to previous known attacks. It pays attention to live network traffic for suspicious activity.

Why Traditional Security Tools Fall Short

Traditional network security solutions, such as firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems (IDS). However, these tools are becoming less useful these days for protecting against modern attacks and threats, especially against known and unknown attacks and threats. Here’s why:

1. Reactive Approach: Most of the traditional security solutions can merely respond to threats once they have been known to exist. So this can lead to a delay in identifying, as well as combating new and constantly developing threats.
2. Limited Scope: Most of the conventional tools are resident in some areas such as perimeters or endpoints, and as such, cannot detect or contain lateral movements or internal threats.
3. Dependence on Signatures and Rules: Most of the traditional approaches cannot identify new attacks that do not have patterns.

Therefore, Darktrace NDR overcomes these issues by giving you a solution that is proactive and self-learning. So you are capable of identifying threats in the emergence of which conventional signature-based systems would not be sufficient.

How Darktrace NDR Works

Darktrace NDR is effective in detecting and addressing threats in your network with the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and behavioral analytics. So here’s how it works step by step:

Step 1: Data Collection

Darktrace can gather information from all your network traffic east-west and north-south traffic. However, this not only collects information from every device, application, and user on your network to give you a snapshot view of the activity.

Step 2: Behavioral Learning

Darktrace can then employ machine learning algorithms on this data to identify a set of ‘normal’ for the network. In this way, the system constantly learns from this data and as a result, this knowledge improves. What it means is that Darktrace gets gradually better at detecting these anomalies hence the self-learning characteristic.

Step 3: Threat Detection

Once the system gets used to the normal behavior of individuals. It then begins to isolate things that in one way or another deviate from the norm. Thus pointing out suspect behaviors that may indicate the emergence of security threats. 

However, these anomalies can be anything from an employee logging into a tier that is not required to perform their work.

Step 4: Automated Response

Once you detect a threat, Darktrace does not relay an alert but instead breaks down the attack process. It can automatically respond by disconnecting all the devices involved, halting any activities that appear malicious, or denying some sections of the network access. 

So this automated response reduces the time an attacker has to carry out the attack and minimizes the potential damage.

Advantages of Darktrace NDR

As highlighted above, you need to implement it in the security of any network for numerous reasons. So let’s take a look at some of the key advantages:

1. Early Threat Detection

Darktrace NDR’s self-learning AI enables this tool to detect threats before they can progress any further. This way your approach is proactive which means your network is protected as early as possible should an attack occur.

2. Reduced Response Time

Unlike most other security solutions that require users to intervene, Darktrace NDR can be configured to respond to threats. This greatly reduces the amount of time for remediation of the breach and its impact on your business.

3. Comprehensive Coverage

The Darktrace NDR solution gives you the full visibility of both external, north-south traffic and internal, east-west traffic. This is important because most complex threats such as insider attacks or laterals, take place inside the network not at the edge.

4. Scalability

Another recommendation I have for Darktrace NDR is related to the ease of scaling the technology. So it is fully capable of responding to the requirements of both small businesses and large enterprises.

Using a rich set of intelligence feeds, the system not only perpetuates to grow with the increasing size but also adapts to protect your network continually.

Conclusion

Today threat actors are constantly increasing the level of sophistication of their cyber attack, and the notion of security solely relying on traditional technology measures is inadequate. So Darktrace NDR is an advanced solution for active identification and response to threats. You must incorporate it into your organization’s defense plan to deter attackers, reduce response time, and safeguard your vital DNS resources.

If you’re feeling uncomfortable with how vulnerable you and your networks may be, then maybe it’s time to step up your game. Learn how precisely it can redefine your security approach.