In today’s fast-paced digital world, businesses face a constant barrage of cybersecurity threats. One critical metric in managing these threats is dwell time, which is the length of time a cyber intruder remains undetected within a network. Reducing dwell time is crucial for minimizing damage and protecting sensitive information.
Why reducing dwell time matters
Even though research shows that dwell time is decreasing, many businesses are still informed of an intrusion by a third party rather than discovering the incident themselves.
Longer dwell times allow attackers to explore networks, steal sensitive data, and establish persistence, leading to increased damage and financial losses. Quick detection and response are essential to preventing these outcomes.
The best chance organizations have of mitigating the threat is to prevent breaches outright or catch them early. Prevention involves a range of best practices including regular patching, web application firewalls, MFA, closing unused ports and ongoing phishing awareness training
However, prevention is never 100% effective. A determined attacker will always find a way in, whether it’s through stolen credentials, exploiting unpatched vulnerabilities, or leveraging methods.
The power of incident response
This is where incident response comes into play. Ideally, organizations should complement their cyber hygiene best practices and preventative controls with monitoring tools at the email, network, endpoint, and cloud environments. These tools detect behavioral anomalies rather than just malware, helping spot even covert “living off the land” and other techniques that attacker typically use to fly under the radar of legacy systems.
Most importantly, detection and response tools should flag with a high degree of certainty when something doesn’t look right. And with a managed service, businesses will have a team to investigate, remediate, and respond, 24/7 — kicking the bad guys out, fixing any problems and building resilience for the next time.
It goes without saying that such tools should be deployed as part of a well-planned and regularly practiced incident response strategy.
Conclusion
Reducing dwell time is essential for minimizing the impact of cyber incidents and protecting valuable assets. MDR services offer a comprehensive solution by providing continuous monitoring, advanced threat detection, rapid incident response, and expert insights. By partnering with an MDR provider, organizations can improve their security posture, reduce dwell time, and safeguard their business from the ever-evolving threat landscape.
Investing in MDR is not just a proactive measure; it is a strategic imperative for long-term success in today’s digital world.