Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a security service that has become a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity strategies. It’s designed to provide 24/7 threat monitoring, detection, and response capabilities, especially for organizations that lack the resources for an in-house security operations center (SOC).
But while many have heard of MDR, there are still some common misconceptions and little-known facts about this powerful service. Let's peel back the layers and explore nine surprising things you might not know about MDR.
While MDR providers perform many of the functions of an in-house SOC, it's not just a drop-in replacement. A true MDR service goes beyond basic alert monitoring. It should include proactive threat hunting, a crucial activity where analysts actively search for hidden threats that may have bypassed automated defenses. This "human-led" approach is what makes MDR so effective against sophisticated, stealthy attacks.
The Trustwave MDR service includes Proactive Threat Hunting, Advanced Continual Threat Hunting, and malware reverse engineering, performed by our elite team of cyber experts from SpiderLabs. This team actively tracks and analyzes the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of sophisticated threat groups, which are integrated into the MDR security service to protect clients from the latest cyber threats.
There's a common belief that MDR is primarily for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) that can't afford a full security team. Organizations of any size can utilize MDR to augment their existing security teams, provide coverage for a global workforce, or gain access to specialized expertise in areas such as cloud security or threat intelligence that they may not have in-house.
Trustwave MDR is designed to augment in-house security teams or fill the gap for organizations without a security team, utilizing our SpiderLabs security researchers, ethical hackers, forensic investigators, and responders. It integrates with existing security infrastructure, scales globally, and provides access to specialized expertise in areas like cloud, endpoint, and network security, making it ideal for augmenting internal teams.
The "Detection" part of MDR gets a lot of attention, but the "Response" is arguably the most critical component. A service that only says "you have a problem" isn't enough. An effective MDR platform includes a clear, rapid, and decisive response plan. This could involve isolating an infected host, disabling a compromised account, or even surgically removing malware to contain an incident before it spirals out of control.
Trustwave's MDR service is centered on providing a rapid response to threats, with a stated goal of "eliminating active threats with speed and precision". The service includes an incident response action being taken by your team or ours, with your predefined instructions (response protocols) that we integrate into our SOC workflow.
This is a big one. While a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) might offer MDR, they are not the same thing.
An MSSP typically focuses on managing and monitoring security technologies (like firewalls and intrusion detection systems), often providing alerts and reports. MDR, on the other hand, is a more proactive, human-driven service that focuses on the full lifecycle of a threat, from hunting to containment and remediation. Think of an MSSP as managing your security tools, while MDR manages your security threats.
Trustwave's offering features a "rapid threat detection and response service" where experts identify, investigate, and eliminate cyber threats. It covers the full threat lifecycle—from detection and investigation to containment and eradication—using a cloud-native platform (Trustwave Fusion) for real-time visibility and action. This approach goes beyond simply managing tools and instead focuses on managing the threat itself.
While MDR services are managed for you, the most successful partnerships are collaborative. Your MDR provider will need your input and assistance to understand your unique environment, business processes, and risk tolerance. Regular communication and a shared understanding of your security goals are essential for the MDR team to be truly effective.
Every Trustwave MDR service client is assigned a dedicated Client Success Manager. This is a named resource that remains with the client throughout the service and develops a deep understanding of their environment. This collaboration enables better tuning and a more efficient response.
A top-tier MDR company doesn't rely on a single technology. Instead, it uses a multi-layered security stack. A solution typically includes:
This layered approach provides a more comprehensive view of the threat landscape, making it much harder for attackers to hide.
These efforts are supported by the Trustwave Fusion platform, a cloud-native threat detection and response platform that leverages existing security tools and infrastructure to ingest high-value telemetry. This platform is designed to connect to a client’s "high-value security tools". The service also offers unlimited EDR Security Telemetry and has integrations with various partners, including Microsoft and Palo Alto Networks.
Many traditional security tools rely on a rigid set of rules or signatures to detect known threats. MDR, however, is fueled by constantly updated threat intelligence. This intelligence provides insights into the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of modern attackers, enabling the MDR team to identify and hunt for emerging threats that haven't been previously observed.
Trustwave's MDR service is anchored by our threat intelligence capabilities, which include a global threat intelligence database containing billions of records, backed by six global Cyber Threat Research Centers, and boasting decades of threat intelligence leadership. This intelligence is used to enrich the ingested data and help detect threats in near real-time.
Building an in-house SOC is incredibly expensive. You need to hire and retain highly skilled security analysts (a challenging and costly process), invest in a suite of expensive technologies, and maintain a 24/7 operation. MDR provides a predictable, subscription-based cost that gives you access to a team of experts and the latest technology, without the massive overhead.
Trustwave can become your SOC.
Dwell time refers to the amount of time an attacker remains present in your network before being detected. The longer the dwell time, the more damage they can do. The primary goal of a high-quality MDR vendor is to dramatically reduce this time. By providing 24/7 monitoring and rapid response, MDR helps to detect and contain threats in minutes or hours, not weeks or months, which can be the difference between a minor incident and a catastrophic breach.
As an MDR provider, Trustwave's service is designed to detect and respond to incidents within minutes. It boasts "faster response times" than competitors and an aggressive, personalized MTTR (Mean Time to Respond) of less than 30 minutes. The data sheet also claims "no one in the industry responds faster" and that the service provides "rapid time-to-value", with outcomes produced in 10 minutes or less after data ingestion.