Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is the latest buzz word in the security industry and garnering significant attention. Industry analysts each have their own definition. Meanwhile, security vendors are quickly jumping on the bandwagon, recasting their products as XDR solutions. And it’s safe to assume many more will unveil XDR products in the months ahead.

In recent months, we’ve seen a sharp rise in software supply chain attacks that infect legitimate applications to distribute malware to users. SolarWinds, Codecov and Kesaya have all been victims of such attacks that went on to impact thousands of downstream businesses around the globe. Within minutes of these high-profile attacks making headline news, CEOs often ask: “Should we be concerned? How is it impacting us? What can we do to mitigate risk?” .

Every breach starts as a compromise that goes unnoticed and unactioned, often because existing security devices have too many events, too little context and cannot prioritize. Providing these systems with threat intelligence is the lowest cost and most effective way to improve contextualization and blocking of new attacks.

The SANS 2021 Top New Attacks and Threat Report is now available for download, covering the security trends and top threats to watch for as the world emerges from the pandemic. Presented at the SANS threat expert panel discussion held during the RSAConference 2021 Virtual Experience, the top attack category the report highlights is supply chain attacks – and with good reason.

I previously talked about how to get started with a threat intelligence program, which is the cornerstone to any security operation. Such a program enables security teams to gain a deeper understanding of adversaries and their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), in order to determine what is relevant to the organization and how to mitigate risk.