Dr. Erdal Ozkaya
Introduction: When Minutes Matter—Automation Can Save Millions
In December 2020, the SolarWinds cyberattack sent shockwaves across the globe. Threat actors infiltrated U.S. government agencies and private companies using a supply chain compromise so stealthy that it went undetected for months. This breach was a wake-up call—not just about the sophistication of modern adversaries, but about the critical need to transform how Security Operations Centers (SOCs) detect and respond to threats.
While detection often gets the spotlight, it’s the investigation and response that determine how quickly an organization can contain an incident, assess impact, and restore normal operations. This is the role of Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR). In high-stakes scenarios, the speed and depth of DFIR can be the difference between a minor disruption and a full-blown crisis.
This is where Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) must evolve. In an age of automation, traditional approaches no longer suffice. SOCs must embrace a smarter, faster, and more scalable way of defending against threats.
Overcoming the Mounting Challenges in SOCs
SOCs are the frontline defenders in the cyber battlefield, but they are under increasing pressure. Let’s unpack the core challenges:
Alert Fatigue
SOCs receive tens of thousands of alerts daily. Most are false positives, but each one demands time and attention - starting with alert validation to confirm that it’s a legitimate incident but then moving on for further investigation. This overwhelming volume leads to burnout and critical alerts being overlooked.
Cybersecurity Talent Shortage
According to (ISC)², there’s a global shortage of nearly 4 million cybersecurity professionals. This gap forces existing teams to do more with less, impacting response effectiveness.
Fragmented Tooling
Many SOCs operate with siloed tools that don’t communicate well. This fragmentation makes it difficult to piece together the full scope of an incident, delaying response times.
Manual Processes
From initial triage to forensic deep dives, many processes remain manual—time-consuming and prone to human error. In the fast-moving world of cyber defense, delays can be fatal.
Facing Off Against Sophisticated, Stealthy Threats
The threat landscape is evolving, and adversaries are getting craftier. One standout technique is the use of Living off the Land Binaries and Scripts (LOLBAS). These attacks exploit native OS tools like PowerShell or WMI to execute malicious actions, making them extremely hard to detect.
Case Study 1: FIN7
FIN7, a notorious cybercriminal group, has repeatedly used LOLBAS techniques to evade detection. By leveraging signed Windows binaries and legitimate administrative tools, they maintained long-term access to corporate environments while blending into normal system activity.
FIN7's campaigns have been linked to the theft of over $1 billion from hundreds of businesses globally. They primarily targeted the retail, hospitality, and restaurant sectors, breaching systems to steal payment card data and personal customer information. In one coordinated campaign, they compromised over 100 U.S. companies, affecting millions of consumers and resulting in significant financial and reputational damage to the victims.
Case Study 2: APT29 (a.k.a. Cozy Bear)
APT29, a Russian state-sponsored threat group, is known for its advanced espionage campaigns. In the 2020 SolarWinds attack, they infiltrated the software build process of a trusted vendor to insert a backdoor (SUNBURST) into the company’s legitimate software updates.
Impact:
APT29’s tactics allowed them to gain covert access to U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Treasury, and State. The intrusion remained undetected for months and exposed sensitive communications and national security data. The breach underscored how deeply supply chain vulnerabilities can be exploited and how traditional perimeter defenses offer little resistance against sophisticated, stealthy tactics.
Reimagining DFIR with Automation at the Core
Automation isn’t just a time-saver—it’s a force multiplier for digital forensics and incident response (DFIR). As threats become faster, stealthier, and more complex, the ability to automate the investigation workflow is transforming how modern security operations centers (SOCs) function.Here's how automation can revolutionize DFIR for a stronger more resilient SOC:
Automated alert triage and context enrichment
Machine learning and logic-driven automation help classify and prioritize alerts using real-time threat intelligence and historical patterns. This reduces alert fatigue, minimizes false positives, and brings the most relevant threats to the forefront.
Automated response and pivot to investigation
Modern SOCs can now pivot directly from alert to evidence collection automatically, without waiting on human intervention. This 24/7 readiness accelerates the response cycle and ensures no time is lost between detection and action—supporting both audit readiness and operational resilience.
Behavioral analytics over static rules
Unlike traditional detection based on indicators of compromise (IOCs), behavioral analytics evaluate ongoing activity to spot deviations from normal patterns. This helps surface threats that would otherwise blend in—especially insider threats or low-and-slow attacks.
Integrated threat intelligence
Automating the ingestion and correlation of threat intelligence enables faster context-building. Analysts can quickly understand the who, what, and why behind an incident, enriching investigations with external data to drive informed decisions.
SOAR and playbook-driven workflows
Security orchestration platforms integrate with DFIR tools to automate repeatable investigation and remediation steps. Playbooks enforce consistency, reduce manual effort, and shrink mean time to respond (MTTR)—empowering even lean teams to respond with precision at scale.
Compromise assessment at scale
Automation transforms compromise assessments from reactive and infrequent into proactive, scalable workflows. Once limited by cost and complexity, these assessments can now be scheduled and triggered across environments regularly—improving threat visibility and resilience while expanding case handling capacity.
Proactive threat hunting
With scheduled hunts, auto-asset tagging, and differential analysis techniques, security teams can proactively identify risks—often before detection systems trigger. Analysts are empowered to hunt for unknown unknowns, supported by automation that reduces data volume and noise by orders of magnitude.
Rapid evidence acquisition
Automated forensic workflows enable rapid, remote collection of disk, memory, network, and system artifacts—often across hundreds or thousands of endpoints. This reduces investigation startup time, preserves forensic integrity, and minimizes operational disruption.
Collaborative investigations across distributed teams
Built-in collaboration capabilities allow teams to triage, investigate, and act in unison—regardless of geography. This not only reduces dwell time and improves situational awareness, but also creates a unified narrative across stakeholders, improving communication and trust during incidents.
SOC augmentation
By automating investigative groundwork, SOC analysts are freed from repetitive tasks and can focus on deeper analysis and decision-making. This shift improves analyst well-being, reduces burnout, and increases the capacity and consistency of response teams—making automation a true enabler of human-machine symbiosis.
Conclusion: The Future Belongs to the Fast and the Smart
The takeaway is clear: SOCs must evolve beyond reactive, manual workflows. The modern threat landscape, marked by stealthy attackers and resource limitations, demands an intelligent, automated approach.
For CISOs, the challenge is twofold:
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Recognize that traditional methods are no longer sufficient.
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Invest in the tools, talent, and culture that prioritize automation and adaptive response.
By rethinking DFIR and leaning into smart automation, CISOs can build SOCs that not only defend but anticipate, adapt, and overcome.
The age of automation isn’t on the horizon—it’s already here. SOCs must catch up or risk being left behind.
