Detection Engineering with VMRay

Get proactive by analyzing threats in the wild.

Elevate your Detection Engineering with the most accurate analysis artifacts.

The challenges of detection engineers

Detection engineers face millions of new malware types daily. Each type needs special skills for careful and accurate analysis. The lengthy research for prioritizing alerts further hinders the practical aspects of threat detection engineering.

Although threat intelligence is vital, detection engineers frequently lack essential contextual information. The absence of insights from Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) and Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) teams complicates the threat-hunting process. To keep up, engineers must constantly revise their strategies. This highlights the need for advanced methods in threat detection and intelligence gathering.

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Millions of new malware everyday

The sheer volume of new malware being released into the wild on a daily basis presents a significant challenge for cybersecurity teams seeking to create new rules on their threat detection tools.

Different samples require different expertise

Dealing with the plethora of malware strains is a daunting task, as different samples require specialized detection expertise. Acquiring such expertise requires significant investments in both human and technical resources.

Research to prioritize detections is time consuming

Prioritizing detections to be pivoted on based solely on MITRE ATT&CK is a challenge. Actionable malware-centric threat intelligence is needed but not available on industry-specific threats.

Missing context inputs from DFIR and CTI teams

Detection engineering requires high quality input from different teams in the SOC. Lack of in-depth analysis and context around investigated threats result in scratching the surface for creating effective threat detection rules.

The VMRay Solution for Detection Engineering

Proactive detection rule enhancement

Discover the most unique and intriguing strings, process names and command lines to generate scalable detection rules with YARA, SIGMA or SNORT.

Reliable and fast malware classification

The built-in malware configuration extractors of VMRay can do the necessary de-obfuscation and family-specific data parsing.

Build solid detections through correct classification which will allow you to move up on the pyramid of pain from only IOCs to TTPs.

Uncover hidden threat artifacts

VMRay’s robust detection coverage will alert your security team to embedded content, including function call strings, from the most prolific malware samples, no matter how deep they were hidden.

The benefits of detection engineering with VMRay

VMRay supercharges your threat hunting and detection by simplifying complex threat data so it’s easier to act and improve your security operations with minimal effort. 

The platform allows you to  safely analyze suspicious files and URLs by creating a secure environment where  you can observe their behavior  without risking your systems.

With its  easy-to-use interface, VMRay lets you easily navigate data. This way, you can  focus on what really matters: protecting your organization.

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Quick response to new threats

VMRay can handle a large volume of malware samples with different file types via parallel VMs, allowing detection engineers to focus their time on the creative problem-solving essential for successful threat hunting.

Maximum ROI on detection

The YARA rules, malware configuration extractors and signatures of VMRay are continuously updated to detect new malware variant and families. Consistent results reduce the potential for human error.

Increased speed & efficiency

With the unmatched dynamic analysis speed, scalability and API functionality, VMRay is the perfect addition to your security stack for threat hunting. Pre-built connectors with various tools make this process quick and easy, without any integration headaches.

See VMRay in action

Explore what you can do with VMRay.

Access comprehensive reports, explore network connections, get insight into malicious behaviors, map threats to the MITRE ATT&CK Framework, download IOCs and artifacts, and much more.

Enhance detection engineering against the most evasive malware and phishing threats.

Further resources on detection engineering

Incident response & detection engineering

Threat Hunting in the post-macro world

Threat Hunting in the cloud: Linux threats

Demystifying Detection Engineering : FAQs

Q. What is detection engineering and how do l stay up-to-date on new threats?

Over the last few years, Detection Engineering has evolved to a dedicated role to develop and maintain firewall rules, email policy rules, and IDS/IPS detection signatures that can accurately identify and block current and future threats. Detection engineers ensure systems are scalable, reliable, and efficient, while optimizing them to reduce false positives and negatives.

 

Detection engineers use their knowledge and expertise in network architectures, operating systems, and programming languages to create rules and signatures to recognize and mitigate potential threats. The faster a threat is detected, the less impact it will have on the system or network, mitigating potential damages.

 

Threat feeds can be incorporated into the workflow to provide IOCs for generic threats, while sandbox technology such as VMRay can extract IOCs from custom-crafted malicious files and URLs specifically targeting an organization. These IOCs are then used to create the rules and signatures needed to mitigate or block these targeted attacks.

VMRay’s sandbox technology uses three different types of analysis. Reputational, static, and dynamic analysis.

 

Reputational analysis provides a database of known malicious file hashes. If the file hash matches one of the entries in the database, the file is flagged malicious.

 

Static signatures detect known malware once it has been identified and a signature created. While using static signatures alone will not detect advanced, unknown malware, they are still an integral layer in the overall protection architecture.

 

Dynamic analysis provides an additional depth of insight by which the malicious file or URL is “detonated” in a sandbox environment and monitored to identify potentially malicious behavior. The monitored results are then handed off to multiple analysis technologies to create a report and supply a verdict of malicious or benign.

Yes. VMRay integrates via API with the following EDR, XDR, SIEM, SOAR and TIP solutions.

 

EDR/XDR Integrations

SentinelOne, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and CrowdStrike

 

SIEM Integrations

Splunk SIEM, IBM QRadar

 

SOAR Integrations

Google Chronicle SOAR, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR, Splunk SOAR

 

TIP Integrations

Anomali, Cyware, MISP, ThreatConnect, ThreatQ

 

The integration typically takes minutes, not hours or days and the Detection Engineering team can fully automate their processes for extracting malware threat intelligence and automating responses.

VMRay’s value proposition goes beyond exceptional products, focusing on high-quality professional services and 24/7 customer support that eliminate skills gaps and drive success in dynamic cybersecurity environments to accelerate incident resolution.

Recognizing resource constraints faced by Security/IT teams, VMRay offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored for seamless onboarding, optimized configuration, and robust integrations – ensuring efficient deployment and maximizing solution efficacy.

 

VMRay addresses deployment concerns by offering a range of professional service offerings to get you up and running quickly. We leverage our expertise deploying hundreds of customers to ensure that you are up and running regardless of how complex your requirements may be.

 

X-press Onboarding

Our express onboarding service ensures a swift deployment while our expert team assists with configuration and provides guidance. Whether you’ve selected to utilize the VMRay Cloud or and on-premises solution, we will work with you to get the VMRay platform set up and configured to your requirements.

 

Automation Integration Deployment

Seamlessly integrate our solutions with your existing tools to enhance incident automation and strengthen your cybersecurity infrastructure. If your needs include taking advantage of the time and labor savings of integrating VMRay into your security ecosystem, we will work with you to configure our range of connectors to 3rd party platforms to other solutions within your environment.

 

Bespoke Training

Empower your team with tailored training options, including video recordings, accessible PDF materials, and in-person sessions. Basic training is provided during the on-boarding process and a variety of free training resources, both documentation and videos. Sometime customers want a more customized training solution to better align with their incident response plans. We will work with you to understand your specific requirements and deliver customized instructor based live training tailored to your specific needs.

Yes. VMRay provides integrations into many of the leading EDR/XDR/SIEM/SOAR and TIP solutions to automate malware triage and analysis. By seamlessly integrating into workflows and playbooks, the entire process of threat identification and mitigation can be fully automated.

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