The stark reality is that cyberattacks are no longer distant threats. In 2024, they pose a real and immediate risk to every business. In fact, last year we saw a 72% rise in security breaches when compared to 2021, which held the previous all-time record.
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So, how can companies protect themselves against this growing threat? One pretty powerful approach is user behavior monitoring. By using this strategy, business owners can take a proactive stance on cybersecurity, spotting threats early and keeping your data safe.
In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about user behavior monitoring including what it is, its key features, strategies, and even the challenges you might face along the way. Let’s get into it.
What is Behavior Monitoring?
Behavior monitoring is a cybersecurity approach that involves tracking how users, applications, and devices behave across a company’s IT network. By establishing a normal baseline for activity, behavioral monitoring can quickly spot any unusual actions that might signal a security threat. This early detection gives businesses the chance to respond before any serious damage is done.
Say you own a cloud communication platform, for example. You could use behavior monitoring to track user activity and identify any unexpected patterns, like a sudden spike in logins from unusual, high-risk locations. This way, you’ll be able to address potential threats before they escalate and cost you a lot of money.
Main Features and Components
Here are some of the must-have features of user behavior monitoring systems that help strengthen your cybersecurity efforts:
•Real-time analytics helps you catch anomalies near-instantly. By continuously analyzing data from every endpoint, network, and application, organizations can quickly spot any suspicious activity and react before things get out of hand.
•Endpoint monitoring zeroes in on what users and their devices are up to. It looks at things like login times, file access, and app usage to identify anything that seems off (like that intern trying to access payroll files at midnight). Plus, it runs regular integrity checks to ensure that connected devices haven’t been tampered with or infected by malware.
•Network security involves scanning traffic for unusual patterns, such as unexpected data transfers or odd connections to unknown IP addresses. By integrating behavior monitoring with standard intrusion detection systems, businesses can get a clearer view of any malicious activities lurking on the network. Plus, with the right framework (like Ardoq enterprise architecture) you can further enhance visibility, allowing threats to be identified and blocked before sensitive data is compromised.
•Malware protection. In the past, malware protection relied on recognizing known threats, but behavior monitoring takes it up a notch. Instead of looking for a specific signature, it watches for suspicious behavior from files and applications in real time. If something seems off, the system can automatically quarantine or block the file before it spreads across the network.
Benefits of Behavior Monitoring
We’ve already spoken about the increased level of security behavior monitoring can bring, but let’s drill down into some specific benefits.
Detect threats quickly
It’s scary, but only a third of breaches are detected. That’s a lot going unnoticed, wreaking unknown amounts of havoc!
However, with behavior monitoring, you’re always on the lookout for anything strange happening in your IT systems – from a sudden spike in data traffic to unusual patterns in employee communications.
Let’s say you own a company that provides different types of legacy systems. Legacy systems, while still critical for many businesses, often have vulnerabilities because they weren’t designed with today’s advanced threats in mind. Without behavior monitoring, your network could easily overlook suspicious activities targeting these weak points. But with real-time monitoring in place, your system can instantly flag unusual behavior, giving you the chance to respond quickly and protect your clients from a potential breach, even if the software isn’t compatible with modern security solutions.
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Allows you to stay complaint
75% of customers are ready to sever ties with a brand in the aftermath of any cybersecurity issue. Combine that with the added risk of fines if you break data protection laws like GDPR, CCPA, or HIPAA, and you can be looking at a major problem.
Suppose you’re a healthcare business and you use a conversation intelligence platform that handles tons of customer data. If an employee accesses information they shouldn’t and shares it, you’re looking at a loss of customer trust and major financial repercussions. Behavior monitoring can flag issues like this immediately, allowing you to take quick action. Plus, by continuously tracking data access and usage, it provides an extra layer of assurance that your organization is meeting regulatory requirements.
By staying compliant and monitoring everything automatically, you reduce the risk of penalties and keep your reputation intact. Plus, when you’re keeping customers’ data safe, they feel more confident in your business.
Save money
The cost of a data breach just keeps rising. In fact, the average cost of a data breach in 2024 hit $4.88 million, up 10% from the year before. That’s a lot of money to lose, and nobody wants to be the business hit with that kind of financial hit.
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Catching a threat early can prevent it from turning into a full-blown breach. Stopping that breach could save you millions and keep you from dealing with the fallout that comes with losing your customers or your reputation.
Tech Behind Behavioral Monitoring
So, how do we actually track and analyze user behavior? Well, it takes a mix of smart technology that pulls data from all sorts of sources to track what’s happening across your systems. Here’s a rundown:
Telemetry Data
Telemetry data is basically like a constant flow of information sent from devices to a central system for monitoring. It comes in four key types, which we call MELT for short:
- Metrics: Numbers that tell you how well your IT systems are doing over time.
- Events: Specific things that happen within your system.
- Logs: Time-stamped text records that document what’s going on.
- Traces: Logs that track how services or systems interact with each other.
Machine Learning and AI Algorithms
Machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) look into behavioral patterns.
One of the best parts of this tech is anomaly detection. It helps catch weird behaviors or patterns that might be signs of fraud or a security risk. Some systems use simple statistics to flag anything odd, while others are more advanced with deep learning algorithms to identify more complex issues.
To make sure these monitoring models actually work, two things are key: feature engineering and feature selection. Feature engineering takes raw data and polishes it up to work better for machine learning. Feature selection, on the other hand, makes sure only the most useful, relevant data gets used.
Another tool that plays a part is Natural Language Processing (NLP). It’s like teaching machines to understand text, so it can analyze things like social media posts or survey feedback to spot trends and behaviors.
Data Visualization Tools
Once all that data is collected, how do you make sense of it? Data visualization tools turn complicated data into something easy to digest (we’re talking charts, heat maps, and interactive dashboards) that make the data tell a story.
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Of course, there’s a catch. Visualizing lots of complex behavioral data can be tough, especially when it’s all over the place. That’s where Principal Component Analysis (PCA) helps reduce that overwhelming data down to a simpler form so you can focus only on the relevant data. It reduces high-dimensional data by identifying the main patterns (or the principal components) that capture the most significant variance across the dataset. For instance, if your system is tracking user activities across multiple applications and devices, PCA can help filter out redundant or irrelevant data points (like repeated login attempts that aren’t suspicious).
Implementing Behavior Monitoring
There’s a bit of planning and strategy involved when it comes to implementing behavior monitoring. You’ll need to define your goals and pick the right tools that fit your needs. Here’s how you can get started:
User Behavior Analytics (UBA)
This is all about watching what individual users are doing. Think of it as keeping an eye on login times, what files they’re accessing, and other activities that are part of their daily routine. By creating a standard activity level for each user using machine learning algorithms, UBA can quickly spot anything that doesn’t look quite right.
Network Behavior Analysis (NBA)
NBA focuses on monitoring network traffic by tracking data flows, who’s talking to whom, and how information moves around your system. This helps spot threats like unusual data transfers or unexpected connections to unknown servers. The great thing about NBA is that you can pair it with traditional intrusion detection systems to create an even stronger defense against network-based attacks.
Application Behavior Monitoring
This helps to keep tabs on how your software is behaving within your IT environment. If an application starts acting strange (like sending abnormal requests or suddenly trying to access data it doesn’t normally), it could be a sign of a security threat. Monitoring apps helps prevent attacks like SQL injection or cross-site scripting.
Effective Strategies for Behavior Monitoring in Cybersecurity
To build an effective strategy, you first need to figure out what your most critical assets are. Think about things like sensitive data, critical apps, and your network infrastructure. These are the things hackers want to target, so it’s important to keep a close eye on them.
Once you know what needs protecting, you can start setting baselines for what ‘normal’ looks like. This typical usage pattern is key – it’s what you’ll compare against to spot anything out of the ordinary. The goal here is to keep your monitoring smart and proactive, so you can stop problems before they escalate.
Additionally, it helps to document these baselines and any deviations in a narrative report. This way, you have a clear record of what’s happening in your network and can track the progression of any suspicious activity over time.
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Challenges of Using Behavior Monitoring
Now, with all good things, there are some considerations that you need to keep in mind.
As much as behavior monitoring can absolutely strengthen your cybersecurity, it’s not without its challenges:
Data privacy concerns
A major challenge when rolling out behavior monitoring is finding the right balance between security and data privacy. It’s really important to monitor users and activities for potential threats without overstepping privacy regulations like GDPR. Businesses need to make sure that their monitoring systems comply with these laws while still being effective in detecting and responding to any risks.
On top of that, you also want to make sure that you’re fostering trust in your organization. You want to detect and respond to future risks, without giving employees the impression that they’re being micromanaged or that you don’t trust them. Failing to maintain this balance can result in a decrease in workplace morale. To combat this, transparent communication is extremely important. Clearly outline what’s being monitored and why, and make it clear that this is both for the company, and the employees safety.
Resource intensive
Setting up a behavior monitoring system can take up a lot of resources. This includes investing in the right technology, hiring the very best people, and providing necessary training on elements they may not be well-versed on. So, businesses have to carefully weigh the costs versus the benefits to make sure they’re getting a good return on investment.
False positives
Sometimes, behavior monitoring systems can flag legitimate activities as suspicious (AKA false positives). While this is meant to protect against threats, it can lead to unnecessary investigations and drain security resources. To avoid this, you’re going to need to fine-tune your monitoring systems, focusing on real threats and minimizing the noise that can lead to wasted time and energy.
Final Thoughts
It’s clear that with the right tech and strategies in place, behavior monitoring can make a huge difference in protecting your company from threats, improving compliance, and saving you from costly breaches.
Remember, it’s all about spotting abnormal behavior early, understanding your critical assets, and staying ahead of potential risks. The tech we’ve covered (like AI, telemetry, and data visualization) will help you keep everything running smoothly.
In the end, it’s not just about preventing cyberattacks. It’s about being proactive, making smarter decisions, and keeping your systems, data, and – just as crucially – your customers safe. When you measure customer satisfaction, you’ll see the positive impact of a secure and well-managed environment. So if you’re looking to level up your cybersecurity game, behavior monitoring is definitely worth considering.
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