How to build a stronger identity security posture with ITDR strategies

In today’s cybersecurity landscape, identity has emerged as the prime target for threat actors, with compromised credentials involved in 49 percent of breaches. Attackers exploit misconfigurations, use generative AI for social engineering, and purchase stolen credentials, highlighting the need for robust identity security. While Identity and Access Management (IAM) has been crucial, evolving threats demand a more proactive and multifaceted approach that integrates threat intelligence tools and processes to protect identity systems effectively.

Implementing a robust Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) strategy may be the solution. ITDR merges continuous monitoring and response with proactive measures, ensuring a resilient and adaptable security posture. A robust ITDR strategy not only prevents and detects threats but also investigates and coordinates responses to restore integrity after identity infractions.

Ten Steps Towards a Robust ITDR Strategy

Deploying a comprehensive suite of solutions, adopting innovative strategies, and refining existing practices are essential to combat sophisticated identity attacks. Here are 10 essential steps to build a robust ITDR strategy:

1. Prioritize Passkeys

Replacing passwords with passkeys can thwart most identity attacks, making them a crucial part of a robust ITDR strategy. With over 300 million daily password attacks, as highlighted by Microsoft’s Erik Dauner at Ignite 2023, the shift to passkeys is urgent. Passkeys use cryptographic key pairs for secure, user-friendly authentication, reducing vulnerabilities. Supported by FIDO2 and WebAuthn standards, tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft have implemented passkeys to simplify access and enhance security.

2. Adopt Zero Trust

Zero Trust is a comprehensive and adaptive defense strategy against identity threats, ensuring continuous verification of access to resources and keeping identity at the forefront of security efforts. It is promising that 80 percent of IT and security professionals list Zero Trust as a priority in many industry reports. This approach reduces reliance on perimeter-based defenses, instead validating every request as though it originates from an open network, thereby enhancing security posture.

3. Establish an ITDR Blended Team

Silos often exist between IT and business departments, hindering cohesive cybersecurity efforts. To combat this, form a multidisciplinary team that combines technology and analytics expertise with business domain knowledge. This team should share responsibility for both business and technology outcomes, focusing on maintaining the integrity of the identity infrastructure and credentials. Appointing an ITDR owner, agreed upon by all security leadership, is imperative to lead this blended team and ensure coordinated efforts across the organization.

4. Assess Identity Security Gaps

Continuously audit your identity security infrastructure for misconfigurations and vulnerabilities to improve your security posture. Evaluate attack vectors, analyze telemetry data and examine potential methods attackers might use to identify weaknesses. This additionally, gather and assess data from your IT infrastructure, including logs, network traffic, and system performance metrics.

5. Establish a Control Plane

Your inventory process should include continuous collection to identify critical assets, or “Tier Zero” assets, which are considered chokepoints to privileged rights. These chokepoints play a pivotal role in managing user identities, authentication, and access to resources, enforcing security policies, and ensuring only authorized individuals access specific systems, applications, or data.

6. Modernize Your Identity Security Infrastructure

Streamline and enhance your security infrastructure through regular updates, patching, and consolidation. By reducing complexity and consolidating identity security tools and processes, you improve efficiency and eliminate redundant systems. This modernization strengthens security and aligns with contemporary best practices and the evolving threat landscape.

A critical component of this strategy is to modernize Active Directory (AD). As AD is 25 years old, it has legacy vulnerabilities and outdated architecture that attackers often target. Many roles managed by AD can now be handled more securely and efficiently through cloud solutions. Therefore, modernizing your AD infrastructure mitigates risks and leverages the benefits of cloud-based identity management.

7. Establish Key Preventive Strategies and Technologies

Effective prevention is crucial in cybersecurity. Operational and security leaders must evaluate and enhance current measures, ensuring they align with best practices and business goals. These include:

• Adopting advanced technologies such as MFA, biometric authentication, and passwordless methods to prevent unauthorized access.
• Utilizing machine learning and AI to improve threat detection by identifying anomalies in real-time.
• Regularly updating and patching systems.
• Conducting security audits and penetration tests to address weaknesses.
• Continuously scanning for unauthorized changes.
• Educating employees on the latest phishing and social engineering tactics.

By integrating established identity security protocols with innovative ITDR strategies, organizations can build a layered defense that addresses current and emerging threats, ensuring security measures match risk profiles.

8. Improve Detection Controls

Focus on identity alert correlation and detection logic. Prioritize identity tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) above other detection mechanisms. Staying agile in detecting evolving attack techniques is crucial to maintaining a strong security posture.

9. Plan, Practice and Progress the Response Phase

Develop and update incident response playbooks to incorporate identity-related incidents into your security operations center's (SOC) response and threat-hunting processes. Establish Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) and conduct continuous training and drills for a well-prepared response to incidents. Effective response plans enable quick action to contain and mitigate identity breaches, swiftly restoring integrity.

10. Embrace Cybersecurity Culture

The strength of an ITDR strategy lies in its adaptability and the organization's commitment to fostering a cybersecurity culture. Cultivate continuous learning, vigilance, and best practices adoption. Every stakeholder must understand their role in the cybersecurity ecosystem and be equipped to act on it.

Understanding the unique threats your industry faces is crucial. This allows organizations to tailor their cybersecurity measures, allocate resources efficiently, and implement industry-specific protocols. Staying informed about emerging threats and collaborating with industry peers can further enhance your defenses.

The Path Forward

Embracing ITDR is a journey toward creating a more secure, resilient, and trusted digital environment. By tailoring ITDR strategies to your organization’s unique vulnerabilities, risk profile, and business objectives, you ensure not only the security of digital assets but also the integrity and continuity of business operations. This dynamic process requires ongoing assessment, refinement, and adaptation to the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape. Implementing these strategies will help you stay ahead of threats and maintain a robust security posture in an increasingly digital world.

Photo Credit: Panchenko Vladimir/Shutterstock

Richard Dean is Senior Manager of Solutions Architecture at Quest Software.