Detection Data Sources

In the previous chapter, we built out a detection engineering test lab that will be leveraged for the labs throughout the rest of this book, as well as any testing you want to perform yourself. This lab environment included the Elastic Stack, Fleet Server, and a single Windows host. In this chapter, we will discuss the different data sources that can be leveraged as part of detection engineering. Furthermore, we will provide optional labs that will allow you to expand your lab environment so that you can include some of these additional sources if you want to test them and have the resources available.

The data sources we consume for detection engineering help determine our ability to provide widespread detection coverage for an organization. Without network data, we can’t develop network-based signatures, potentially missing web-based threats or C2 communication. Without application data, we might not be able to identify malicious activity taking place...