The Network as Your Source of Truth: Behavioral Threat Detection with ExtraHop

While many organizations deploy a layered defense of tools like endpoint detection and response (EDR), security information and event management (SIEM), and firewalls, threat detection often falls flat. These tools offer incomplete and fragmented coverage, only monitoring specific attack phases or network segments. EDR and firewalls, for example, largely focus on endpoints and the north-south perimeter, leaving the vast majority of east-west traffic unseen and unprotected.

This blind spot is a critical vulnerability that threat actors eagerly exploit. They bypass the perimeter, moving laterally through the network completely undetected. The silent dwell time gives them the upper hand, turning a potential breach into a catastrophic event.

The Challenge in Detecting Network Threats

This is where network detection and response (NDR) comes in. NDR closes the visibility gap left by traditional security tools by continuously monitoring, recording, and analyzing traffic moving within the network (the east-west corridor).

Yet, not all NDRs deliver the visibility and context required to effectively assess and fully contain today’s cyber threats.

When the margin for error is zero, security teams must validate the depth of their detection capabilities against the MITRE ATT&CK framework and ask questions like:

• Can we detect Kerberoasting or LDAP compromises before ransomware can be deployed?
• Can we see what’s being communicated behind encrypted internal protocols?
• Do we know if this credential is being used legitimately?

Behavioral Detection Makes the Difference 

To expose new threats, organizations must move beyond static, rule-based defenses and implement behavioral detection. This advanced approach leverages machine learning (ML) and data science to identify anomalies in network activity that could signal an attack.

Learn how ExtraHop detects emerging threats below and then explore the ExtraHop Detection Catalog to see our full detection capabilities.