What SIEM is and why a company with personal data needs it
KEMEL.TECH · Updated
SIEM is a system that collects event logs from all of a company's systems, correlates them by rules and sends alerts when it notices suspicious behavior. For companies that store personal data, SIEM helps to spot an attack in time and meet the breach notification deadline of 1 business day. For large operators, the law requires cybersecurity event monitoring.
How SIEM works
- Agents collect logs from servers, applications and network equipment.
- Data is normalized and correlated by rules (for example, the Sigma format).
- When a rule triggers, an alert is created.
- An on-duty specialist confirms or dismisses the alert and escalates the incident.
- Management receives reports on events and response.
What to keep in mind
- Logs contain personal data (IP addresses, logins, full names, sometimes the IIN), so such fields must be masked before they are written.
- Rules must be tuned to your systems, otherwise there will be many false positives.
- Collecting logs is not enough: you need a person who analyzes the alerts.
KEMEL GUARD SIEM
KEMEL's own platform: the agent (Fluent Bit and osquery) works over an outbound mTLS connection to port 443, no inbound ports need to be opened. The agent is installed in 1 day. The pilot lasts 14 days: first a pentest, then connecting sources, masking personal data and tuning rules, and finally the pilot report.
Frequently asked questions
- Does a small company need SIEM?
- The law does not require event monitoring for small operators. It becomes necessary as the amount of data and number of systems grow; for large operators the law requires cybersecurity event monitoring.
- Do I need to open ports for the agent?
- No. The agent works over an outbound mTLS connection to port 443, no inbound ports need to be opened.