Crowdstrike SIEM: Solution Overview, Pros and Cons

What Is Crowdstrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM? 

CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM is a cloud-based security information and event management platform that attempts to address the limitations of legacy SIEM tools by adapting to security threats faster and providing a scalable, cloud-based repository for log data.

CrowdStrike Falcon supports security operations by unifying data from the CrowdStrike Falcon platform, third-party sources, and AI into a single platform. It offers threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities, with AI-powered detections, workflow automation, and integrated adversary intelligence. 

Key Features of Crowdstrike SIEM 

CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM offers the following key features:

1. Unified data for real-time detection: Integrates with CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform and third-party data sources, offering access to security data. Adversary-driven detections, supported by AI and behavior analysis, aim to enable security teams to identify sophisticated threats across data sources.
2. Index-free, high-speed search: The platform offers search capabilities designed to be faster than legacy SIEMs, enabling threat hunters to analyze incidents.
3. Incident visualization and collaboration: An interactive incident visualization feature presents the scope of an attack by correlating users, entities, and threat intelligence in a graph.
4. Workflow automation: Built-in automation workflows are intended to simplify incident response with various automated actions.
5. Generative AI for SOCs: Generative AI tools within the platform help augment incident details, prioritizing alerts, and aim to summarize critical information in plain language.
6. Endpoint and infrastructure integration: Integration with the Falcon agent allows security teams to execute endpoint actions from the SIEM platform.
7. Cost efficiency and scalability: By consolidating tools and using a single agent, Crowdstrike claims the Next-Gen SIEM delivers a significant reduction in total cost of ownership compared to traditional SIEMs.

Other Crowdstrike Solutions How They Integrate with Crowdstrike SIEM 

Crowdstrike Falcon LogScale

CrowdStrike Falcon LogScale is a log management solution designed for real-time monitoring and troubleshooting across IT systems. It aims to offer fast log searches, allowing teams to quickly locate relevant data within log entries. LogScale integrates with the Falcon SIEM to provide a centralized platform for log analysis and security event correlation.

This integration enables ingestion of log data from various endpoints and infrastructure components, supporting threat detection and investigation.

Crowdstrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM

The Falcon Next-Gen SIEM combines the capabilities of traditional SIEM tools with CrowdStrike’s threat intelligence and AI-driven analytics. The platform integrates with the broader Falcon ecosystem to help unify endpoint, network, and log data.

Integration with Falcon SIEM supports data sharing across CrowdStrike solutions, enabling security teams to potentially detect threats in, automate responses, and visualize incidents with correlation tools. This approach hopefully minimizes alert fatigue by prioritizing actionable intelligence and automating repetitive tasks.

Crowdstrike Falcon Counter Adversary Operations

Falcon Counter Adversary Operations focuses on providing threat intelligence to security teams, offering insights into adversaries’ tools, tactics, and procedures (TTPs). By integrating with Falcon SIEM, this solution augments threat detection by correlating data with known adversary behaviors.

The integration allows security teams to leverage CrowdStrike’s intelligence repository, providing added context for incidents and potentially improving the accuracy of detections.

Crowdstrike Falcon SIEM Limitations 

The Falcon SIEM solution has several limitations in usability, integration, and overall efficiency. Here are the main issues, as reported by users on the G2 platform:

• Complex integration with other tools: Integrating Falcon SIEM with third-party products, such as other analytics or SIEM tools, can be complicated and time-consuming due to lengthy prerequisites.
• Limited log management flexibility: Sending logs to external Syslog devices or other log management tools is not straightforward, making log forwarding more complex than necessary.
• Issues with sensor maintenance: Uninstalling or upgrading sensors can be time-intensive, particularly for servers. Maintenance tokens are sometimes not accepted on disconnected hosts, requiring additional steps through the API console to resolve.
• Restricted sensor details: The system tray view for the sensor is limited, showing only basic information like version, online status, and security status. Additional details, such as scan options or deeper insights, are missing.
• Complex user interface: Navigating the platform can feel overwhelming due to the numerous screens and features, which require a high level of technical understanding to manage effectively.
• False positives: The platform sometimes generates false positives, leading to extra investigation efforts and operational inefficiencies.
• Testing and update rollout: Inefficient testing of sensor updates has led to occasional outages caused by faulty updates, highlighting a need for stronger pre-release testing infrastructure.
• Reporting limitations: The reporting features could be more robust and user-friendly, offering deeper and more actionable insights to security teams.

Exabeam: The Ultimate Crowdstrike SIEM Alternative

Exabeam differentiates itself through advanced user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), machine learning-driven threat detection, and simplified security workflows. Designed to overcome limitations found in traditional and next-generation SIEM solutions, Exabeam aims to improve threat visibility, reduce investigation time, and provide actionable insights to security teams.

Key features that make Exabeam a viable alternative to CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM include:

• User and entity behavior analytics (UEBA): The Exabeam UEBA capability is central to its threat detection strategy, identifying anomalous behavior by analyzing user activities, access patterns, and deviations from normal baseline activities. This minimizes false positives and improves the accuracy of alerts.
• Automated threat investigation and response: The platform automates key incident response processes, including correlation, investigation, and remediation, reducing the need for manual intervention. It accelerates threat resolution by automatically piecing together security incidents using timelines.
• Log ingestion without volume-based pricing: Exabeam offers predictable, non-volume-based pricing for log ingestion, making it more cost-effective for organizations with large-scale logging needs. Unlike traditional SIEMs that charge based on log size, Exabeam’s model ensures scalable deployments without surprise costs.
• Comprehensive data integration: The solution integrates data from diverse sources, including endpoints, applications, networks, and cloud services. This broad coverage enhances visibility across hybrid IT environments.
• Rapid detection and incident prioritization: Exabeam leverages machine learning to detect threats quickly and prioritize alerts based on severity, allowing security teams to focus on the most critical incidents.

Exabeam provides a powerful alternative to CrowdStrike Falcon SIEM for organizations looking for stronger behavior-based threat detection, automated investigation, and flexible pricing for log ingestion.

Learn more about Exabeam SIEM