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You're reading from  Building a Next-Gen SOC with IBM QRadar

Product typeBook
Published inJun 2023
PublisherPackt
ISBN-139781801076029
Edition1st Edition
Tools
Kali Linux
Concepts
Cybersecurity
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Author (1)
Ashish M Kothekar
Ashish M Kothekar
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Ashish M Kothekar

Ashish has a total experience of more than 15 years working for IBM on various different platforms. He is currently working as tech evangelist for IBM Security products. He has been instrumental in developing more than 10 IBM certification exams including IBM products like QRadar, Cloud Pak for Security, IBM SiteProtector, IBM XGS, etc. He has worked with multiple customers on deploying and then upgrading IBM security products. He has contributed regularly by writing blogs and giving talks on security products. He has published many redpapers on the integration of security products with IBM Storage solutions like IBM Spectrum scale. These redpapers are now full-fledged solutions that are being sold. He has also cleared two Mandarin language exams and is HSK2 qualified.
Read more about Ashish M Kothekar

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Troubleshooting QRadar

In the previous chapters, we discussed the architecture of QRadar and walked through how to use QRadar and its various features. In this chapter, we will discuss the common problems or issues that you may face while working on QRadar. QRadar has evolved a lot over the last decade. There have been regular updates to the underlying operating system (OS), new features have been introduced, and bugs have been resolved. Also, all the vulnerabilities found in the product are addressed in the update packs and version upgrades. Over the years, common issues were discovered that happened mostly because of the complexity of the product and a lack of understanding of the configuration details. The common problems can be categorized as follows:

  • Log source and flow integration issues
  • QRadar deployment issues
  • QRadar app issues
  • Performance issues

Over the years, I have found that QRadar admins struggle with a few basic queries. That could be because...

Exploring log source and flow integration issues

As we know, QRadar ingests data that in the form of events and flows. As such, let’s look at issues related to log source and flow integration in QRadar. We will begin by discussing the autoupdate issues you might face and then move on to log source configuration issues. You will also be provided with resources such as the QRadar DSM guide and the IBM QRadar Community forum for troubleshooting purposes. Finally, we will cover flow integration issues, explaining various configuration parameters related to flows and providing resources to understand and customize flow parameters. Let’s get started!

Autoupdate issues

For the log source integration, we know that QRadar uses different protocols and DSMs. QRadar’s autoupdate feature is responsible for updating these protocols and DSMs, provided it is configured.

Autoupdate is a feature wherein QRadar reaches out to external IBM servers to download the latest updates...

QRadar FAQs answered

We have come a long way and covered all fundamental aspects of IBM QRadar. In this appendix, we will cover all the major queries that QRadar admins and SOC analysts will have when working with QRadar.

Query 1

What are the other major IBM security products that can be integrated with IBM QRadar?

In this book, when we talk about IBM QRadar, we also mean the IBM QRadar Security information and event management (SIEM) solution. QRadar SIEM deals with collecting data in terms of flows and events and generating security alerts. Out of all the IBM security products, IBM QRadar SOAR best complements IBM QRadar SIEM.

SOAR stands for security orchestration and response. IBM QRadar SOAR is a different product (from QRadar SIEM), which was previously known as Resilient. The offenses that are generated in IBM QRadar SIEM are sent to IBM QRadar SOAR, where they are known as incidents.

QRadar SOAR can integrate with different products too, to receive security incidents...

A next-generation QRadar sneak peek

A university in Canada worked on how they could monitor packets flowing in and out of their college network and saw whether they could find any anomaly or detect any threat. Later, a company called Q1 Labs was formed, which added event data monitoring to the flow data that was captured. Q1 Labs grew rapidly and was then bought by IBM around 2013. From that point, it was called IBM QRadar.

The IBM research team has been working on a platform where many of the different security products can be integrated seamlessly to provide more value to customers. The platform for the integration of security products is called Cloud Pak for Security, also known as CP4S. IBM has created multiple Cloud Pak solutions for data, automation, and so on.

We know that IBM QRadar is based on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Similarly, CP4S is based on Red Hat OpenShift technology. This helps us to install CP4S wherever Red Hat OpenShift can be installed, so CP4S can be installed...

Summary

In this chapter, we covered many practical aspects, such as troubleshooting QRadar. We discussed broadly the different categories of issues seen in QRadar and how you should address them. Then, we looked at a selection of FAQs on QRadar. Finally, in the last section, we covered how QRadar shapes up and how it is now part of a larger solution suite.

As they say, with great power comes great responsibility, which also applies when using QRadar. As a QRadar administrator or analyst, there are tons of features, apps, and extensions that you can use, and if you know how to maintain and troubleshoot basic issues of QRadar while using them, you will go a long way. IBM provides support for QRadar 24x7 and will always guide you on all aspects of maintaining and troubleshooting QRadar.

Further reading

IBM, with its vast experience as security solution vendor, has come up with multiple resources for customers on how to use and troubleshoot their products. For IBM QRadar, there are the following:

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Published in: Jun 2023Publisher: PacktISBN-13: 9781801076029
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Author (1)

author image
Ashish M Kothekar

Ashish has a total experience of more than 15 years working for IBM on various different platforms. He is currently working as tech evangelist for IBM Security products. He has been instrumental in developing more than 10 IBM certification exams including IBM products like QRadar, Cloud Pak for Security, IBM SiteProtector, IBM XGS, etc. He has worked with multiple customers on deploying and then upgrading IBM security products. He has contributed regularly by writing blogs and giving talks on security products. He has published many redpapers on the integration of security products with IBM Storage solutions like IBM Spectrum scale. These redpapers are now full-fledged solutions that are being sold. He has also cleared two Mandarin language exams and is HSK2 qualified.
Read more about Ashish M Kothekar

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