MSSP, or Managed Security Service Provider, is a company that provides a wide range of cybersecurity

services to organizations of all sizes, which can be difficult and expensive for organizations to provide in-
house, typically in the form of managed security services.

Here are some of the key reasons why organizations choose to work with an MSSP:

Expertise: MSSPs have specialized expertise in cybersecurity experts and knowledge that can help
organizations strengthen their security posture and protect against cyber-attacks. This expertise can
help organizations reduce the risk of cyber-attacks and respond more effectively to incidents. They have
access to wide range of cybersecurity tools and technologies, and can provide 24/7 monitoring and
response to security incidents.

Cost-effective: MSSPs can provide cybersecurity services at a lower cost than building and maintaining
an in-house security team. MSSPs can leverage economies of scale to provide a range of services to
multiple clients, which allows them to spread the cost across their customer base.

Scalability: MSSPs can scale their services based on the needs of their clients. MSSPs can provide a
range of cybersecurity services, from basic threat detection and response to more advanced services like
vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and compliance reporting. This allows organizations to
scale their cybersecurity services based on their changing needs.

Access to Technology: MSSPs have access to advanced cybersecurity tools and technologies that may be
too expensive for organizations to acquire and maintain on their own. This can include technologies like
advanced threat intelligence, next-generation firewalls, and security information and event
management (SIEM) platforms.

Regulatory Compliance: MSSPs can help organizations meet regulatory compliance requirements
related to data privacy and security. MSSPs can provide compliance reporting and assist organizations
with preparing for audits.

Pros and Cons of MSSP’s

Costs: Running an in-house security team means hiring and paying salaries and benefits, creating office
space and overall operational costs. By outsourcing security, you pay for services only. It’s up to the
MSSP to handle their employee’s needs.

Superior Technology and Expertise: When outsourcing security, you hire a company whose sole
business is securing other businesses. This means, managed security service providers have the best
hardware and software and skilled personnel. Buying such technology or hiring skilled personnel would
be expensive and counterproductive for businesses that don’t specialize in security.

Support: Security is a sensitive area and so all managed security service providers offer support all-day,
all year as long as the contract is valid. Your business is secured always and time it takes to resolve
security issues is minimal.
Cons:

Risk: For instance, being a sensitive subject, trusting a different company with your intellectual property,
can be hard. Most managed security service providers have well-known reputation and track record.

Loss of Control: When you hand over security to another company, it means you will have to accept the
terms they propose. For example, when outsourcing I.T security, the provider decides the security
software and hardware to run in your company. Changing such software would be breaching contract
with the managed security service provider.

Loss of Quality: Although rare, hiring managed security service providers known to compromise quality
for profits is a security risk. To prevent this, researching before signing a contract and asking for service
level agreements is advisable.

Key features of MPSS

Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) - A SIEM system collects and analyzes security
data from various sources such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and endpoint protection
solutions. It provides a centralized view of an organization's security posture and helps identify potential
security threats.

Threat Intelligence - MSSPs use threat intelligence to stay up-to-date on the latest cybersecurity threats
and trends. They use this information to identify potential risks and develop appropriate strategies to
mitigate them.

Network Security - MSSPs provide network security services to protect an organization's network from
unauthorized access, data breaches, and other security threats. This includes implementing firewalls,
intrusion detection and prevention systems, and virtual private networks (VPNs).

Endpoint Security - Endpoint security involves protecting individual devices such as desktops, laptops,
and mobile devices from cyber attacks. MSSPs offer endpoint protection solutions such as antivirus
software, intrusion detection and prevention, and advanced threat protection.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) - also referred to as endpoint detection and threat response
(EDTR), is an endpoint security solution that continuously monitors end-user devices to detect and
respond to cyber threats like ransomware and malware.

XDR - XDR, or Extended Detection and Response, is a type of security technology that is designed to
provide organizations with improved threat detection and response capabilities across multiple security
products and data sources

Identity and Access Management (IAM) - IAM solutions help organizations manage user identities and
control access to resources. MSSPs provide IAM services to help organizations improve their security
posture and prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data.
Compliance - MSSPs help organizations comply with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, PCI DSS,
and GDPR. They offer compliance services such as vulnerability assessments, security audits, and risk
assessments to ensure that organizations meet these requirements.

Incident Response and Management - MSSPs provide incident response and management services to
help organizations respond to security incidents in a timely and effective manner. This includes
developing incident response plans, conducting security incident investigations, and providing
remediation recommendations.

UEBA - UEBA solutions to help organizations detect and prevent security threats. UEBA solutions analyze
user and entity behavior to detect anomalies and potential security threats. These solutions can monitor
user activity, network traffic, and other data sources to detect unusual behavior that may indicate a
security threat.

Cloud Security - With the increasing adoption of cloud services, MSSPs offer cloud security solutions to
help organizations secure their cloud environments. This includes identifying and managing cloud
security risks, implementing appropriate security controls, and providing continuous monitoring of cloud
services.

Risk Management - MSSPs help organizations identify and assess cybersecurity risks and develop
strategies to manage those risks. This includes conducting risk assessments, implementing risk
management frameworks, and providing risk mitigation recommendations.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery - MSSPs offer business continuity and disaster recovery
services to help organizations prepare for and respond to natural disasters, cyber attacks, and other
disruptions. This includes developing disaster recovery plans, conducting regular backups, and
implementing data recovery solutions.

Managed Detection and Response - Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a service that combines
technology and human expertise to detect and respond to security threats in real-time. MSSPs offer
MDR services to help organizations identify and mitigate security threats before they cause damage.

Security Awareness Training - MSSPs provide security awareness training to help organizations educate
their employees on cybersecurity best practices. This includes training on password management,
phishing scams, and other security threats to reduce the risk of human error leading to security
breaches.

Ransomware Mitigation - Provides actions to help organization’s prevent a malware infection, and also
steps to take if you're already infected.

Zero Trust Implementation - Establishing strong identity verification, validating device compliance prior
to granting access, and ensuring least privilege access to only explicitly authorized resources.

Opensource MSPP Tools:

Darktrace: Darktrace is an AI-based cybersecurity tool that uses machine learning algorithms to detect
and respond to cyber threats. It can be used by MSSPs to provide threat detection and response services
to their clients.

Elastic Security: Elastic Security is an open-source platform that provides a range of security capabilities,
including intrusion detection, threat hunting, and endpoint security. Elastic Security integrates with
other security products to provide a centralized view of security data.

ELK Stack: The Elastic Stack is an open-source platform for indexing, searching, and visualizing data. The
Elastic Stack includes machine learning capabilities that can be used to detect and respond to security
threats.

LogRhythm NetMon: LogRhythm NetMon is an open-source network monitoring tool that can be used
to monitor network traffic for security threats. NetMon includes features for protocol analysis, threat
detection, and network forensics.

MISP: MISP (Malware Information Sharing Platform) is an open-source threat intelligence platform that
can be used by MSSPs to collect, store, and share threat intelligence with their clients. It includes
features like threat indicators and automated threat sharing.

Metasploit Framework: Metasploit Framework is an open-source penetration testing tool that can be
used by MSSPs to simulate attacks on their clients' networks and identify vulnerabilities.

Moloch: Moloch is an open-source packet capture and indexing tool that can be used by MSSPs to
collect and store network traffic data for analysis and investigation.

OSSEC: OSSEC (Open Source HIDS SECurity) is an open-source host-based intrusion detection system
that monitors system logs and file integrity. It can be used by MSSPs to provide host-based security
monitoring and response services.

OSSIM: OSSIM (Open Source Security Information Management) is an open-source SIEM (Security
Information and Event Management) tool that includes features like log management, vulnerability
assessment, and threat intelligence. It can be used by MSSPs to provide security monitoring and incident
response services.

Open Network Security Platform: Open Network Security Platform (ONSP) is an open-source network
security monitoring tool that can be used by MSSPs to monitor network traffic for security threats. It
includes features like IDS, flow analysis, and packet capture.

OpenDXL: OpenDXL is an open-source framework for integrating security technologies and automating
security workflows. OpenDXL incorporates machine learning capabilities and can be used to build AI-
based security solutions.

OpenSOC: OpenSOC is an open-source security analytics platform that can be used to collect, analyze,
and visualize security data. OpenSOC can be used to detect security threats on endpoints, network
traffic, and other security data sources.
OpenVAS: OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment System) is an open-source vulnerability scanner
that can be used by MSSPs to perform vulnerability assessments and manage vulnerabilities in their
clients' networks.

Open EDR - is a sophisticated, free, open-source endpoint detection and response solution. It provides
analytic detection with Mitre ATT&CK visibility for event correlation and root cause analysis of
adversarial threat activity and behaviors in real time.

Osquery: Osquery is an open source tool that can be used to collect and analyze data from endpoints. It
provides a SQL-based interface for querying endpoint data and can be used to detect potential security
threats.

OSSIM Tool: OSSIM is an open-source SIEM tool that can be used to analyze security alerts and log data.
It provides real-time correlation of events, which allows MSSPs to identify and respond to potential
threats quickly.

Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) Tools: SCAP tools are open-source tools that are used to
assess the security posture of systems and applications. These tools can be used to identify
vulnerabilities and provide remediation guidance.

Security Onion: Security Onion is an open-source network security monitoring platform that includes
tools for intrusion detection, packet capture, and log analysis. It provides real-time threat detection and
incident response capabilities.

Snipe-IT: Snipe-IT is an open-source asset management tool that can be used by MSSPs to manage their
clients' security assets, such as firewalls, servers, and switches.

Snort: Snort is an open-source IDS and IPS that uses signature-based detection techniques. It can be
used by MSSPs to provide network security monitoring and response services.

Suricata: Suricata is an open-source IDS (Intrusion Detection System) and IPS (Intrusion Prevention
System) that uses signature-based and anomaly-based detection techniques. It can be used by MSSPs to
provide network security monitoring and response services.

Sysmon: Sysmon is an open source tool from Microsoft that provides advanced monitoring capabilities
for Windows endpoints. It can be used to detect anomalous behavior on endpoints and provides
detailed information about process and network activity.

TheHive: TheHive is a security incident response platform that provides a centralized view of security
incidents and automates incident response tasks. TheHive integrates with other security products to
provide a comprehensive security solution.

Vectra AI: Vectra AI is an AI-based threat detection and response tool that uses machine learning
algorithms to detect and respond to cyber attacks. It can be used by MSSPs to provide threat monitoring
and response services to their clients.

Wazuh: Wazuh is an open-source host-based intrusion detection system that can be used by MSSPs to
monitor hosts for suspicious activity and detect intrusions. It includes features like log analysis and file
integrity monitoring.
X-Pack: X-Pack is an open-source extension for Elasticsearch that provides a range of security
capabilities, including authentication, access control, and encryption. X-Pack can be used to secure
Elasticsearch and other components of a security stack.

Zeek (formerly Bro): Zeek is a network analysis framework that is designed to provide network visibility
and threat detection capabilities. Zeek can be used to detect network-based threats such as malware,
botnets, and phishing attacks. Zeek is highly customizable and can be extended with additional plugins
and scripts.