Annual Blog Round-Up – 2017

Here is my annual "Security Warrior" blog round-up of top 10 popular posts in 2017. Note that my current Gartner blog is where you go for my recent blogging (example), all of the content below predates 2011!

1. “New SIEM Whitepaper on Use Cases In-Depth OUT!” (dated 2010) presents a whitepaper on select SIEM use cases described in depth with rules and reports [using now-defunct SIEM product]; also see this SIEM use case in depth and this for a more current list of popular SIEM use cases. Finally, see our 2016 research on developing security monitoring use cases here!
2. “Why No Open Source SIEM, EVER?” contains some of my SIEM thinking from 2009. Is it relevant now? You be the judge.  Succeeding with SIEM requires a lot of work, whether you paid for the software, or not.
3. “Simple Log Review Checklist Released!” is often at the top of this list – the checklist is still a very useful tool for many people. “On Free Log Management Tools” is a companion to the checklist (updated version) 
4. My classic PCI DSS Log Review series is always hot! The series of 18 posts cover a comprehensive log review approach (OK for PCI DSS 3+ in 2017 as well), useful for building log review processes and procedures , whether regulatory or not. It is also described in more detail in our Log Management book and mentioned in our PCI book (out in its 4th edition!) 
5. “SIEM Resourcing or How Much the Friggin’ Thing Would REALLY Cost Me?” is a quick framework for assessing the SIEM project (well, a program, really) costs at an organization (a lot more details on this here in this paper). 
6. “SIEM Bloggables”  is a very old post, more like a mini-paper on  some key aspects of SIEM, use cases, scenarios, etc as well as 2 types of SIEM users. Still very relevant, if not truly modern.
7. “Top 10 Criteria for a SIEM?” came from one of my last projects I did when running my SIEM consulting firm in 2009-2011 (for my recent work on evaluating SIEM tools, see this document) 
8. Another old checklist, “Log Management Tool Selection Checklist Out!”  holds a top spot  – it can be used to compare log management tools during the tool selection process or even formal RFP process. But let me warn you – this is from 2010.
9. “Updated With Community Feedback SANS Top 7 Essential Log Reports DRAFT2” is about top log reports project of 2008-2013.
10. “A Myth of An Expert Generalist” is a fun rant on what I think it means to be “a security expert” today; it argues that you must specialize within security to really be called an expert.

Total pageviews: 33,231 in 2017.

Disclaimer: all this content was written before I joined Gartner on August 1, 2011 and is solely my personal view at the time of writing.  For my current security blogging, go here.

Also see my past monthly and annual “Top Posts” – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016.