Which capability is available when only the SOC operates at the highest level of the hunting maturity model (HM4)?

The Hunting Maturity Model (HMM) defines various levels of capabilities for organizations in detecting and responding to cyber threats. When a Security Operations Center (SOC) operates at the highest level of the Hunting Maturity Model (also known as HMM level 4 or HM4), it implies that the organization has a highly advanced and proactive approach to threat hunting.

At HM4, the SOC is typically characterized by:

• Automating of the analysis procedures: The SOC has automated many of their standard analysis procedures to free up analysts’ time for hunting.
• Incorporating hunt techniques from external sources: The SOC does not only rely on its internal resources but also actively incorporates threat intelligence and hunting techniques from external sources.
• Using machine learning to assist with the analysis: Machine learning and other advanced analytical tools are utilized to sift through large datasets and identify anomalies or patterns indicative of malicious activity.
• Detecting IDS or IPS malicious behaviors: This capability is foundational and would likely be present at lower levels of maturity. At HM4, the SOC would not only detect such behaviors but also engage in deeper analysis and proactive hunting to identify threats before they trigger alerts.

Given these capabilities, the most distinctive feature of an HM4 SOC is the use of advanced analytical tools such as machine learning to assist with the analysis. This capability allows the SOC to proactively hunt for threats that have not been detected by traditional security measures, such as IDS/IPS, by analyzing behaviors and patterns within the network traffic and logs.

So, while all these capabilities might be present in an HM4 SOC, the use of machine learning to assist with the analysis is a key feature that reflects the highest maturity level and the SOC’s ability to proactively search for and mitigate sophisticated cyber threats.