SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) is a cybersecurity platform that helps Security Operations Centers (SOCs) automate, streamline, and improve the speed and consistency of their incident detection, analysis, and response.
What is SOAR in Cybersecurity?
SOAR stands for Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response.
It’s a category of cybersecurity technology and processes that helps security teams:
- Orchestrate → Integrate and coordinate multiple security tools (SIEM, EDR, NDR, firewalls, ticketing systems, threat intelligence feeds, etc.).
- Automate → Reduce manual effort by automating repetitive, rule-based tasks (like blocking an IP, quarantining an endpoint, or enriching alerts with threat intel).
- Respond → Standardize and accelerate incident response using playbooks (predefined workflows for common threats like phishing, malware, ransomware).
Key Capabilities of SOAR
- Centralized Case Management → All alerts and incidents tracked in one place.
- Threat Intelligence Integration → Automatic enrichment of alerts with context.
- Playbooks/Runbooks → Predefined, automated workflows for handling incidents.
- Collaboration → Enables SOC analysts, IT, and IR teams to coordinate effectively.
- Reduced Dwell Time → Faster detection-to-response cycle.
Benefits of SOAR
- Efficiency → Automates repetitive SOC tasks, saving analyst time.
- Consistency → Ensures incidents are handled the same way every time.
- Speed → Reduces time to detect, analyze, and respond to threats.
- Scalability → Helps SOCs deal with alert overload without hiring massive teams.
- Improved Accuracy → Cuts down human error in high-volume alert environments.
SOAR in cyber security
Here’s a practical guide on how to use SOAR SOC solution in cyber security:
- Preparation & Integration
- Connect data sources:
- SIEM (log and alert aggregation)
- EDR/XDR (endpoint telemetry)
- NDR (network monitoring)
- Threat intelligence feeds (IoCs, attack patterns)
- Integrate with response tools:
- Firewalls, IDS/IPS, proxies
- Email security gateways (for phishing)
- IAM/Active Directory (for account lockdowns)
- Ticketing/ITSM systems (ServiceNow, Jira, etc.)
- Define playbooks: Standardized workflows for handling incidents (phishing, malware, ransomware, insider threats).
- Detection & Triage
SOAR ingests alerts from SIEM, NDR, and EDR.
- Alert enrichment: SOAR automatically queries threat intel to add context (IP reputation, file hash info, domain lookups).
- Correlation & deduplication: Suppresses duplicate alerts and merges related events.
- Risk scoring: Assigns severity (low/medium/high/critical) for prioritization.
- Automated Response (Playbooks)
SOAR can execute predefined response actions, either automatically or with analyst approval.
Examples of SOAR Playbooks:
- Phishing email:
- Extract indicators from email (links, attachments).
- Check reputation in threat intel.
- If malicious → quarantine email in inboxes, block sender domain, notify users.
- Malware alert:
- Isolate host from the network.
- Block malicious file hash at EDR and firewall.
- Trigger scan across environment for similar files.
- Compromised account:
- Lock account in Active Directory/IAM.
- Invalidate sessions & force password reset.
- Search logs for suspicious activities tied to the account.
- Analyst Collaboration & Case Management
- SOAR creates cases/tickets for incidents.
- Analysts can review automated actions, add notes, and escalate.
- Team members can work together within the SOAR platform, reducing time spent switching tools.
- Continuous Improvement
- Metrics & reporting: Measure Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), and response consistency.
- Playbook tuning: Update workflows as threats evolve.
- Integration expansion: Add new tools/APIs for broader coverage.
- Training & simulation: Use SOAR for tabletop exercises and purple teaming.
Benefits of Using SOAR in Cybersecurity
- Faster response to threats (minutes instead of hours/days).
- Reduced analyst workload (automation of repetitive tasks).
- Consistency in incident handling.
- Better visibility across SIEM, EDR, NDR, IAM, and cloud.
- Improved compliance with incident response policies.
In short: SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) is like the automation “brain” of a SOC — it connects all security tools, automates repetitive actions, and helps analysts respond to incidents faster and more effectively.