Root Cause Analysis Tools

Root cause analysis (RCA) serves as a critical technique to systematically dissect failures, enabling organizations to prevent recurrence effectively. Root cause analysis tools structure the processes to keep teams organized. 

Using Flare with Root Cause Analysis Tools

How does Flare answer root cause analysis needs?

Flare answers security teams’ need for root cause analysis by monitoring for risks across the external attack surface. The platform enables organizations to proactively identify assets across the external attack surface so they can incorporate them into their incident investigations. Security teams can leverage Flare’s clear & dark web and illicit Telegram channel monitoring during their investigations to trace the incident’s root cause. 

How does Flare’s platform work with root cause analysis tools?

Flare integrates with the security team’s current tooling, like security information and event management (SIEM) systems, communications channels, and ITSM tools. With real-time, actionable intelligence, security teams gain context around an incident that makes investigations faster. 

What are the key benefits of using Flare when investigating a security incident’s root cause?

Flare enhances the root cause analysis by:

• Enriching data: Visibility into the organization’s external attack surface across broad sources
• Artificial Intelligence: AI-driven system with sophisticated analysis and transparent data collection to prioritize relevant alerts and actions
• Flexible sources: Ability to customize and prioritize sources based on the team’s application or technology needs. 

Root Cause Analysis Tools: An Overview

What is root cause analysis?

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is a systematic approach used to identify the origin of a problem. Instead of fixing the symptoms, RCA aims to uncover the true root cause. By finding the problem’s origin, organizations can develop strategies to prevent the issue from happening again. 

In cybersecurity, a root cause analysis typically occurs doing the investigation and eradication phase of the organization’s incident response plan. After containing the threat, security teams need to identify the attack’s origin so they can remove the threat’s presence before returning the system to its pre-incident state. 

What are the steps involved in a root cause analysis?

When responding to an incident, security teams typically follow these root causes analysis steps:

• Detection: After the abnormal activity triggers an alert, the security team reviews the information provided so they can find an investigation starting point. 
• Gathering data: During the investigation process, the security team collects forensic data about the systems, applications, networks, users, and data impacted by the incident. 
• Determine possible causes: Identifying various potential causal factors enables teams to trace the incident to its point of origin.
• Identify root cause: Analyzing data and patterns to gain context into the event and pinpoint its actual root cause to eradicate the threat and begin recovery processes.
• Report the incident: The incident report and “lessons learned” should include a discussion of how the security team traced the incident’s root cause and what steps the organization can take in the future to prevent an attack with the same root cause.

What are the benefits of root cause analysis tools for incident response?

RCA tools enable security teams to take a systematic approach that improves incident response metrics like Mean Time To Investigate (MTTI) and Mean Time to Recover (MTTR). Additionally, by creating a repeatable approach for engaging root cause analysis, security teams can:

• Mitigate future risks: Understanding how attackers gained unauthorized access enables organizations to implement new controls. 
• Actionable insights: Determining the points of failure enables security teams to determine whether they need additional tooling or need to fine tune current tools. 
• Continuous improvement: Identifying how the attackers gained unauthorized access enables security teams to improve their detections and monitoring capabilities. 

Why Are Root Cause Analysis Tools Especially Relevant Now? 

What are root cause analysis tools?

Root Cause Analysis (RCA) tools are structured techniques used to identify the underlying cause of an incident. By adding structure to problem-solving efforts, these tools help teams stay focused and prevent them from getting sidetracked. Some common root cause analysis tools include:

• The 5 Whys: Repeatedly asking the question “why” where each answer leads to the next question until the fundamental cause is identified
• Pareto chart: Visual tool that combines bar charts and line graphs to display frequency distribution and relative importance, representing that 80% of effects from 20% of cases
• Fishbone Diagram: Visual representation that resembles a fish skeleton with the problem statement as the “head” and potential causes as the “bones” to help organize issues into categories
• Fault Tree Analysis (FTA): Visual, deductive tool that uses Boolean logic to map out the relationships between events with the tree structure starting with a top event that branches downward to show possible contributing factors
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Three-step process that identifies potential failures, analyzes their effects, prioritizes them based on severity, occurrence, and detection so teams can allocate resources effectively
• DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control): Cyclical process that clarifies problems and goals, evaluates current performance metrics, identifies root cause, and improves processes

What challenges do security teams face during the root cause analysis phase of incident response?

Security teams face several challenges during the root cause analysis phase of incident response, including:

• Complex and interrelated systems can result in multiple potential root causes and make pinpointing the responsible one difficult
• Reliance on manual processes is time consuming and require experience, even with tools like Pareto charts and FTA 
• High volumes of data security incident generates can make organizing information overwhelming
• Balancing immediate need to eradicate a threat with continuous improvement efforts requires a structured approach that considers short- and long-term improvements

How can automation make root cause analysis easier in cybersecurity?

By automating data collection and analysis, security teams can quickly identify potential root causes of breaches or system failures providing benefits like:

• Speedy Data Collection: Automated tools gather and collate data faster than manual efforts.
• Efficient Data Analysis: These tools use algorithms to detect patterns and anomalies effectively.
• Reduced Human Error: Automation minimizes mistakes in the analysis process, leading to more accurate findings.
• Consistent Monitoring: Continuous, real-time surveillance ensures that root causes are identified promptly.

Root Cause Analysis Tools and Flare

The Flare Threat Exposure Management (TEM) solution empowers organizations to proactively detect, prioritize, and mitigate the types of exposures commonly exploited by threat actors. Our platform automatically scans the clear & dark web and prominent threat actor communities 24/7 to discover unknown events, prioritize risks, and deliver actionable intelligence you can use instantly to improve security. Using Flare’s integrations, security teams can add intelligent, transparent automation that enables them to gain visibility into their external attack surface and improve root cause investigation times. 

Flare integrates into your security program in 30 minutes and often replaces several SaaS and open source tools. Learn more by signing up for our free trial.