Although there are some common similarities between syslog and SIEM, such as collection of logs from network devices or regulatory compliance, there are several key differences due to a different purpose each of these solutions is built for. Syslog server is designed to centralize all syslog messages from network devices, while SIEM solution is primarily focused on increasing security of your IT environment, by not only keeping track of incidents and events but by being able to respond to them by blocking or allowing actions as appropriate, as well as perform troubleshooting and remediation tactics.
Log management– Syslog server typically collects and centralizes syslog messages and SNMP traps from network devices, such as routers, switches, firewalls, and servers. SIEM solution collects data from network devices, but also from various other resources such as applications, antivirus software, intrusion detection systems or databases. It can connect data from all these sources and detect suspicious activity posing possible threats to security of the environment.
Threat detection–Syslog server functions as a central place for all syslog messages from your network devices and their ability to improve security usually ends with an email notification about several failed attempts to log in to your server. SIEM solutions are mainly focused on improving network security and includethreat detection features, such as:
- Event correlation – SIEM software aggregates and normalizes data from various sources and, using statistical analysis, it identifies patterns of malicious activity that would be impossible to detect by looking at logs from these sources separately. It can also leverage historical data to identify suspicious activity and detect possible threats in real time.
- Threats database – SIEM solutions can categorize collected logs and compare this data against databases of known threats to quickly identify attempts of cyberattackers.
Alerting and automatic response– A good syslog server allows users tocreate rules and set up email alerts based on incoming logs to notify administrators about important events in the network. Some syslog servers, such asKiwi Syslog®Server, even offer extended functionality to automatically react to the log messages with running a specific script. For SIEM solution, however, alerting and automatic response to specific events are core functionalities.SIEM solutions typically offer rich alerting optionsand automatically react—stopping a process, detaching a USB device from a workstation, blocking user access—to stop detected threats.
Reporting capabilities–Log collectionand retention are crucial parts of many compliance frameworks. Syslog server can be useful for reporting for regulatory purposes and audits through providing simple reports about syslog statistics over specific time periods. But similar to other areas, if you need extended reporting functionality such as pre-built templates to generate industry standard reports to easily demonstrate compliance with regulations such asHIPAA,PCI DSS,SOX,FISMA,NERC CIP, FERPA, GLBA, GPG13,DISA STIGand others, SIEM solution is more suitable for that.
