EDR vs MDR vs XDR: Major Difference Explained

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between EDR, MDR and XDR?

As businesses everywhere increasingly adopt digital technologies in their everyday operations, they need to stay updated on the latest cybersecurity trends and updates.

Understanding the difference between Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR), Managed Detection & Response (MDR) and Extended Detection & Response (XDR) can give organisations a better idea of the layers of security that are accessible to them and equip them with invaluable knowledge in aligning these solutions for maximum protection.

In this blog post, we will discuss each of these cybersecurity solutions along with how they work together and major difference between EDR vs MDR vs XDR to keep your business safe from potential threats.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) is a security solution that monitors, detects, and responds to threats on endpoints such as computers, laptops, mobile devices, and servers.

Endpoint security solutions use machine learning algorithms to detect threats and suspicious activity on the network and alert security teams of any potential threats.

Additionally, endpoint detection solutions can provide detailed forensic reports that can help organisations identify the source of an attack.

How does EDR work?

Endpoint detection solutions collect data from endpoints and store it in a centralised centre, which is then analysed and used to uncover future suspicious events.

Suspicious events are detected by matching malware to known threat intelligence signatures and comparing the event against already established behaviours deemed safe.

If suspicious activity is detected, the endpoint detection and response tools will contain and block the threat and alert the security analyst who will investigate the threat intelligence further.

Key EDR features

Endpoint detection and response is a proactive cybersecurity solution as it actively hunts out potential threats and contains them as soon as they're detected.

An EDR solution provides many features that will improve the ability to manage security threats.

Improved Visibility

An EDR solution vastly improves visibility across all endpoints.

Threat data is continuously collected into a centralised system which provides a security team full visibility into each endpoint associated with the company's network at one time in one place.

Proactive Threat Hunting

EDR analyses data, comparing its algorithm and hash (a viruses signature code) to a database to proactively identify and contain suspicious or malicious actors before they can cause severe damage.

Automated Investigation

EDR solutions automate data collection, processing, and response.

This provides rapid contextualisation to the cybersecurity team, assisting them in making quick and effective decisions to deal with a threat appropriately.

Automated Remediation

Based on a set of rules, EDR solutions can automatically perform specific responses to algorithms, hashes, and/or behaviours to automatically block or contain them.

Managed Detection and Response (MDR)

Managed Detection and Response (MDR) is a service offered by some security vendors in which they manage the detection and response process for their customers.

MDR services typically include monitoring network traffic, endpoint activity, user behaviour, application logs etc, as well as providing vulnerability management and alerts when suspicious activity is detected.

Additionally, a lot of managed detection services offer threat hunting capabilities to help organisations find hidden threats that may have gone undetected by traditional security solutions.

Similarly to EDR, MDR is a detection and response solution.

However, MDR typically involves an outsourced cybersecurity team that responds to the incidents reported by the detection and response tools.

How does MDR work?

Managed detection response (MDR) doesn't use a specific technology but combines EDR or XDR technology with an outsourced team which helps offload the responsibilities and pressure off of the in-house security operations team.

EDR and XDR solutions create a large amount of data, so having an outsourced team to deal with it relieves the pressure from internal teams and means any potential threat is dealt with effectively and quickly.

Key MDR features

MDR, sometimes known as managed EDR, shares many key similarities as EDR solutions, such as proactive threat hunting and automated investigation and response.

However, it has some key differences which make it the preferred tool, especially for businesses who do not have the capacity to handle large quantities of data produced by the EDR software.

Prioritisation

MDR combines rule-based automation and human inspection to inspect and prioritise events to distinguish whether they are false positives, benign or true cyber threats to the business.

Unlike EDR, the managed service component of MDR is a team dedicated to investigating and responding to the alerts instead of businesses relying on internal security teams to sift through the data.

Guidance and Advice

The cybersecurity team associated with your MDR service can offer specialist advice on how to best handle the security alerts, such as blocking, containing, or eliminating the threats.

This is a main advantage of MDR compared to EDR and XDR, as your company can benefit from expert advice.

Disaster Recovery

The recovery process is arguably the most important feature that MDR offers. If the recovery is not performed correctly, it could allow more of the same threats into the IT infrastructure.

Furthermore, it is critical to ensure that all traces of the malware are fully removed to avoid further and future damage.

Managed recovery will ensure that your IT infrastructure is returned to a stable and safe state.

Extended Detection and Response (XDR)

Extended Detection and Response (XDR) is an advanced threat detection that combines data from multiple sources such as endpoints and response capabilities, networks, users, applications, cloud services etc, to provide a comprehensive view of an organisation's security posture.

XDR solutions are designed to detect cyber threats and sophisticated attacks that may have otherwise gone unnoticed by traditional security tools.

Additionally, XDR solutions are able to automate many of the manual processes associated with threat detection and response such as incident investigation or containment measures.

Unlike MDR, XDR is not a managed service. Therefore, your business will need a dedicated person or people to manage the data collected from the XDR tool.

How does XDR work?

Similarly, to EDR, XDR works on analysing, detecting, investigating and response protocols. Some of the features that XDR uses to perform these tasks are:

Analyse and Detect

Internal and External traffic

Extended detection and response will analyse the internal and external traffic, ensuring that malicious actors are detected, whether it is an internal or external attack.

Furthermore, this assists in identifying malware if it has already passed through the IT systems perimeter.

Integrated threat centre

Extended detection and response uses previously recorded malware attacks to identify threats.

The XDR solution will identify and compare known signatures, strategies, various security tools, sources, and attack methods to contain any similar or matching information.

AI detection

The XDR solution can identify zero-day threats and next-generation or non-traditional threats using behavioural baselines.

Investigation and Response

Alert and data correlation

The XDR solution will group related alerts to create a timeline of the attack, which assists in prioritisation, and identifies the cause of the attack.

User interface

An XDR user interface centralises all data and alerts, enabling analysts to investigate and respond to events in one place.

Key XDR features

EDR and XDR share similar features; however, XDR has one key feature that makes it the more appealing option for many businesses.

Improved Visibility

Compared to EDR, XDR has better detection and response capabilities as an XDR solution covers more than just your endpoints. This expands visibility further, which assists in detecting and preventing more threats.

Comparison: EDR vs MDR vs XDR Solutions

The primary difference between EDR and MDR solutions is the level of control businesses have over their own IT infrastructure.

With EDR solutions, organisations can monitor their own IT environment while with MDR they rely on the third-party managed security service providers.

In comparison to both EDR and MDR solutions, XDR provides a more comprehensive view of an organisation’s security posture by combining data from multiple sources into one platform for enhanced visibility into potential threats across all layers of the IT stack.

EDR, MDR or XDR: Which one should you choose?

It's crucial to prioritise your security while choosing a tool that offers the appropriate level of coverage based on the business’s cyber security risk assessment.

If your organisation fits any of the following criteria, choosing EDR could be beneficial:

• If your organisation is looking to enhance its endpoint security beyond NGAV, consider opting for EDR. Endpoint detection solutions can help in improving your security posture and capabilities.
• It is ideally suited for organisations with an information security team that can act on alerts and recommendations generated by the endpoint detection solution.
• If you are in the early stages of developing a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy and want to establish a scalable security architecture, EDR can serve as a solid foundation.

If your organisation fits any of the following criteria, choosing MDR could be beneficial:

• You lack an established detection and response program that can quickly address advanced threats using existing security tools or resources.
• You wish to develop new skills and enhance maturity without the need to hire additional staff.
• Your IT team is facing challenges in filling skills gaps or attracting highly skilled and specialised talent.
• You want to ensure your protection remains up to date against the latest threats targeting organisations.

By opting for Managed Detection and Response (MDR), you can address these concerns and improve your organisation's security posture effectively and efficiently.

If your organisation fits any of the following criteria, choosing XDR could be beneficial:

• Aims to bolster advanced threat detection capabilities.
• Seeks to accelerate multi-domain threat analysis, investigation, and hunting—all from a unified console.
• Experiences alert fatigue due to a fragmented or disjointed security architecture.
• Desires to enhance response time.
• Seeks to maximise ROI across all security tools.

Take advantage of XDR—a comprehensive solution that enhances threat detection, streamlines investigation processes, and ultimately empowers your organisation's security efforts.

Conclusion

To conclude, organisations that rely on endpoint security are often confused by the differences between EDR, MDR and XDR.

EDR refers to the ability to detect, investigate, and mitigate advanced threats that target endpoints.

On the other hand, MDR goes beyond EDR and offers additional capabilities such as proactive threat hunting and analysis, as well as incident response.

XDR is a recent development that combines EDR and MDR capabilities with other security sources such as cloud applications and email security.

Understanding these differences is vital in choosing a solution that best suits an organisation's security needs.