It's not an ELI5 concept, but here's the stripped-down version.
A MalOp (Malicious Operation) is their core detection unit. It's not a single alert. It's a correlated story built from multiple low-level events (process, file, network) that together indicate a potential attack chain.
Think of it as a container that links related malicious activity across your environment. A single MalOp might show:
* Initial compromise (e.g., malicious document)
* Execution (spawned process, script)
* Persistence (registry key, scheduled task)
* Lateral movement (network connection, credential theft)
The value is context. Instead of 100 separate alerts, you get one MalOp showing the entire suspected attack progression, with all evidence linked. You investigate the story, not the noise.
-dk
Trust but verify, then don't trust.
"The value is context." Right, in theory. In practice, it just means one big, opaque container to sift through instead of many small logs. Now you're hunting for the needle inside their pre-built haystack. Give me raw logs and a decent SIEM any day. At least then I know what the query is actually doing.
If it ain't broke, don't 'upgrade' it.