What is User Behavior Analytics (UBA)?

User Behavior Analytics (UBA) Explained

User Behavior Analytics (UBA) involves tracking, collecting, and assessing user data and activities through monitoring systems. Initially focused solely on users, the term has evolved into User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to reflect that users are just one category of entities exhibiting observable behaviors on modern networks. Entities can also include processes, applications, and network devices.

UBA technologies analyze historical data logs to identify patterns of behavior, whether normal or malicious, and provide cybersecurity teams with actionable insights by detecting unusual behavior. Although UBA systems don't directly take action based on their findings, they can be configured to adjust the difficulty of authenticating user accounts that display anomalous behavior, thereby mitigating potential threats.

How User Behavior Analytics Work

User Behavior Analytics (UBA) collects various types of data, such as user roles, access permissions, user activity, geographical location, and security alerts. This data, sourced from both past and current activities, is analyzed to compare anomalous behavior against normal behavior patterns. Factors considered include resource usage, session duration, connectivity, and peer group activity. The system automatically updates to reflect changes such as promotions or added permissions.

UBA systems don't flag all anomalies as risky; instead, they evaluate the potential impact of the behavior. Actions involving sensitive resources, like personally identifiable information, receive higher impact scores, prioritizing them for security teams while making it harder to authenticate the user showing anomalous behavior.

User Behavior Analytics Benefits

UBA offers several key benefits:

• Enhanced Threat Detection: By establishing a baseline of normal behavior and identifying deviations, UBA can detect malware, insider threats, data exfiltration, and compromised endpoints.
• Reduction of False Positives: Machine learning algorithms help reduce false positives, providing clearer and more accurate risk intelligence.
• Actionable Insights: UBA systems provide cybersecurity teams with insights that can help prioritize threats and allocate resources effectively.
• Automated Response: UBA systems can automatically adjust authentication difficulties for users showing anomalous behavior, enhancing security without constant manual oversight.

What Role Does User Behavior Analytics Play In Email Security?

Email remains a critical vector for cyber attacks, making its inclusion in UBA essential. Monitoring email behavior helps identify:

• Phishing Attempts: Detecting unusual patterns in email communication that may indicate phishing.
• Compromised Accounts: Identifying anomalous email activity from user accounts that might have been compromised.
• Malware Distribution: Tracking email attachments and links for potential malware distribution.

By analyzing email behavior, UBA systems can flag suspicious activities and prevent potential breaches through one of the most commonly exploited entry points.

IRONSCALES Attack Prevention Using User Behavior Analytics (UBA)

IRONSCALES' AI email security solution employs User Behavior Analytics (UBA) to enhance attack prevention by understanding and mapping normal communication patterns within an organization. By analyzing the safe and routine behaviors of individual employees and their interactions with colleagues, partners, customers, and agencies, IRONSCALES can detect sophisticated anomalies indicative of advanced email threats. This comprehensive behavior analysis allows the system to identify and mitigate potential attacks with precision and speed.

Learn more about IRONSCALES advanced anti-phishing platform here. Get a demo of IRONSCALES™ today!  https://ironscales.com/get-a-demo/