CyberGlossary

Defense & Operations

SOAR

Also known as: Security Orchestration, Automation and Response

Definition

A platform that automates and orchestrates SOC workflows by chaining detections, enrichments and response actions into playbooks executed across security tools.

Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) sits next to the SIEM and EDR/XDR to operationalize incident response. It uses connectors and APIs to query threat intelligence, IAM, endpoint, network and ticketing systems, and runs codified playbooks that triage alerts, enrich indicators, contain hosts, disable accounts and document the case. SOAR reduces analyst toil, enforces consistent process, and improves MTTR by automating repeatable steps while keeping humans in the loop for high-risk actions. Common platforms include Splunk SOAR, Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR, Microsoft Sentinel automation rules and Tines.

Examples

  • A phishing-triage playbook that detonates URLs in a sandbox, queries VirusTotal and quarantines the email.
  • An XSOAR playbook that isolates a host in EDR and resets the user's password when ransomware behaviour is detected.

Related terms