The latest Pandora FMS version presents key improvements to the SIEM, module, designed to enhance security event detection and management. These new features are available starting with Feature Release 782, allowing for optimized log analysis, report generation, and rule validation in distributed IT environments.
The SIEM module enables organizations to work with security events that are enriched and generated through log collection and other monitoring data sources. By applying custom correlation rules, it allows you to visualize critical data to detect threats and anomalies. This feature is essential for organizations that require advanced infrastructure monitoring, integrating security event analysis as part of their cybersecurity strategy.
SIEM’s Technical Architecture in Pandora FMS
The SIEM processes events in two main phases: log and monitoring event decoding, and the generation of structured events enriched with security information, applying predefined rules in a process called decoding. This architecture makes it possible to integrate data from IDS and IPS systems and detect vulnerabilities following the CVE standard. OpenSearch works as the storage and search engine, ensuring high performance even under heavy workloads.
Once raw and encoded data is collected, correlation is performed using specific SIEM rules that allow for time-window evaluation of relationships between different rules for the same event, or correlation between multiple different events. Pandora includes thousands of default rules, though the true power of a SIEM lies in its ability to easily define custom rules or import/convert rules from similar systems for use within Pandora.
Pandora’s multi-layer architecture allows for data distribution and filtering across five levels: endpoint, collection, decoding, SIEM rule, and visualization.
Technical Documentation for SIEM in Pandora FMS
Advanced Event Analysis Reports
Three types of reports have been added to the SIEM module:
- Event List: Detailed view of each event.
- Historical Chart: Time-based representation of events grouped by agent, severity, or level.
- Statistics: Numeric summary by severity.
These reports help identify patterns and prioritize actions in environments with large data volumes.
Plugins and Add-ons for Pandora FMS
Dynamic Filters in the Event Viewer
Dynamic filters have been added to the event viewer to enable advanced searches by event type, agent, or log message, simplifying incident management.
Log Parsing from the Command Line
The parse_siem_log command allows you to evaluate log lines directly from Pandora FMS CLI and preview the events generated. This tool is essential for validating decoders and rules before deployment, optimizing detection and reducin false positives. Log parsing also simplifies integration into orchestration and automated response (SOAR) processes.
Usage example:
Extended Support and Performance Optimization
The SIEM supports logs in CEF (Common Event Format), allowing the integration of data from third-party systems and devices without additional adjustments. This compatibility simplifies the centralization of security logs in heterogeneous environments. Additionally, the rule engine has been optimized to improve efficiency in event evaluation, reducing processing time and ensuring smoother performance in systems handling large data volumes.
SIEM Use Cases in Pandora FMS
The Pandora FMS SIEM enables centralized data collection and analysis from multiple sources: network devices, servers, endpoints, security systems, and applications. It detects abnormal behavior patterns, generates automatic alerts for threats, and allows for real-time quick response. It simplifies incident investigation through detailed history logs and helps meet security regulations and compliance policies. Log parsing through CLI helps validate decoders and rules before deployment, improving threat detection efficiency. These capabilities strengthen protection in distributed environments, simplify security management, and optimize incident response.
The SIEM is a key component within Pandora FMS’s security architecture, which integrates advanced monitoring, log analysis, event correlation, and response tools. This combination allows organizations to adapt their environments to today’s cybersecurity challenges.
Security Monitoring Solution in Pandora FMS
Technical Documentation
For detailed configuration and usage information, refer to the official documentation for the SIEM module in Pandora FMS.
Pandora FMS’s editorial team is made up of a group of writers and IT professionals with one thing in common: their passion for computer system monitoring. Pandora FMS’s editorial team is made up of a group of writers and IT professionals with one thing in common: their passion for computer system monitoring.
