SIEM Detection and Alerting: Custom Rules with Wazuh

In an era of escalating cyber threats, security teams rely on Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to spot malicious activity before it causes damage. Understanding how to configure these systems to detect real-world attacks is a foundational skill for any aspiring security analyst. This text-based course guides you through the core concepts of SIEM-based detection and alerting. You will progress from understanding basic log ingestion and security events to writing, modifying, and testing custom rules in the popular open-source Wazuh SIEM, preparing you to defend modern IT environments. What you'll learn: - Understand the foundational architecture of SIEM systems and how logs are collected and normalized. - Configure and write custom Wazuh rules to detect suspicious behavior and potential security breaches. - Analyze and parse log data to extract key security indicators and variables. - Test and validate your detection rules through simulated event scenarios. - Map custom alerts to modern security frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK for better threat context. - Apply best practices to minimize false positives and optimize alerting workflows. The course begins with essential security monitoring terminology and foundational SIEM concepts. You will then explore log analysis techniques, step-by-step rule construction, and methods for fine-tuning alerts to reduce noise. This course is designed for beginner security analysts, IT administrators, and cybersecurity enthusiasts. No prior SIEM experience is required, though a basic understanding of operating systems and networking concepts is helpful. Start reading today to build your practical skills in threat detection and security alerting.