What is Splunk SIEM?

Core Capabilities of Splunk ES

Splunk Enterprise Security acts as the central nervous system of the security operations centre (SOC), delivering a range of advanced features, including:
• Asset and identity correlation
• Incident and adaptive response frameworks
• Threat intelligence management
• Risk-based alerting
• Embedded machine learning and AI tools
• A unified interface with an AI assistant for accelerated workflows

Exploring the Interface: Detection and Content Management

The video demonstrates how ES is structured as a suite of applications running on top of core Splunk, whether on-premises or in the cloud. The home screen provides intuitive navigation to various capabilities. Starting with Content Management, viewers see how detections are constructed using searches, metadata, and outputs like intermediate findings - these allow for deeper correlation before alerting analysts, increasing alert fidelity.

Understanding Intermediate Findings

Intermediate findings are observational outputs that do not immediately alert analysts but feed into higher-level analytics for further evaluation. These findings can be tagged with additional context, such as MITRE ATT&CK annotations or risk scores applied to assets. Version control is also embedded, allowing teams to roll back to previous detection logic if needed.

The Analyst Queue: A Central Workspace

The Analyst Queue is where security teams conduct much of their daily activity. All findings - ranging from high to low urgency - are displayed in a consolidated table. Analysts can:
• Assign ownership and status
• Adjust urgency and disposition
• Record notes and comments
• Review automated actions taken

Dispositions are a key feedback mechanism. Whether marking an incident as a false positive, benign true positive, or inaccurate logic, these decisions help improve future detection tuning.

Launching Investigations

When a finding requires deeper analysis, analysts can initiate an investigation. This opens a progressive interface featuring:
• A MITRE ATT&CK heatmap showing tactics and techniques
• A timeline of events and related findings
• Metadata fields, contextual notes, and sensitivity labels

The investigation view also includes a "Response" section, enabling structured triage via predefined tasks. Each task may include linked searches or automation actions that guide the analyst step-by-step through incident resolution.

Automation and Response Integration

Splunk ES integrates seamlessly with Splunk SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response). Playbooks can be triggered directly within investigations. For example, analysts can:
• Run malware analysis on encoded PowerShell scripts
• Interact with intelligence platforms like Cisco Talos
• Review automation outcomes under the Automation tab

Prompt-based actions also allow for human intervention in decisions - such as confirming email removals from mailboxes - providing flexibility when automation needs oversight.

Threat Intelligence Management

The Intelligence tab allows analysts to view correlated observables - like IPs, file hashes, or domains - against known threat sources. Integrations with platforms such as CrowdStrike and AlienVault enhance this view, offering real-time context about potential threats.

Conclusion: ES as the Heart of Unified SecOps

Splunk Enterprise Security serves as a comprehensive, AI-enabled solution for modern security operations. From detection to investigation to automated response, the platform accelerates threat management workflows and reduces mean time to resolution. Whether used on its own or in conjunction with Splunk SOAR, ES empowers security teams to defend more effectively and work more efficiently.