DXL

DXL stands for Data Exchange Layer, a platform originally developed by McAfee and later associated with Trellix that provides a centralized, brokered messaging fabric for interoperable security tools. The goal of DXL is to enable rapid, automated sharing of telemetry, indicators, and actions across a range of security products and services, helping organizations coordinate detection and response more effectively.

DXL uses a broker-based architecture in which software components act as DXL clients that publish or subscribe to topics on one or more DXL brokers. Messages flow through the fabric and are delivered to all interested subscribers, enabling real-time or near-real-time collaboration between endpoint, network, and cloud security tools. Security is a core design feature, with authentication and encryption designed to protect message exchange and to ensure that only trusted components participate in the fabric. The system supports asynchronous communication and decouples producers from consumers, which helps scale integrations across large environments.

OpenDXL refers to the open-source portion of the project, providing libraries and connectors that allow third-party tools to participate in the DXL ecosystem. OpenDXL offers client libraries for multiple programming languages and provides sample integrations and connectors to facilitate building new integrations with the DXL fabric.

Common use cases include automatic sharing of threat intelligence, coordinated containment actions, and rapid orchestration of security workflows across disparate tools. By centralizing data exchange, DXL aims to reduce mean time to detect and respond to threats through interoperable, decentralized collaboration across security solutions.