EDRs

EDR, or Endpoint Detection and Response, is a cybersecurity technology that focuses on endpoint visibility, detection, and response. It deploys lightweight agents on devices such as workstations, servers, and mobile endpoints to continuously monitor for suspicious activity, collect telemetry, and help security teams investigate and mitigate threats.

Telemetry collected may include process creation and termination, file and registry activity, network connections, memory events, and user behavior. Data is sent to a centralized platform for real-time analysis, which typically combines signature-based detection, behavior analytics, machine learning, and threat intelligence. When indicators of compromise are found, the system emits alerts and provides context for investigations.

Response capabilities include automated containment (isolating a host), stopping or terminating malicious processes, quarantining files, rolling back changes, and remotely remediating configurations. EDR platforms often support forensic data retention, root-cause analysis, and integration with security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) tools and security information and event management (SIEM) systems.

Implementation models vary; solutions can be deployed on-premises, as cloud services, or in hybrid arrangements. They usually reinforce an organization's security operations center (SOC) by enabling threat hunting, incident response, and compliance auditing, and they are often mapped to frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK.

Limitations include resource overhead on endpoints, potential false positives, privacy and data governance concerns, and the need for skilled analysts to interpret alerts and perform effective containment. Organizations typically tune detectors, define retention policies, and establish playbooks to maximize efficacy and minimize disruption. Key metrics include mean time to detect and mean time to respond, and reductions in dwell time.