NDR vs XDR: 5 Key Differences and How to Choose

What Is NDR (Network Detection and Response)? 

Network detection and response (NDR) focuses on monitoring network traffic in real-time to identify and respond to potential threats. NDR systems utilize analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to analyze patterns and detect anomalous behavior indicative of security risks. This approach enables organizations to identify threats that may bypass traditional defenses such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

Another core component of NDR is its capability for automated response. Once a threat is detected, NDR can initiate an immediate response, such as isolating affected parts of the network to prevent further propagation. This automation reduces response times and mitigates damage quickly.

Recommended Reading: SOAR Security: 3 Components, Benefits, and Top Use Cases.

What Is XDR (Extended Detection and Response)?

Extended detection and response (XDR) aims to provide threat detection and response across multiple security layers. Unlike solutions focused on a single vector, XDR integrates signals from endpoints, networks, and other security elements to offer a holistic view of security threats. The coordination of data from various sources allows for improved detection accuracy and streamlined responses.

XDR offers threat management capabilities by leveraging machine learning and AI to correlate data from different security products. This approach enables a unified response strategy, offering visibility into attacks that may span different security domains.

Understanding NDR and XDR

Key Features of NDR

Network detection and response (NDR) solutions offer several features to enhance network security by detecting and responding to threats in real time:

• Real-time network monitoring: NDR systems continuously analyze network traffic in real time, detecting abnormal patterns or suspicious behavior that may indicate security threats. This constant monitoring helps to identify threats early.
• Anomaly detection: By leveraging machine learning and analytics, NDR identifies deviations from normal network behavior. This enables it to catch threats that might bypass signature-based tools like antivirus software or intrusion detection systems.
• Threat intelligence integration: NDR tools often integrate external threat intelligence feeds, enriching detection capabilities by correlating network activity with known threat indicators such as malicious IP addresses or domains.
• Automated threat response: NDR systems can trigger automatic responses once a threat is identified. This may include isolating compromised devices, rerouting traffic, or initiating incident response workflows to limit the impact of an attack.
• Deep packet inspection (DPI): Many NDR solutions use DPI to examine the content of data packets at a granular level. This allows for the detection of hidden threats within encrypted traffic.

Key Features of XDR

Extended detection and response (XDR) systems provide an approach to threat detection and response, covering multiple security domains:

• Unified data correlation: XDR aggregates and correlates data across multiple security layers—such as endpoints, networks, servers, and cloud environments—providing a broader perspective on threats. This enables security teams to detect and respond to attacks that may span multiple vectors.
• Integrated threat detection: By consolidating alerts from different security tools into a single platform, XDR minimizes alert fatigue and enhances the accuracy of threat detection. This approach reduces false positives and helps prioritize actual security incidents.
• Advanced analytics and AI: Like NDR, XDR relies on machine learning and AI-driven analytics to identify sophisticated threats. These capabilities help to spot advanced persistent threats (APTs) and complex attack patterns that traditional tools might miss.
• Streamlined incident response: XDR provides a unified interface for managing security incidents, allowing security teams to respond more efficiently. With visibility across multiple layers, XDR can help automate responses, reducing manual intervention and shortening the time to containment.
• Cross-vector visibility: Unlike point solutions that focus on a single domain, XDR delivers visibility across the entire attack surface. This ensures that threats targeting different security layers are detected, regardless of their entry point into the system.

Tips from the expert

Steve Moore is Vice President and Chief Security Strategist at Exabeam, helping drive solutions for threat detection and advising customers on security programs and breach response. He is the host of the “The New CISO Podcast,” a Forbes Tech Council member, and Co-founder of TEN18 at Exabeam.

In my experience, here are tips that can help you better choose between NDR and XDR solutions:

Leverage the strengths of both NDR and XDR for hybrid environments: If you operate a hybrid infrastructure (on-premises and cloud), consider running NDR alongside XDR. NDR’s granular network visibility complements XDR’s broader detection across endpoints and cloud services, filling gaps in threat detection and response.

Use NDR for lateral movement detection in segmented networks: In highly segmented networks, NDR excels at spotting lateral movement between internal segments that might be missed by endpoint-focused tools. Ensure your network zones are well-defined to help NDR pinpoint anomalies across different segments.

Optimize AI models in XDR for organization-specific threats: XDR’s machine learning models often need fine-tuning to detect threats relevant to your specific industry or business. Work with your XDR provider to train AI models based on historical incidents or unique risks in your threat landscape.

Map out integration needs before deploying XDR: XDR’s strength lies in cross-vector integration, but integrating existing security tools (SIEM, EDR, cloud, etc.) can be complex. Before implementation, map out your current toolset and ensure that your XDR solution can ingest and correlate data from all critical sources.

Use NDR as an early detection system for zero-day attacks: Since NDR relies on behavior analytics rather than signatures, it can be a crucial early warning system for zero-day attacks that evade traditional security tools. Regularly update NDR’s anomaly detection models to adapt to evolving attack methods.

NDR vs. XDR: The Key Differences

1. Scope

NDR is specifically designed to monitor network traffic, focusing on data like network flows, packet logs, and mirrored traffic to identify suspicious activities. Its scope is limited to network-centric threats, making it ideal for detecting issues like unauthorized access, lateral movement within the network, or abnormal traffic patterns. NDR systems are typically deployed early in a company’s security infrastructure as they offer specialized monitoring for network data.

XDR broadens the scope significantly by integrating data from multiple layers, including endpoints, cloud environments, and applications. This provides a more holistic view of an organization’s security posture, enabling detection of threats that may span across different parts of the IT ecosystem. XDR’s broader scope makes it particularly useful for organizations with complex, multi-layered security environments.

2. Main Purpose

The primary purpose of NDR is to provide visibility into network traffic, identifying and responding to threats that move within the network. It excels in monitoring network anomalies, such as unusual packet behavior or unauthorized data flows, making it a key tool for preventing internal attacks or malicious lateral movement. NDR is a reactive tool that focuses on containing network-based threats once they are detected.

XDR is designed to offer a proactive threat detection and response strategy across the entire IT infrastructure. It not only detects threats but also correlates data across endpoints, networks, and cloud environments, allowing for more accurate detection and faster responses. XDR unifies threat detection across various layers, automating responses to incidents across multiple security domains.

3. Threat Detection Capabilities

NDR is excellent at detecting network-specific threats, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, network intrusions, and abnormal traffic patterns. Its ability to analyze deep packet data allows it to uncover hidden or encrypted threats that might otherwise evade detection. However, because NDR only monitors network traffic, it may miss sophisticated attacks that originate from endpoints or cloud environments.

XDR provides a more extensive detection capability by correlating data from endpoints, networks, and cloud sources. This multi-layered approach enables XDR to identify complex, persistent threats that may span across different vectors. For example, XDR can detect an attack that begins at an endpoint, moves through the network, and escalates to a cloud service.

4. Price

NDR solutions are typically less expensive to implement than XDR, because they focus on a narrower aspect of security—monitoring network traffic alone. While NDR tools are often sufficient for smaller organizations or those primarily concerned with network security, they may need to be supplemented by additional tools for endpoint and cloud protection, which can increase costs over time.

XDR, being a more comprehensive solution, is generally more expensive upfront due to its integration of multiple security layers (endpoints, networks, cloud) into one platform. However, XDR’s ability to reduce false positives and automate incident responses can lead to long-term savings by streamlining security operations and reducing the need for multiple standalone tools.

5. Drawbacks

NDR’s biggest drawback is its limited scope. By focusing solely on network traffic, it can leave gaps in an organization’s security, especially in environments where endpoints and cloud services are frequent targets. Additionally, NDR systems often require significant fine-tuning to reduce false positives, which can overwhelm security teams and lead to alert fatigue.

XDR, while offering comprehensive coverage, comes with its own challenges. Its implementation can be complex, requiring extensive integration between various security systems like endpoint detection and response (EDR) and cloud security platforms. This can make XDR difficult to manage for organizations without a highly skilled cybersecurity team. Another drawback is vendor lock-in; many XDR solutions are tightly integrated with specific vendor ecosystems, making it harder to switch providers or integrate third-party tools.

XDR vs. NDR: How to Choose? 

Selecting between NDR and XDR involves evaluating your organization’s unique security requirements, infrastructure, and operational needs. Below are some critical factors to keep in mind when making this decision:

• Security focus: If your primary concern is network-related threats, such as unauthorized access or suspicious traffic within your network, NDR may be the more appropriate choice. However, if you need to protect multiple layers, including endpoints, cloud environments, and applications, XDR provides broader coverage across the entire attack surface.
• Infrastructure complexity: For organizations with a simple network architecture, NDR offers sufficient protection by focusing on network traffic monitoring. In contrast, if your infrastructure includes a variety of connected endpoints, cloud services, and hybrid environments, XDR’s ability to integrate and monitor these diverse elements is invaluable.
• Cost considerations: NDR solutions are generally more cost-effective for organizations looking to monitor network activity exclusively. XDR, while more expensive initially due to its comprehensive scope, can consolidate security tools and reduce long-term operational costs by automating threat detection and response across multiple layers.
• Incident response capabilities: If your organization requires faster, automated responses across a wide range of security environments, XDR provides the advantage of unified threat detection and response. NDR is effective within the network perimeter but may not offer the same level of integrated response across different layers of your IT environment.
• Scalability and flexibility: XDR solutions often involve greater vendor integration, which can result in vendor lock-in. This may limit your ability to adopt new tools or systems. NDR, in contrast, typically allows more flexibility in terms of integrating with third-party tools, making it easier to adapt to changing security needs.

These factors will help you assess whether the more focused network monitoring of NDR or the comprehensive threat detection of XDR is the right fit for your organization.

Exabeam Platform Capabilities: SIEM, UEBA, SOAR, Insider Threats, Compliance, TDIR

The Exabeam Security Operations Platform applies AI and automation to security operations workflows for a holistic approach to combating cyberthreats, delivering the most effective threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR): 

• AI-driven detections pinpoint high-risk threats by learning normal behavior of users and entities, and prioritizing threats with context-aware risk scoring. 
• Automated investigations simplify security operations, correlating disparate data to create threat timelines. 
• Playbooks document workflows and standardize activity to speed investigation and response. 
• Visualizations map coverage against the most strategic outcomes and frameworks to close data and detection gaps. 

With these capabilities, Exabeam empowers security operations teams to achieve faster, more accurate, and consistent TDIR.