When Everything Looks Normal: Why Context, Not More Alerts, Is the Next Frontier for Security Operations
IT Security Guru, Thursday, October 8th, 2026
Modern intrusions look legitimate, so SOCs need behavioral context over time rather than more alerts, say Exabeam and Swimlane experts.
IT Security Guru gathers experts on why detection must evolve, as Exabeam's Steve Povolny notes attackers have learned the red flags defenders teach, so stolen session tokens authenticate normally, compromised employees use approved apps, North Korean IT workers enter through hiring and AI agents take authorized actions with unintended outcomes.
Swimlane's Nick Tausek says the SOC has a decision problem, not an information problem, since analysts already have abundant alerts and telemetry.
Detection must shift from single events to understanding identity and system behavior over time.