Cyber threats have evolved far beyond traditional perimeter attacks.

Today’s adversaries utilise a range of evasive & hard-to-detect tactics: moving laterally, bypassing identity controls, exploiting SaaS platforms, and weaponising AI to accelerate attack delivery. Organisations require a defence model that is continuous, intelligent, and deeply integrated across every layer of their digital ecosystem.

PureCyber MXDR was designed specifically for this new reality.

Rather than a conventional logging or alerting solution, MXDR provides a fully managed, 24/7 detection and response capability that merges automation, threat intelligence, and human expertise into one cohesive service. It acts as an extension of your security team or primary defensive function - monitoring every corner of your infrastructure and responding to threats in real time.

Take a peek into our SOC, exploring a technical breakdown of PureCyber MXDR with direct insights from our technical leads.

Inside The SOC: What’s Behind PureCyber MXDR?

Stage 1: Data Collection - Capturing Signals Across the Entire Attack Surface

Effective detection starts with visibility. PureCyber MXDR ingests, normalises, and analyses data from a broad spectrum of sources across networks, endpoints, cloud platforms, SaaS applications, and identity systems.

This collection isn’t limited to specific vendors or technologies; MXDR is intentionally vendor-agnostic, ensuring organisations can retain their preferred tools without compromising on security capability.

Typical data source include:

Firewalls & Gateways - Capturing inbound/outbound traffic patterns, blocked attempts, anomalous flows, and deep packet metadata.
Network & Syslogs - Providing low-level system activity, authentications, service behaviour, and process execution details essential for root-cause analysis.
SaaS Productivity Suites - Monitoring account activity, file access, collaboration events, sharing patterns, and identity signalling.
Third-Party APIs - Seamless integration with existing security products, threat feeds, and operational tools.
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) - Surfacing behavioural indicators, malware signatures, persistence mechanisms, and device-level anomalies.
Cloud (IaaS/PaaS) - Offering logs from virtual workloads, IAM interactions, container environments, and application gateways.

Each input source is treated as a vital perspective in the organisation’s threat landscape. The more complete the visibility, the more precise and effective the detection.

Stage 2: Normalisation & Enrichment - Turning Raw Logs into Actionable Intelligence

Raw logs are noisy, inconsistent, and difficult to interpret across toolsets. PureCyber’s pipeline converts different data formats into a single system, enabling meaningful cross-platform correlation.

This stage includes:

Log Normalisation:

All incoming data is standardised to a common, digestible format. This allows analysts (and automated systems) to compare signals accurately, even when they originate from different vendors or cloud providers.

Contextual Enrichment:

MXDR enriches every event with additional intelligence, including:

Geolocation and ASN data
Threat intelligence lookups
Reputation scores for IPs/domains
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
User and device baselines

The result is a dataset that elevates detection capability: instead of isolated messages, analysts see contextual, correlated events that reveal patterns of malicious behaviour.

Stage 3: Threat Detection - Correlation, Analysis, and MITRE-Aligned Coverage

After normalisation and enrichment, PureCyber’s detection engine applies a set of advanced mechanisms that work in parallel to identify unusual, risky, or malicious activity.

MITRE ATT&CK Detection Logic:

Every detection rule is aligned to a specific tactic or technique, ensuring visibility across the full kill chain - from reconnaissance through exfiltration.

Event Correlation Engine:

Signals from different systems are joined to form behavioural sequences. For example:

A strange login → unusual file activity → privilege escalation attempt
Or simultaneous logins from two countries indicating session hijacking
Or multiple failed authentications followed by a successful one signalling brute-force success

UEBA (User & Entity Behaviour Analytics):

MXDR establishes behavioural baselines for users, devices, and systems.
Deviations, such as sudden mass downloads or new administrative actions - trigger early warning alerts.

Threat Intelligence Integration:

MXDR incorporates real-time intelligence feeds, allowing proactive blocking, early warning, and contextual risk scoring.

The detection engine is designed to eliminate excessive noise while surfacing the events that matter most.

Stage 4: Response Playbooks - Reducing Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)

When a threat is detected, time becomes the most critical factor. PureCyber MXDR uses a library of automated playbooks to contain threats immediately, all aligned with severity, asset criticality, and customer SLAs.

Automated Responses Include:

Isolating infected or suspicious devices
Disabling or suspending compromised accounts
Blocking malicious IPs, domains, and URLs
Revoking OAuth consents or application permissions
Enforcing MFA or password resets

Automation handles the repetitive containment steps, enabling analysts to focus on investigation, validation, and real-time decision-making.

Where sensitive actions are required, approval workflows ensure security interventions remain aligned with business operations.

Stage 5: Human Analysis - The 24/7 UK-Based SOC Team Behind MXDR

Automation accelerates detection, but human expertise is essential for accurate triage, deep investigation, and contextual interpretation.

PureCyber’s UK-based Security Operations Centre (SOC) operates around the clock, fully staffed by vetted cyber analysts.

SOC Roles Include:

Tier 1 Analysts:
First-level triage, alert enrichment, and automation oversight.
Tier 2 Analysts:
Conduct deep investigations, identify attack pathways, validate behaviours, and scope incidents.
Threat Hunters:
Actively search for hidden threats using behavioural analytics, threat intel, and anomaly hunting methodologies.
Incident Responders:
Provide step-by-step remediation guidance, forensic insight, and support with containment strategies.

This human layer ensures that every detection is validated, contextualised, and actioned with precision — eliminating false positives and giving organisations complete situational awareness.

Stage 6: Attack Surface & Threat Monitoring - Continuous Scanning of External Footprint

Beyond internal monitoring, MXDR continuously scans the organisation’s external footprint - the assets attackers can see and exploit.

Key Threats Monitored Include:

Leaked or compromised credentials
Exposed cloud assets and misconfigurations
Spoofed or impersonated domains
Dark web chatter referencing the organisation
Stealer logs from infected user devices

The output is converted into actionable intelligence with:

Prioritised risk scoring
Remediation recommendations
Trend analysis
Takedown requests for malicious content

This ensures businesses are aware of risks before they become active breaches.

Real World Examples: How PureCyber MXDR Stops Threats

Example 1: Microsoft 365 Account Compromise - Neutralised Before Data Loss

Scenario:
Unusual login alerts triggered when a user account accessed Microsoft 365 from an unfamiliar country. No MFA enabled; credentials likely stolen.

Investigation:

IP traced to known malicious infrastructure
Login originated from a non-corporate Linux device
Suspicious inbox rules began auto-forwarding financial emails
OAuth permissions granted to a third-party app linked to phishing infrastructure

MXDR Response:

Compromised account disabled
Active sessions revoked immediately
All inbox rules and rogue app permissions removed
Endpoint checks conducted to ensure no lateral movement

Impact:

Attack stopped before exfiltration
Led to organisational enforcement of MFA and session control policies

Example 2: Insider Data Exfiltration Attempt - Contained in Real Time

Scenario:
A departing employee began downloading over 1,000 confidential documents from SharePoint and OneDrive.

Investigation:

Anomalous download volumes flagged via UEBA
HR confirmed the employee was serving notice
Activity spanned multiple departments’ confidential files

MXDR Response:

Account and sessions terminated
Access to SharePoint and OneDrive revoked
Full forensic audit trail produced
Offboarding process updated to prevent future risk

Impact:

No data loss
Strengthened internal controls around privileged access and HR-IT coordination

Onboarding, Adoption & Continuous Improvement

The MXDR onboarding process is designed to be rapid, structured, and minimally disruptive. Most organisations are fully operational within 30 days.

The Process Includes:

Dedicated onboarding manager
API and agent deployment
Log source integration
Alert tuning and custom rule development
Response workflow mapping

After go-live, PureCyber continues optimisation through:

Ongoing rule tuning
Automatic addition of new detections
Regular intelligence updates
Quarterly analyst reviews covering threat trends and posture findings

MXDR as a Strategic Security Force Multiplier

PureCyber MXDR provides far more than event visibility or alert response. It delivers a holistic, intelligence-driven defensive capability that scales with your organisation and provides 24/7 coverage across every attack surface.

It combines:

A fully staffed, UK-based SOC
Vendor-agnostic data ingestion
Deep analytics and correlation
Real-time containment
Threat hunting
Attack surface monitoring
Continuous posture improvement

This approach transforms cyber security from a reactive, fragmented function into a unified, proactive, and highly resilient defensive posture.

For organisations facing rising cyber risk, constrained resources, and increasingly complex infrastructure, PureCyber MXDR acts as a true extension of the internal team - strengthening defences, accelerating response, and enabling leadership to operate with confidence in an increasingly hostile digital landscape.

How PureCyber Can Help

The PureCyber team are here to take over the burden of your cyber security and ensure your organisation’s data remains secure and well managed, with proactive monitoring and real-time threat intelligence - providing you with a comprehensive and reliable cyber department to support you in all aspects of your security efforts, including: 24/7 Security Operations Centre (SOC) services, MXDR (Managed Extended Detection & Response),Threat Exposure Management (TEM) & Brand Protection Services & Penetration Testing.

PureCyber is recognised as an Assured Service Provider by the NCSC to offer governance and compliance consultancy services/audits. Contact our team of compliance experts to enquire about our full range of Governance Support - including Cyber Essentials, ISO 27001, FISMA, SOC1 and SOC2 standards.

Get in touch or book a demo for more information on our services and how we can safeguard your organisation with our expert cyber security solutions.

Email: info@purecyber.com Call: 0800 368 9397

Inside the SOC: A Technical Walkthrough of PureCyber’s MXDR Delivery