Sherlocked Security – SOAR Playbook Development

Automate Incident Response with Intelligent, Actionable, and Efficient Playbooks Built for Your SOC

1. Statement of Work (SOW)

Service Name: SOAR Playbook Development
Client Type: Enterprises with SOC Teams, MSSPs, Regulated Industries
Service Model: Project-Based Development with Optional Retainer for Expansion
Compliance Alignment: NIST 800-61 (Incident Response), ISO/IEC 27035, SOC 2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA

SOAR Playbook Development Covers:

Use case analysis and threat scenario mapping
Development of automated incident response workflows
Integration with SIEM, EDR, ticketing, threat intel, and identity systems
Custom logic for triage, enrichment, response, and case management
Workflow optimization to reduce Mean Time to Detect (MTTD) and Respond (MTTR)
Testing and tuning of playbooks in pre-production and production
Documentation and knowledge transfer for internal SOC teams

2. Our Approach

[Use Case Discovery] → [Toolchain Integration] → [Playbook Design] → [Automation Development] → [Testing & Tuning] → [Documentation & Handoff]

3. Methodology

Use Case Identification
- Engage with SOC and threat intelligence teams to identify repetitive or high-impact response scenarios.
Integration Planning
- Define APIs, connectors, and data flows between SIEM, EDR, ticketing, threat intel, and messaging platforms.
Playbook Design
- Develop detailed process flows for threat types such as phishing, malware, brute force, insider threat, data exfiltration.
Automation Development
- Build logic-based workflows including:
- Alert triage and validation
- Contextual enrichment (GeoIP, VirusTotal, Whois, etc.)
- Ticket creation and case management
- Containment actions (e.g., isolate host, block IP, disable user)
Testing & Tuning
- Simulate alerts and refine logic to minimize false positives or dead-ends.
- Include human-in-the-loop (HITL) approvals where needed.
Documentation & Runbooks
- Create SOC-facing guides detailing how playbooks operate, when to escalate, and manual override steps.

4. Deliverables to the Client

SOAR Playbooks (Automated Workflows): Packaged and deployed response workflows
Integration Map: Inventory of integrated tools and API dependencies
Use Case Documentation: Mapped scenarios to MITRE ATT&CK® or equivalent threat models
Playbook Logic Diagrams: Visual flowcharts of workflow logic and decision trees
Test Results & Tuning Logs: QA outputs with performance, accuracy, and reliability stats
Runbooks & Training Material: For ongoing internal use by SOC analysts and IR teams
Knowledge Transfer Session: Walkthrough of all developed content with Q&A

5. What We Need from You (Client Requirements)

SOAR Platform Access: Admin access to platform (e.g., Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR, Splunk SOAR, Sentinel Automation)
Toolchain API Access: API keys or service accounts for integrated systems (e.g., SIEM, EDR, ticketing, threat intel)
Response Policies: Organizational escalation paths, response SLAs, and containment protocols
Security Use Cases: Prioritized detection scenarios and known incident types
Point of Contact: SME from the SOC/IR team for iterative validation

6. Tools & Technology Stack

SOAR Platforms:
- Cortex XSOAR, Splunk SOAR, Swimlane, Tines, Microsoft Sentinel (Logic Apps)
Common Integrations:
- SIEM: Splunk, Sentinel, QRadar, Elastic
- EDR/XDR: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Defender for Endpoint
- Threat Intel: VirusTotal, AbuseIPDB, Recorded Future, MISP
- Ticketing: ServiceNow, JIRA, TheHive
- IAM & Messaging: Okta, Azure AD, Slack, Teams, Email SMTP

7. Engagement Lifecycle

Kickoff & Scoping
Use Case & Toolchain Review
Playbook Design & Integration Setup
Workflow Development & Logic Building
QA Testing & Analyst Feedback
Deployment to Production
Documentation Delivery & Knowledge Transfer
(Optional) Ongoing Optimization

8. Why Sherlocked Security?

Feature	Sherlocked Advantage
Threat-Aligned Design	Playbooks built with MITRE ATT&CK® and real-world threat context
Cross-Tool Integration	Seamless automation across EDR, SIEM, IAM, and ticketing platforms
Noise Reduction Built-In	Logic to avoid automating on false positives or low-confidence alerts
SOC Enablement	Runbooks, visuals, and training for analyst usability and efficiency
Human-in-the-Loop Friendly	Supports decision nodes, escalations, and analyst approvals as needed

9. Real-World Case Studies

Automated Phishing Triage & Containment

Client: Fortune 500 healthcare company
Challenge: High volume of phishing alerts overwhelming SOC.
Solution: SOAR playbook that parsed email headers, checked against VirusTotal, auto-quarantined, and notified IT.
Outcome: Reduced phishing response time from 3 hours to under 5 minutes.

Credential Compromise Response

Client: Global logistics provider
Challenge: Credential theft alerts from Okta were not acted on fast enough.
Solution: Playbook to validate login anomalies, enrich with GeoIP, disable compromised accounts, and open a ticket.
Outcome: Reduced MTTR by 70% and automated containment with audit trail.

10. SOP – Standard Operating Procedure

Playbook Scoping
Integration Setup & Key Management
Workflow Logic Design (with SOC Input)
Automated Action Coding / No-Code Logic Building
Test Simulation and QA
Deploy & Document
Feedback Loop & Refinement

11. SOAR Readiness Checklist

1. Pre-Development

[ ] SOAR platform deployed and accessible
[ ] API credentials for target integrations
[ ] List of high-priority incident types
[ ] Escalation matrix and containment guidelines

2. During Development

[ ] Develop and test each playbook against real scenarios
[ ] Validate actions with security team approval
[ ] Document workflows and automation logic
[ ] Tag each playbook with corresponding MITRE tactics

3. Post-Deployment

[ ] Deliver documentation and training
[ ] Monitor alert-to-playbook trigger success rate
[ ] Schedule playbook review cadence (quarterly or after major detection updates)

SOAR Playbook Development