User behavior analytics

User behavior analytics (UBA) or user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), is the concept of analyzing the behavior of users, subjects, visitors, etc. for a specific purpose. It allows cybersecurity tools to build a profile of each individual's normal activity, by looking at patterns of human behavior, and then highlighting deviations from that profile (or anomalies) that may indicate a potential compromise.

Purpose of UBA
The reason for using UBA, according to Johna Till Johnson from Nemertes Research, is that "security systems provide so much information that it is tough to uncover information that truly indicates a potential for a real attack. Analytics tools help make sense of the vast amount of data that SIEM, IDS/IPS, system logs, and other tools gather. UBA tools use a specialized type of security analytics that focuses on the behavior of systems and the people using them. UBA technology first evolved in the field of marketing, to help companies understand and predict consumer-buying patterns. But as it turns out, UBA can be extraordinarily useful in the security context too."

Distinction between UBA and UEBA
The E in UEBA extends the analysis to include entity activities that take place but that are not necessarily directly linked or tied to a user's specific actions but that can still correlate to a vulnerability, reconnaissance, intrusion breach or exploit occurrence.

The term "UEBA" was coined by Gartner in 2015. UEBA tracks the activity of devices, applications, servers and data. UEBA systems produce more data and provide more complex reporting options than UBA systems.

Difference with EDR
UEBA tools differ from endpoint detection and response (EDR) capabilities in that UEBA is an analytic focus on the user behavior whereas EDR has an analytic focus on the endpoint. Cybersecurity solutions, like EDR and XDR, typically prioritize detection and response to external threats once an incident has occurred. EUBA and IRM solutions are looking for prevent potential risks internally by analyzing employee behavior.