ITDR
ITDR (Identity Threat Detection and Response) is a security solution category focused on detecting and responding to identity-related threats. ITDR monitors identity systems (Active Directory, Azure AD) for attacks like credential theft, privilege escalation, or lateral movement.
What is ITDR?
ITDR Definition
ITDR (Identity Threat Detection and Response) is an emerging category of security solutions dedicated to protecting identity infrastructure. ITDR detects attacks targeting identity management systems (Active Directory, Azure AD, Okta) and enables rapid response to incidents involving account compromise.
Gartner identified ITDR as a separate category in 2022, emphasizing the growing importance of identity plane protection.
Why Is ITDR Needed?
Traditional security tools aren’t optimized for identity protection:
- IAM: Manages access, doesn’t detect attacks
- SIEM: General monitoring, no identity specialization
- EDR: Focuses on endpoints, not Active Directory
- PAM: Protects privileged accounts, doesn’t detect compromise
ITDR fills this gap by specializing in identity attack detection.
What Attacks Does ITDR Detect?
- Credential theft: Mimikatz, credential dumping
- Kerberos attacks: Kerberoasting, Golden Ticket, Pass-the-Hash
- Privilege escalation: DCSync, DCShadow
- Lateral movement: Anomalous logons, PsExec
- Persistence: AD modifications, backdoor accounts
- Azure AD attacks: Token theft, consent phishing
Key ITDR Functions
- AD monitoring: Continuous monitoring of Active Directory changes
- Attack path analysis: Identifying paths to Domain Admin
- Behavioral analytics: Detecting login anomalies
- Real-time alerts: Immediate attack notifications
- Automated response: Blocking suspicious sessions
ITDR vs IAM vs PAM
| Aspect | IAM | PAM | ITDR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Access management | Privileged accounts | Attack detection |
| Function | Provisioning, SSO | Vault, session recording | Detection, response |
| Mode | Prevention | Prevention | Detection |
ITDR complements IAM and PAM with a threat detection layer.
ITDR Vendors
- CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection
- Microsoft Defender for Identity
- Semperis
- Silverfort
- Tenable.ad
ITDR is becoming an essential element of identity security, especially in hybrid environments with Active Directory and Azure AD.