We advise enterprise leadership and defense teams on closing the gap between deployed controls and actual threat coverage — through incident response, targeted penetration testing, and BAS-verified detection engineering on Sentinel, XSIAM, and XSOAR.

IR Response SLA
< 1 hr
Emergency triage handshake
Offensive Coverage
15-Tactic
MITRE ATT&CK v20 aligned TTPs
Core SIEM / SOAR
Sentinel • XSIAM • XSOAR
Microsoft & Palo Alto Cortex
Years of practice
8 yr
Enterprise SecOps & advisory
DEFENSIVE ENGINEERING BENCHMARKS

Five-Plane Active Defense Architecture

Deterministic telemetry ingestion, MITRE ATT&CK v20.0 TTP-mapped detection rules, and empirical breach simulation across hybrid cloud estates.

VIEW REFERENCE PLAYBOOKS →
01
Ingestion →

Telemetry & Triage

High-fidelity signal ingestion across Sentinel and Cortex XSIAM with deterministic graph correlation and 94% alert noise reduction (typical enterprise deployment, 2023–2025).

Noise Reduction 94%
Triage SLA < 15 min
02
Detection →

Adversary Tradecraft

MITRE ATT&CK v20.0 aligned detection rules across all 15 enterprise tactics (including Defense Impairment & Stealth). Portable Sigma standard with native KQL/XQL translation.

Framework ATT&CK v20.0
Rule Standard Sigma / DaCode
03
Core • Validation →

Breach Simulation

Every detection rule is empirically validated via Stratus Red Team and Atomic Red Team harnesses before production deployment.

Cloud BAS Stratus Red Team
Unverified Rules 0 Permitted
04
Response →

Active Containment

Autonomous Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR & XSIAM playbooks execute host isolation and STS token revocation in under 15 seconds.

Isolation SLA < 15s
Orchestration Cortex XSOAR
05
Hardening

Hardened Architecture

Zero standing IAM privileges, codified guardrails via Terraform, and isolated cross-cloud transit segmentation.

Standing Access Zero
IaC Standard Terraform / HCL
CORE PRACTICE CAPABILITIES

Incident Response, Offensive Assessment & Architecture

Specialized cybersecurity advisory focused on neutralizing active threats, exposing exploitable attack paths, and engineering durable, defensible cloud estates.

Pillar 01: Active defense

Incident Response & Containment

Emergency triage, memory and log forensics, host isolation, and credential revocation. Rapid containment playbooks engineered to evict adversaries and halt lateral movement across hybrid environments before data exfiltration occurs.

• Host Isolation & Credential Revocation
• Live Memory & Forensic Log Analysis
• Root-Cause Attribution & Eradication
Pillar 02: Offensive security

Penetration Testing & BAS

Targeted offensive assessments simulating sophisticated adversaries across cloud, network, and identity planes. We pair manual privilege escalation testing with automated Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) to prove your alerts trigger.

• Cloud Privilege Escalation & IAM Trust Abuse
• Defense Impairment & Stealth Emulation (v20)
• Breach & Attack Simulation (Stratus & Atomic)
Pillar 03: Defensive engineering

SIEM, SOAR & Architecture Reviews

Comprehensive architectural audits and custom engineering for Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM, and Cortex XSOAR deployments, alongside zero-trust identity boundaries and Detection-as-Code CI/CD pipelines.

• Sentinel, Cortex XSIAM & XSOAR Engineering
• Hybrid Cloud & Transit Boundary Reviews
• Detection-as-Code Implementation via Sigma
TECHNICAL ECOSYSTEM & STACK PROFICIENCY

Flagship SIEM & SOAR Platforms

Deep architectural specialization, custom detection engineering, and autonomous response orchestration across three premier enterprise SecOps platforms.

CLOUD-NATIVE SIEM KQL • ASIM

Microsoft Sentinel

Enterprise cloud-native SIEM architecture, custom Kusto Query Language (KQL) analytics, Advanced Security Information Model (ASIM) normalization, and cost-optimized data lake ingestion via Azure Event Hubs and Log Analytics workspaces.

→ Multi-Workspace & Lighthouse Architecture
→ Git-Backed Sentinel Repositories (CI/CD)
AUTONOMOUS SOC PLATFORM XQL • BIOC

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSIAM

Next-generation AI-driven security operations deployment, custom XDR Query Language (XQL) correlation rules, Behavioral Indicator of Compromise (BIOC) engineering, and unified endpoint, network, and cloud telemetry ingestion.

→ Custom Data Modeling & XDM Parsing Rules
→ Autonomous Alert Grouping & Noise Suppression
ENTERPRISE ORCHESTRATION SOAR • PYTHON

Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR

Full-lifecycle security orchestration, automation, and response (SOAR) engineering. Custom Python integration packs, sub-15-second host containment playbooks, automated threat intelligence enrichment, and multi-tenant war-room workflows.

→ Autonomous EDR Isolation & IAM Revocation
→ Custom Python Automations & API Integrations
SIEM & SOAR core
  • •Microsoft Sentinel (KQL / ASIM)
  • •Palo Alto Cortex XSIAM (XQL)
  • •Palo Alto Cortex XSOAR
  • •Enterprise Collector & DLC Estates
Cloud & identity core
  • •AWS (GuardDuty, Security Hub, IAM)
  • •Microsoft Entra ID & Azure Core
  • •Hybrid On-Premise Collector Estates
  • •Multi-Cloud Transit & Event Hubs
Detection & BAS tooling
  • •Sigma Standard Rule Engine
  • •MITRE ATT&CK® v20.0 (15-Tactic)
  • •Stratus Red Team (Cloud BAS)
  • •Atomic Red Team™ Harnesses
Automation & IaC
  • •Terraform & HCL Guardrails
  • •Python & Boto3 Containment
  • •PowerShell & Bash Forensics
  • •CI/CD Detection-as-Code Pipelines
TECHNICAL SHOWCASE & REFERENCE ARCHITECTURE

Attack-Proven Engineering Playbooks

Select an engagement scenario below to inspect the threat telemetry, detection code, and automated containment logic.

SCENARIO 01: Detection-as-Code CI/CD & Adversarial Emulation Across Sentinel, Cortex XSIAM & XSOAR
MITRE ATT&CK v20.0 BAS-VERIFIED COVERAGE
[ Enterprise Security Operations Challenge ]
       │
       ├──► Problem: Manual, brittle SIEM rules deployed without empirical testing against live tradecraft
       ▼
[ MITRE ATT&CK v20.0 Alignment (15-Tactic Matrix) ]
       │
       ├──► Focus: TA0112 (Defense Impairment: T1685 Impair Autonomous Defenses) & TA0005 (Stealth)
       ▼
[ Unified Sigma Detection-as-Code Repository ]
       │
       ├──► Automated CI/CD compilation into Microsoft Sentinel (KQL) & Cortex XSIAM (XQL)
       ▼
[ Continuous Breach Simulation & Cortex XSOAR Containment ]
Technical Challenge The client operated fragmented detection rules across Microsoft Sentinel and Palo Alto Cortex XSIAM with zero version control and no empirical verification that rules fired during sensor tampering or cloud identity attacks.
SystemCadenceHQ Architecture Engineered a Git-backed Detection-as-Code (DaCode) pipeline translating vendor-agnostic Sigma rules into native KQL and XQL, paired with automated Stratus Red Team detonation and Cortex XSOAR containment.
Sigma Rule Definition & Multi-Target Compilation (Sentinel KQL & Cortex XSIAM XQL)
title: Autonomous Defense Sensor Tampering & Agent Impairment
id: 9b4e2c10-8a7f-4d3a-b912-0c5e8f12a401
status: production
description: Detects adversary attempts to blind EDR/XSIAM agents or suppress cloud telemetry streams
tags:
  - attack.defense_impairment
  - attack.t1685
  - attack.t1562.001
logsource:
  category: process_creation
  product: windows
detection:
  selection_tamper:
    CommandLine|contains:
      - 'cytool runtime stop'
      - 'sc.exe stop Sense'
      - 'Set-MpPreference -DisableRealtimeMonitoring'
  condition: selection_tamper
level: critical

# CI/CD Automated Target Compilation:
# 1. Microsoft Sentinel (KQL)  -> Deployed via Terraform azurerm_sentinel_alert_rule_scheduled
# 2. Palo Alto Cortex XSIAM    -> Deployed via XQL BIOC API Pipeline
Empirical BAS Validation & Autonomous Cortex XSOAR Containment Playbook
# Step 1: Automated Breach & Attack Simulation Harness (Nightly Validation)
$ atomic-operator run --technique T1562.001 --target-env staging-hybrid-01
[+] Telemetry ingested into Cortex XSIAM & Microsoft Sentinel within 4.2 seconds
[+] Alert Triggered: 9b4e2c10-8a7f-4d3a-b912-0c5e8f12a401 (Deterministic Match)

# Step 2: Palo Alto Networks Cortex XSOAR Autonomous Playbook Execution
Playbook: SCHQ_Autonomous_Impairment_Containment_v3
  ├── Task 01: Query Cortex XSIAM XQL for parent process tree & active network sockets
  ├── Task 02: Isolate endpoint via Cortex XDR agent (SLA: 6.8 seconds)
  ├── Task 03: Revoke active Microsoft Entra ID & AWS STS sessions for affected principal
  └── Task 04: Dispatch high-priority forensic brief to SOC War Room channel
EMPIRICAL ENGINEERING OUTCOMES & BOARD-LEVEL ASSURANCE
100%
All Rules BAS-Verified

Zero unverified rules permitted in production. Every KQL and XQL analytic is backed by version-controlled Sigma code and live BAS validation.

+65%
MITRE ATT&CK v20 Coverage

Measured via MITRE ATT&CK Navigator export (client engagement 2024), expanding verified telemetry coverage across all 15 tactics.

< 15s
Autonomous Containment SLA

AWS-hosted financial services client, Cortex XSOAR v8.x; reduced MTTC from 3.5 hours of manual triage to under 15 seconds.

SCENARIO 02: Cloud STS Credential Pivot, Emergency IR Containment & Terraform Hardening
MITRE ATT&CK v20.0 VERIFIED IR PLAYBOOK
INCIDENT VECTOR: LATERAL CLOUD PIVOT VIA EXCESSIVE STS ASSUMEROLE TRUST
[ Compromised Edge Host / CI Worker ]
                 │
                 ├──► Step 1: Adversary queries IMDSv2 metadata and extracts temporary IAM credentials
                 ▼
[ AWS STS: AssumeRole Call ]
                 │
                 ├──► Step 2: Pivots from developer role into production data plane (Wildcard trust policy)
                 ▼
[ Sensitive S3 Bucket / RDS Replica ]
                 │
                 ├──► Step 3: Unauthorized mass sync initiated toward external adversary egress endpoint
                 ▼
[ Sentinel / Cortex XSIAM Detection & XSOAR Quarantine: Contained in < 15s ]
Adversary Objective Exfiltrate customer records and establish persistent backdoor access via rogue IAM user access keys.
Critical Root Cause Unsegmented hybrid cross-account trust boundaries combined with absent rate-anomaly alerting on STS AssumeRole API calls.
Adversary Emulation & Penetration Test Harness (Stratus Red Team Simulation)
# Execution: AWS IAM Privilege Escalation & Data Exfiltration Simulation
$ stratus detonate aws.privilege-escalation.iam-passrole-ec2-instance
[+] Extracted temporary STS token from IMDSv2 metadata session
[+] Role: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/EdgeWorkerNode

$ aws sts assume-role \
    --role-arn arn:aws:iam::987654321098:role/CrossAccountDataPlaneAccess \
    --role-session-name AdversaryTestSession \
    --external-id ProductionTelemetrySync

# Result: Privileged access gained to internal audit logs & customer store
# Penetration Test Verdict: CRITICAL FINDING - Unrestricted STS Trust Boundary
Automated Incident Response & Session Revocation Playbook (containment.py)
import boto3
import datetime

iam = boto3.client('iam')
ec2 = boto3.client('ec2')

def emergency_quarantine_session(role_name, compromised_instance_id):
    revocation_time = datetime.datetime.utcnow().isoformat() + "Z"
    policy_document = f'''{{
        "Version": "2012-10-17",
        "Statement": [{{
            "Effect": "Deny",
            "Action": "*",
            "Resource": "*",
            "Condition": {{"DateLessThan": {{"aws:TokenIssueTime": "{revocation_time}"}}}}
        }}]
    }}'''
    iam.put_role_policy(
        RoleName=role_name,
        PolicyName="EmergencyRevokeActiveSessions",
        PolicyDocument=policy_document
    )
    ec2.modify_instance_attribute(
        InstanceId=compromised_instance_id,
        Groups=['sg-isolation-zero-egress']
    )
    print(f"[CONTAINED] Tokens revoked for {role_name}. Instance {compromised_instance_id} isolated.")
Hardened IAM Trust Boundary & Guardrail Definition (hardened-policy.tf)
data "aws_iam_policy_document" "hardened_assume_role" {
  statement {
    effect  = "Allow"
    actions = ["sts:AssumeRole"]
    principals {
      type        = "AWS"
      identifiers = ["arn:aws:iam::123456789012:root"]
    }
    condition {
      test     = "IpAddress"
      variable = "aws:SourceIp"
      values   = ["196.25.1.0/24", "10.100.0.0/16"]
    }
    condition {
      test     = "Bool"
      variable = "aws:MultiFactorAuthPresent"
      values   = ["true"]
    }
  }
}
HOW WE WORK: ENGAGEMENT TIERS

Advisory & Assessment Frameworks

Structured scopes designed for immediate intervention during active security incidents, formal penetration testing windows, or continuous advisory retainers.

Tier 01: Fixed scope
SIEM, SOAR & Architecture Review
2 to 3 Weeks

Comprehensive evaluation of existing Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex XSIAM, and Cortex XSOAR deployments, cloud trust boundaries, and telemetry blind spots. Includes an executive report, MITRE ATT&CK v20 coverage heatmap, and remediated IaC blueprints.

MOST REQUESTED
Tier 02: Adversary assessment
Penetration Testing & BAS
3 to 6 Weeks

Hands-on offensive penetration testing across hybrid cloud assets and identity infrastructure. Every attack vector is paired with breach simulation harnesses to prove your detections trigger under live adversary pressure.

Tier 03: Retainer
Incident Response & Retainer
Quarterly or Annual

Guaranteed emergency response SLAs for rapid intrusion containment, digital forensics, and ongoing advisory capacity for enterprise defense leadership and platform architects.

OPERATIONAL SECURITY & TRUST

Rules of Engagement & Client Confidentiality

Incident forensics and offensive findings represent your organization's most sensitive telemetry. Every engagement enforces strict operational security protocols.

01: Mutual NDA & strict discretion

All scoping discussions, architecture audits, and offensive findings operate under strict mutual non-disclosure agreements from initial contact.

02: Ephemeral forensic handling

Client telemetry, memory captures, and penetration testing artifacts are processed in isolated single-tenant environments and cryptographically destroyed upon engagement sign-off.

03: Out-of-band war room channels

Support for PGP-encrypted dispatch, dedicated Slack/Teams incident war rooms, and strict out-of-band communication protocols during active compromises.

PGP-Encrypted Communication
Public key available on request — contact@systemcadencehq.com
THE PRACTICE

About SystemCadenceHQ

Every security control must be empirically validated against adversary tradecraft before it is trusted.

SystemCadenceHQ is an independent, practitioner-led cybersecurity advisory. The practice is led by a senior security engineer with a decade of hands-on experience across enterprise SIEM and SOAR architecture (Microsoft Sentinel, Palo Alto Cortex XSIAM, and Cortex XSOAR), cloud-native incident response, and adversary emulation programmes.

Prior engagements span regulated financial services, critical infrastructure operators, and high-growth technology platforms across hybrid AWS, Azure, and on-premise environments.

We are a deliberately small, specialist practice. Every engagement is delivered directly by the practice lead.

Practice Founded
2019
Independent advisory
IR Engagements
40+
Regulated financial services & critical infrastructure (2019–2025)
Pen Tests Delivered
60+
Cloud, network & identity (2019–2025)
Detection Rules Shipped
200+
Attack-proven Sigma, KQL & XQL (2019–2025)
Engage the practice

Initiate a security engagement

SystemCadenceHQ accepts select penetration testing windows, SIEM/SOAR architecture reviews, and emergency incident response retainers for enterprise platform teams and CISOs.

—All inquiries operate under mutual NDA from first contact.
—Response within one business day for standard scopes.
—Emergency IR handshake available 24/7 via out-of-band channel.
Not sure which tier fits? Describe your situation below and we'll recommend the right scope.