SIEM Emerges

• 1999: Netforensics founded

• 2000: ArcSight founded

• 2001: Q1 Labs founded (QRadar)

• 2003: ArcSight ESM launched - one of the first true SIEM platforms

• Basic log aggregation and correlation

Threats:

• Code Red, Nimda worms, SQL Slammer worm

• Rise of organized cybercrime

• Early botnets emerge

SIEM Market Consolidation

• 2005: Gartner coins "Security Information and Event Management" officially

• 2005: LogRhythm enter market

• 2007: RSA Envision launched

• 2008 AlienVault launched (OSSIM)

• Compliance drivers (SOX, PCI DSS) fuel SIEM adoption

Threats:

• TJX breach, Zeus banking Trojan, Storm botnet

• Early APT activity detected

The Rise of Advanced Persistent Threats​​​

• 2010: HP acquires ArcSight

• SIEMs become enterprise standard

Frameworks:

• 2006: MITRE begins ATT&CK research (internal)

• Kill Chain concept emerges from Lockheed Martin

Threats:

• Operation Aurora (targeting Google, Adobe), Stuxnet discovered - first major state-sponsored cyber weapon, APT1 (China) actively targeting Western companies

• Wikileaks disclosures

APT Awakening and Framework Evolution

• 2011: McAfee integrates Nitro Security

• 2011: IBM acquires Q1 Labs

• 2012: Splunk enters SIEM market

• 2012: Elasticsearch founded 

• 2013: MITRE ATT&CK framework publicly released (initially for enterprise)

• Big Data technologies start influencing SIEM architecture

Frameworks:

• 2011: Lockheed Martin publishes Cyber Kill Chain

• 2013: MITRE ATT&CK for Enterprise v1.0 released

• Structured approach to adversary tactics and techniques emerges

Threats:

• Sony PlayStation Network breach (77M accounts), RSA SecurID breach, Target breach POS malware, Mandiant APT1 report exposes Chinese state actors

• Snowden revelations, CryptoLocker ransomware emerges

Nation-State & Ransomware Explosion

• 2014: LogRhythm NextGen SIEM Platform

• 2014: Elastic Stack adopts security use cases

• 2015: Elasticsearch Watcher (alerting) introduced

• User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) enters market

• Threat intelligence feeds become standard

Frameworks:

• 2015: MITRE ATT&CK expands with new tactics and techniques

• Framework adoption begins in enterprise security programs

• Detection-as-Code concepts emerge

Threats:

• Sony Pictures hack (North Korea), JP Morgan Chase breach, Home Depot breach, OPM breach

• Ransomware becomes epidemic (CryptoWall, TeslaCrypt)

Cloud Migration & Framework Maturity

• 2016: Elastic acquires Prelert (ML capabilities)

• 2017: Microsoft acquires Hexadite (SOAR capabilities)

• 2017: Elastic Security (formerly X-Pack Security) announced

• 2017: Google Chronicle launched

• 2017: Securonix and Exabeam enter SIEM market

• Cloud-native SIEM solutions emerge & Cloud First Architectures

• SOAR platforms mature (Phantom, Demisto)

• Machine Learning integration in SIEM

• API-driven security orchestration

Frameworks:

• 2017: MITRE ATT&CK for ICS (Industrial Control Systems) released

• 2017: MITRE ATT&CK adoption accelerates in SOCs

• Detection engineering discipline formalized around ATT&CK

• Threat hunting methodologies standardize on ATT&CK

Threats:

• DNC hack (Russia - Fancy Bear), Mirai botnet (IoT devices), WannaCry ransomware, NotPetya (Russia), Equifax breach, CCleaner supply chain attack

EDR/XDR Era & ATT&CK Becomes Standard

• 2018: Splunk acquires Phantom (SOAR)

• 2018: Elastic SIEM beta launched

• 2019: Elastic acquires EndGame EDR

• 2019: Microsoft Sentinel (Azure Sentinel) launched

• XDR concept emerges (Extended Detection & Response)

• EDR becomes standard requirement

Frameworks:

• 2018: MITRE ATT&CK for Mobile released

• 2019: MITRE ATT&CK Navigator tool released

• 2019: ATT&CK becomes de facto standard for threat intelligence

• MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations program launches (vendor testing)

• Detection-as-Code and Sigma rules align with ATT&CK

Threats:

• Marriott breach, Capital One breach, Baltimore ransomware attack, Ryuk, Sodinokibi ransomware families

• Supply chain attacks increase

Pandemic-Driven Transformation

• 2020: Elastic Security becomes free and open

• 2021: Cloud-native SIEM dominates new deployments

• Detection Engineering becomes formal discipline

• MITRE ATT&CK framework standard in all major platforms

• Zero Trust architecture mainstream

• Cloud workload protection emerges

• Remote work drives endpoint security focus

Frameworks:

• 2020: MITRE ATT&CK v8 with major updates

• 2021: MITRE D3FEND framework released

• 2021: MITRE Engage released

• ATT&CK-aligned detection content becomes industry standard

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework 1.1 widely adopted

Threats:

• SolarWinds supply chain attack, FireEye tools stolen, Colonial Pipeline ransomware, Kaseya VSA supply chain ransomware, Microsoft Exchange ProxyLogon, Log4Shell vulnerability

• Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) peak

AI & Consolidation​

• 2022: Splunk announces AI-driven security

• 2022: Elastic introduces AI Integrations

• 2023: Google SecOps (Chronicle rebranded)

• Generative AI enters security tools

• Security Data Lakes gain traction

• Large Language Models (LLMs) for security analysis

• Automated detection engineering based on ATT&CK

Frameworks:

• 2022: MITRE ATT&CK v12 - continued evolution

• 2023: MITRE ATT&CK for Containers released

• 2023: ATT&CK integration in all major SIEM/XDR platforms

• Frameworks drive automated detection engineering

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 released

Threats:

• Russia-Ukraine cyber warfare, LastPass breach, MOVEit supply chain attack, Progress Software vulnerabilities exploited, ChatGPT used for phishing/malware

• Increased state-sponsored activity (China, Russia, North Korea, Iran)

AI-Powered Security & Framework-Driven Detection

• 2024: Elastic Security 8.x with AI Assistant

• 2024: Microsoft Copilot for Security GA

• 2024: Splunk AI capabilities expand

• 2024: Google SecOps AI innovations

• Autonomous SOC concepts emerge

• AI/ML-driven threat detection standard

• Automated investigation and response

• Cloud-native architecture dominates

• Attack surface management integration

• Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM)

• ATT&CK-aligned detection engineering automated

Frameworks:

• 2024: MITRE ATT&CK v15+ with continuous updates

• ATT&CK-driven automation in detection engineering

• Framework-based threat intelligence sharing standard

• Integration of MITRE frameworks (ATT&CK, D3FEND, Engage) in platforms

Current Threat Landscape:

• Multiple state-sponsored campaigns

• Ransomware groups evolving tactics

• Supply chain attacks sophisticated

• AI-generated phishing, deepfakes, exploits, detection rules

• Cloud infrastructure targeted

• Identity-focused attacks