Sycope can forward selected alerts through Syslog and encode them in Common Event Format (CEF). QRadar supports CEF-formatted events through its Universal CEF DSM, providing a standard path for adding Sycope detections to the SIEM event stream.
This allows QRadar analysts to include network detections from Sycope in the wider security picture while retaining Sycope as the environment for detailed flow analysis and network investigation.
Table of Contents
From a Sycope alert to QRadar
Sycope rules define the network, performance or security conditions that should generate an alert. Individual rules can also be configured with external actions that determine what happens when specified threshold levels are reached.
For QRadar, Sycope can use a Syslog External Destination to send selected alerts to a QRadar Console, Event Collector or Event Processor. Sycope supports both TCP and UDP for Syslog destinations.
Using the CEF encoder, the alert can be formatted according to the Common Event Format before it is forwarded. QRadar’s Universal CEF DSM accepts CEF-formatted events through Syslog and makes them available for further event mapping and processing in the platform.
Once received by QRadar, Sycope alerts can become part of the same event analysis workflow used for other security sources.
Different roles in the security workflow
Sycope and QRadar remain independent systems and provide different layers of information.
Sycope provides:
- Flow-based network analysis
- Host-to-host communication visibility
- Network performance monitoring
- Network anomaly and threat detection
- Predefined and custom detection rules
- MITRE ATT&CK context for alerts
- Historical network communication data
- Detailed traffic context for investigation
IBM QRadar provides:
- Centralized collection of security events
- Event normalization through DSMs
- Correlation across multiple log and security sources
- Search and analysis across collected events
- SIEM dashboards and reporting
- Existing SOC investigation and incident workflows
Sycope provides detections based on communication visible directly in network traffic. QRadar can combine these detections with information collected from other systems across the organization.
Network detections as part of the SIEM view
The main purpose of the integration is to make relevant network events available within the wider security monitoring process.
Correlation with other security sources
An alert generated by Sycope can identify behavior such as unexpected communication, scanning activity, network anomalies or other conditions detected in flow data.
Once the event is available in QRadar, an analyst can review it together with security information from other sources covering the same hosts or time period.
This connects the network perspective provided by Sycope with the broader event context maintained in the SIEM.
Selected alerts instead of all network data
The integration does not require the complete network traffic history collected by Sycope to be continuously transferred into QRadar.
Sycope rules determine which conditions generate alerts, and Syslog actions can be assigned to the rules and threshold levels that should be forwarded externally.
This allows teams to send meaningful security signals to QRadar while keeping detailed flow data and historical network communication in Sycope.
Additional context available with each event
Sycope alerts contain information that can help identify and assess the detected activity, including fields such as the alert name, severity, timestamp, Client IP, Server IP and protocol information. For security alerts based on rules with MITRE ATT&CK mappings, additional fields can include the associated tactic, technique and sub-technique.
Relevant fields can be included in the CEF event and mapped within QRadar according to the requirements of the SOC.
The SIEM receives the information required for correlation and triage, while analysts can continue deeper network analysis in Sycope when additional communication history or traffic context is needed.
Existing QRadar workflows remain in place
Once Sycope events are ingested and mapped, they become part of the QRadar event environment rather than requiring a separate monitoring process.
They can be searched and analyzed together with events from other log sources, allowing organizations that already use QRadar as their central SIEM to add another source of network-based security evidence.
CEF and Syslog integration
Sycope supports Syslog as a native External Destination. The configuration defines the destination host, port and whether TCP or UDP should be used for communication.
Sycope 3.2 also introduced a CEF encoder for Syslog output, allowing events to be generated in a standardized format commonly used by SIEM platforms.
On the QRadar side, IBM provides the Universal CEF DSM for systems that produce Common Event Format events. The DSM supports CEF:0 and can receive events using Syslog.
Because Universal CEF events do not come with a predefined QRadar Identifier mapping for every third-party product, event mapping may need to be configured in QRadar according to the Sycope event types and the organization’s categorization requirements.
How the integration works
The integration consists of four main elements.
Alert generation in Sycope
Sycope analyzes network data using predefined or custom rules.
When the conditions defined by a rule are met, an alert is generated with information describing the detected activity, its severity and the systems involved.
Syslog destination and CEF encoding
QRadar is configured in Sycope as a Syslog External Destination.
Selected alert information is encoded in CEF and sent to the configured QRadar Syslog endpoint using TCP or UDP.
The forwarding action can be associated with specific Sycope rules and threshold levels, allowing administrators to control which detections are sent to the SIEM.
Universal CEF log source in QRadar
QRadar receives the events using a Universal CEF log source.
The Universal CEF DSM parses CEF-formatted events and makes them available in the QRadar event pipeline. Event mappings can then be configured to associate Sycope event types with the appropriate QRadar categories.
SIEM analysis and network investigation
Once ingested, Sycope events can be analyzed alongside other security information in QRadar.
When an event requires additional network evidence, analysts can use Sycope to examine the historical communication, traffic patterns and other flow-based information associated with the affected systems and time period.
From network detection to SIEM correlation
Consider a Sycope rule that detects suspicious communication involving an internal system.
Sycope generates an alert containing information about the event and the hosts involved. Because the rule is configured with the QRadar Syslog action, the alert is encoded in CEF and forwarded to QRadar.
QRadar receives and processes the event through its Universal CEF log source. The Sycope detection can then be reviewed together with events from other sources associated with the same system or time period.
If the investigation requires additional information about what happened on the network before or after the detection, the analyst can continue the analysis in Sycope using historical flow data and communication context.
The integration therefore connects network-based detection with centralized SIEM correlation without requiring the complete network traffic history to be duplicated in QRadar.
Sycope and IBM QRadar integration
The integration allows organizations to include selected Sycope network and security alerts in their existing QRadar monitoring environment using standard CEF and Syslog mechanisms.
QRadar receives the events required for centralized correlation and analysis, while Sycope retains the detailed network data used for deeper traffic investigation.
To discuss integrating Sycope with your IBM QRadar environment, contact our team.
