Identity is at the heart of modern cybersecurity. As enterprises expand their digital footprints across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments, attackers increasingly target user identities, service accounts, and privileged credentials to gain a foothold. This has given rise to Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) — a discipline focused on detecting, investigating, and remediating identity-related threats.
While ITDR solutions often integrate with identity providers (IdPs), privileged access management (PAM) tools, and identity governance frameworks, they are most effective when complemented by Network Detection and Response (NDR). NDR provides the network-wide visibility needed to catch identity misuse that slips past endpoint and identity-centric tools.
In this article, we’ll explore how NDR strengthens ITDR strategies, closes visibility gaps, and accelerates response to identity-based attacks.
Understanding ITDR and Why It Matters
Identity-related threats are among the most prevalent in today’s cyber landscape. According to industry reports, compromised credentials are the root cause of the majority of breaches, including ransomware, insider threats, and advanced persistent attacks. ITDR focuses on:
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Monitoring identity usage across systems, apps, and networks.
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Detecting anomalies in authentication, privilege escalation, and access patterns.
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Responding to credential misuse by isolating accounts, revoking tokens, and limiting lateral movement.
Traditional defenses like multifactor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) are necessary but insufficient. Attackers exploit stolen session cookies, API keys, and cloud service tokens — often bypassing MFA altogether. This is where ITDR steps in to provide active defense.
However, ITDR solutions alone may miss critical signals when identity abuse manifests through network behaviors. That’s where NDR enters the picture.
Where NDR Strengthens ITDR
NDR continuously monitors east-west and north-south network traffic to detect malicious behaviors that identity-centric tools can’t always catch. Here are the key areas where NDR complements ITDR:
1. Detecting Lateral Movement from Compromised Accounts
Even if attackers successfully authenticate with valid credentials, their subsequent behavior on the network often diverges from normal. NDR detects unusual connections between hosts, unauthorized protocol use, and attempts to access sensitive systems — revealing when stolen accounts are being used for lateral movement.
2. Uncovering Credential Dumping and Harvesting
NDR Solutions can flag traffic patterns associated with credential theft tools (e.g., Kerberos attacks like Pass-the-Ticket or Golden Ticket). While ITDR might detect anomalous authentication requests, NDR adds a layer of behavioral insight by analyzing the network traffic used to stage and exfiltrate credentials.
3. Correlating Network Anomalies with Identity Context
By integrating with identity providers and SIEM platforms, NDR enriches network alerts with user identity context. Security teams can see not only that suspicious traffic occurred, but also which account was involved, and whether it maps to privileged roles or service accounts.
4. Monitoring Shadow Identities and Service Accounts
Service accounts and machine identities often fly under the radar of ITDR solutions. NDR helps identify anomalous traffic from these accounts, such as excessive data transfer, communication with command-and-control servers, or activity at unusual hours.
5. Enhancing Incident Response
When an identity compromise is detected, ITDR can revoke access, while NDR provides visibility into what the attacker did before detection — including lateral movements, data staging, or connections to external infrastructure. This forensic insight accelerates containment and remediation.
Example Use Case: Cloud Identity Compromise
Consider an attacker who gains access to a cloud admin account through stolen API keys. ITDR may detect unusual login locations or privilege escalation attempts. But if the attacker then uses the compromised identity to move laterally across hybrid environments, escalate privileges, or exfiltrate data, NDR provides the necessary network visibility to spot and stop these activities.
Without NDR, security teams risk having blind spots in cross-environment identity abuse. Together, ITDR and NDR provide a holistic defense.
Building a Stronger ITDR Strategy with NDR
To fully leverage NDR in identity threat detection and response, organizations should:
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Integrate NDR with ITDR and SIEM/SOAR platforms to correlate identity context with network anomalies.
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Enable deep packet inspection (DPI) to detect credential misuse techniques such as Kerberos and LDAP abuse.
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Prioritize high-value accounts by creating detection rules for privileged identities and service accounts.
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Automate response workflows so that when NDR flags suspicious activity, ITDR can trigger account isolation or token revocation.
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Continuously refine baselines of normal identity and network behavior to reduce false positives.
The Road Ahead: AI and Identity-Aware NDR
The future of ITDR will rely heavily on AI and machine learning to detect subtle deviations in identity usage. NDR solutions are already incorporating AI-driven analytics to recognize abnormal traffic patterns tied to identity threats, such as impossible travel scenarios, unusual peer-to-peer authentication, or hidden command-and-control channels.
By combining AI-enhanced NDR with ITDR, organizations can build a proactive defense strategy that not only detects but anticipates identity threats before they lead to full-scale breaches.
Conclusion
Identity is the new perimeter, and attackers know it. While ITDR provides the first line of defense against credential misuse and identity-based attacks, NDR closes the gaps by offering the network-wide visibility needed to detect lateral movement, credential harvesting, and misuse of shadow identities.
Together, ITDR and NDR form a powerful synergy: ITDR focuses on the “who” behind the activity, while NDR reveals the “how” across the network. By aligning these two disciplines, enterprises can outpace identity-driven threats and protect their most valuable digital assets.
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