Integrating MDR and ITDR Systems to Address the 2026 Threat Landscape
The
2026 cyberspace presents CISOs with complex challenges that require a
fundamental paradigm shift in the concept of enterprise defense [Planning {and
Risk Management}, Guidance, Compliance, Protection and Control {SOC}]. The
traditional concept of a physical or networked “Perimeter” has almost completely
disappeared with the massive shift to hybrid work, where the user works with
multiple work dimensions, increasing use of distributed cloud infrastructures
and widespread adoption of SaaS cloud services. Today, digital identity has
become the first and main line of defense, with attackers focusing more on
identity theft and privilege updates and less on using “break-in” techniques
through complex firewalls. The attacker’s connection to systems using stolen
credentials makes Identity and Access Management (IAM) one of the most critical
and central challenges for the CISO, as it renders almost all “traditional”
access controls ineffective once the adversary is already “inside” with valid
credentials, requiring a dramatic shift to Zero Trust models, with anomalous
behavior detection becoming a must-have tool. Therefore, it is important to
examine the critical need to combine Managed Detection & Response (MDR) and
Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) technologies, examining the
synergistic relationships between them and deciding whether they are two
separate solutions or a unified defense fabric.
Changing the Face of the Perimeter: Networked
Identities for Digital Entities
In
the past, the mission of protecting the organization focused on fortifying the
local network. The point of contact with the outside world was well-defined
through routers and firewalls. However, digital transformation has accelerated
processes where every endpoint, browser and user account is effectively a
“node” in the corporate network. In 2026, the complexity of these environments
has been exacerbated by the use of generative artificial intelligence
(Generative AI), which allows attackers to create incredibly sophisticated and
accurate phishing campaigns.
Data
indicates that over 90% of cyber incidents originate from human behavior,
whether it is an innocent mistake or the exploitation of social engineering.
With stolen identities at the root of approximately 88% of security breaches,
it is clear that traditional tools such as EDR (Endpoint Detection and
Response) no longer provide complete protection, as they focus on what is
happening inside the physical machine and less on the misuse of user identities
in the cloud.
Threat Trend Analysis and Their Impact on the CISO
Role
Threat
Trend Mechanism of Action Impact on the Organization Required Response
Identity
Theft and Use of Access Credentials Use of Info-stealers and AI-Based Phishing
Bypassing Traditional MFA Mechanisms and Direct Access to Data
Phishing-Resistant ITDR Systems and Authentication
AI-Based
Attacks Creating Polymorphic Malware and Adjusting Campaigns in Real Time
Reducing Dwell Time in Response to a Few Hours Continuous Monitoring and
Automated Response (MDR)
Exploiting
Misconfigurations in the Cloud/On-Premises Identifying Over-Privileged and
Dormant Accounts in SaaS 95% of Microsoft Entra ID Environments Were Set Up
with Deficiencies Continuous Exposure Management (CTEM)
Supply
Chain Attacks Harming Service Providers and Third Parties Exposing the
Organization to Threats Through Trusted External Vectors Vendor Monitoring and
Just-in-Time Access Control
MDR
Systems: The Operational Response to Protect the Organization
For
For the modern CISO, protecting the organization is not just about acquiring
technology, but about managing response capabilities around the clock. This is
where Managed Detection and Response (MDR) systems come into play. MDR services
provide a layer of human expertise (managed SOC) running on top of EDR or XDR
tools, enabling SMBs and enterprises to identify, investigate, and contain
threats in real time.
The
key benefit of MDR in 2026 and beyond is the shift from signature-based
detection to behavior-based and anomaly-based detection. Using artificial
intelligence, modern MDR systems are able to filter out background noise
created by small events or false positives generated by systems and focus on
the real threats. In this way, they reduce the “alert fatigue” of security
teams. For small and medium-sized organizations, MDR is often the only way to
achieve 24/7 coverage without having to keep people up at night or hiring
expensive and hard-to-reach internal cyber analysts and staff.
The Dynamics of Modern MDR
The
MDR protection process does not end with the identification of the malware. It
includes a comprehensive forensic investigation to understand the source of the
intrusion and the attacker's trajectory. In 2025 and 2026, Threat Exposure
Management (TEM) models were introduced into MDR, transforming the service from
proactive to predictive of threats before they occur.
The
mathematical model of MDR protection effectiveness can be represented as
follows:
The
shorter the response time (thanks to automation and skilled analysts), the more
potential damage to the organization decreases exponentially.
ITDR
Systems: Securing “Identity” as the New Perimeter
While
MDR focuses on the device and network plane, ITDR (Identity Threat Detection
and Response) systems focus on the user plane. The need for ITDR stems from the
fact that traditional security tools are often blind to actions taken by a
legitimate identity that has been compromised/authenticated. ITDR is not a
replacement for Identity Management (IAM) systems but a layer of protection
that complements them by continuously monitoring user behavior and identifying
attempts to escalate privileges or lateral movement in the cloud.
Modern
ITDR systems are able to detect patterns such as “Impossible travel” (critical
security alert triggered when a user account logs in from two geographically
distant locations), logging in from several different countries in a very short
period of time, use of stolen tokens, and suspicious changes to Active
Directory or Entra-ID settings.
The
importance of ITDR is especially emphasized in cloud environments and SaaS,
where the multitude of applications and permissions creates a vast and
invisible attack surface for regular network tools.
Comparing capabilities between the different layers of
protection
The strategic decision: do you need both or one
solution?
The
main question for the CISO today is whether to purchase the best and most
innovative ("Best-of-Breed") solutions, separate MDR and ITDR, or to
strive for one unified platform (Unified Platform)?
The
trend in 2025 among international SMBs clearly tended towards automatic
integration. XDR (Extended Detection and Response) platforms, modern XDR
systems have begun to implement ITDR capabilities as an integral part of them,
with the understanding that a modern cyber event is almost always a combination
of identity breach and endpoint breach. But today there is a tendency to locate
MDR companies and perform a SHIFT to modern MDR products, some of which enable
MDR capabilities combined with ITDR, and this is in the product spread that
will lead in the coming year and even more.
The
advantage of a single platform that combines automation, Human in the loop and
identity control is in the ability to automatically correlate (coordinate)
between events. For example, if the system detects a suspicious login by a user
from abroad, the ITDR will detect, and at the same time a strange process is
detected on that user's computer, EDR automation will be activated. The system
can conclude with a high probability that it is an active attack and block it
immediately using automation ((XDR, but the process is accompanied by
professional human material that acts according to its capabilities, and a play
book is configured to analyze and decide how to act, including notifying the
customer and more. Such integration dramatically reduces the response time and
the management burden on the security team.
Therefore,
there are cases in which small as well as large and complex organizations will
prefer an integrated and dedicated MDR solution that goes deeper at the
solution level than a general EDR, especially when managing complex multi-cloud
environments that require specific identity monitoring that is not fully
supported by traditional vendors.
Artificial Intelligence and Automation: The Future of
the Autonomous SOC
One
of the most significant trends for 2025-2026 is the transition "Agentic
SOC" – a security operations center based on autonomous AI agents. These
agents are able not only to identify threats, but also to conduct initial
investigations, collect evidence and suggest courses of action for human
analysts. This technology allows the CISO to deal with the huge volumes of
information generated as a result of the breakdown of every user action and
every network traffic.
The
use of AI is not limited to defense, attackers use it to create malware that is
able to change its code to evade detection (Polymorphic Malware). Therefore,
the protective system must have the ability to self-learn and predict attack
vectors before they are even launched.
Return
on Investment (ROI) in choosing modern security systems
Calculating
the ROI of MDR and ITDR systems should take into account not only the cost of
licensing, but also the cost of the potential damage prevented.
ROI = ({Estimated Breach Cost} x {Risk Reduction %}) / {Solution Cost}}
Organizations
that implement a "Zero Trust" strategy combining MDR and ITDR
compared to organizations with a ZTE and SOC or ZTE and EDR policy report very
high average savings per incident, thanks to reduced exposure time and response
accuracy.
Organizations
without a ZTE model and without at least EDR are at "unreasonable" -
or unreasonable - risk.
Summary
and Recommendations for the Information Security Manager
The
answer to the question of what the CISO needs today is one unambiguous
interpretation!
He
is required to combine the two capabilities. The protection of the organization
(MDR) and an addition to the "identity" parameter (ITDR). Together
they complement each other like two sides of the same coin. For most
organizations, the right way is to look for an integrated MDR provider with
built-in ITDR capabilities or deep integration with identity recognition tools.
The
CISO or SMB organization owner should focus on three main axes:
1. Full Visibility: Adopt solutions that unify signals from
endpoints, network, cloud, and identities into a single picture.
2. Velocity: Invest in AI-based automation to minimize MTTR (Mean
Time to Recovery).
3. Identity hygiene: Root out permissions, reduce dormant accounts,
and adopt phishing-resistant MFA as the foundation upon which the ITDR system
based on MDR rests.
In
2026, cybersecurity, like our physical security as a country, is no longer
measured by the strength or thickness of literal “Fences” but by the system’s
ability to understand who the user is, the context of the action they took, and
how quickly they can respond when their identity becomes a weapon in the hands
of an attacker. The transition to managed and intelligent systems is the only
way to stay one step ahead of threats that are evolving at the speed of light.
