Summary
“Sub-second detection” is often dismissed as marketing language.
It shouldn’t be.
In real MDR environments, the first seconds decide the outcome. Either malicious activity is detected as it enters your environment- or attackers are given time to settle in.
The latter is never what you want.
Sub-second detection removes delay at the exact moment risk appears. Events are evaluated as they arrive, not after they are stored, indexed, or queued for later analysis. That single architectural choice reduces attacker dwell time, limits lateral movement, and shrinks incident scope.
Speed is not the goal.
Reduced exposure is.
What Sub-Second Detection Really Means in Modern MDR
Security teams hear a lot about “faster detection.” Few vendors explain where that speed actually applies.
Most MDR platforms focus on response speed – how quickly analysts act after an alert fires. But by then, the attacker has already had time to move.
Sub-second detection shifts attention to the most critical phase of an attack:
The moment risk enters the environment.
That is where detection truly begins.
Detection at Log Ingestion: Where MDR Either Wins or Loses
Most security architectures follow a familiar flow:
- Events are generated
- Logs are forwarded
- Data is stored and indexed
- Detection logic runs later
Even when this happens “quickly,” the delay is structural. Until logs are written and searchable, the system is collecting – not deciding.
Sub-second detection removes that waiting period.
As telemetry arrives, it is immediately evaluated against known indicators of compromise, behavioral signals, and deception triggers. If a match is found, a case is created instantly.
This is not just faster log processing.
It’s deciding before attackers get time to act.
Why Attacker Dwell Time Grows Before Alerts Exist
Most security conversations focus on response time. Far fewer address the quiet window before the first alert appears.
That window is where attackers operate with the least resistance:
- No alarms
- No containment
- No pressure
Exploiting the initial vulnerability, probing adjacent systems, planting persistence – none of this requires hours. Often, seconds are enough.
When detection waits for storage and batch analysis, attackers get those seconds for free.
Sub-second detection takes them back.
Earlier Detection Compresses Incidents
Late detection allows incidents to sprawl:
- More systems involved
- Less clarity on patient zero
- More effort to contain impact
About 68% of successful attacks involve lateral movement, when attackers avoid early detection and move freely – deeper into environments before detection.
Take for example the SolarWinds supply chain compromise, where attackers operated undetected for months before discovery. This was a stark reminder that late detection gives adversaries time to entrench and expand their foothold.
In essence, earlier detection changes the shape of the incident.
The first signal appears closer to the first malicious action. Timelines tighten. Investigation starts with facts instead of assumptions.
This doesn’t just make teams faster.
It makes them more confident.
Knowing what happened first is often more valuable than knowing everything that happened later.
Not all speed is equal
Detection speed is often treated like a race. Faster than a SIEM. Faster than a SOC. Faster than whatever page or dashboard is getting refreshing.
That framing misses the point.
The real difference is architectural.
Some systems observe first and decide later. Others are designed to decide as soon as risk is visible.
Sub-second detection belongs to the second category.
Known malicious patterns are acted on immediately. Everything else continues through normal analysis paths, without noise or alert overload.
The result isn’t more alerts.
It’s earlier certainty.
Sub-Second Detection as Exposure Control
Speed in MDR is not about reacting faster.
It is about reducing how long an attacker can operate unseen:
- Less time to move laterally.
- Less time to deepen exploitation.=
- Less time to turn a foothold into something bigger.
Detection should happen when events arrive – not after logs are stored, indexed, or reviewed. Not after someone decides it “looks interesting”.
When visibility moves closer to the point of risk, attacker momentum collapses early.
Incidents become smaller. Shorter. Boring.
And in security, boring usually equals success.
How MDR Detect™ Applies Sub-Second Detection in Practice
MDR Detect™ implements sub-second detection exactly this way.
Threats are evaluated at log ingestion, not after storage or delayed processing. Known malicious patterns are identified immediately, giving ON2IT analysts early, reliable signals -before attackers gain momentum.
The outcome isn’t faster dashboards.
It’s less dwell time, tighter incidents, and lower operational risk.
If you want to see how this works in practice, this is a good place to start:
Find out more about MDR detectFAQ
Yes. The value lies in removing delay between event arrival and risk evaluation, not in shaving milliseconds off dashboards.
Many SIEMs store and index logs first, then analyze them. Sub-second detection evaluates events as they arrive.
No. It improves them by giving teams earlier and more reliable signals.
Attackers gain uninterrupted time to move, escalate, or persist before visibility exists.
No. It is most effective against known attack patterns where immediate recognition reduces impact.
