If you have stumbled across XARF and wondered why a reporter, a receiver, or CSIRT might want to implement XARF, this article is for you.
XARF originated from the need for cyber security management at network operators and country CERTS to have a standardized format for exchanging a wide range of network abuse data efficiently and at scale.
XARF stands for Extended Abuse Reporting Format. It is a JSON format used for reporting network abuse. XARF provides a standardized way to package abuse data, ensuring compatibility and interoperability between networks, systems, and applications regardless of transport.
Benefits of standardization
- Standardized Format
The XARF format provides a standardized structure for reporting network abuse, ensuring consistent and clear communication between reporters and the receiving network, regardless of the type of vulnerability, compromise, or abuse reported. - Common Language Model
Each XARF report type includes fields that use a common language to capture essential information in incidents, such as the type of abuse being reported, affected IP addresses, timestamps, and evidence, providing the receiver of the report with a complete understanding of each reported incident. - Transport Independent
XARF is designed to be a transport-independent language. It may be used in emails, in RESTful APIs, streams, and more. - Streamlined Reporter Processing
Using XARF simplifies the reporting process for the reporter by providing clear guidelines on the required information, ensuring that all relevant details for the receiver are always captured. - Streamlined Receiver Abuse/Incident Handling
Using XARF, network operators and CERTs can read through and understand the abuse reports more easily since the structure is standardized. They always read an XARF report the same regardless of the type of incident, know /the information they are looking for, and what each field means. Efficiency reduces response times and improves overall incident management. - Improved Reporter / Receiver Collaboration
XARF improves and simplifies collaboration between the reporter and the receiving network by providing a shared and standardized framework and language, enhancing the effectiveness of investigations, mutual conversations, and resolution.
Benefits
- Capacity to Automate and Scale
With the XARF format, reporters can report logging attack data from disparate processes and systems quickly, and receiver automated systems can be developed to process the reported abuse regardless of whether it came in by email, through an API, internal logs, or a 3rd party stream; thereby enabling faster analysis and response. - Clear Documentation
Using XARF as a framework also facilitates accurate documentation of network abuse incidents, helping translate incidents to quicker referencing and tracking of reported cases. - Enhanced Analysis
The structured nature of XARF allows the receiving network to perform manual or automated detailed analysis on reported incidents more effectively, leading to better identification of patterns and trends within their networks. - Increased Accountability
With XARF, there is a higher level of accountability for both the reporter and the receiving network since it allows both parties to understand the reported incident quickly and clearly. XARF is designed to reduce the potential for miscommunication or misunderstandings. - Continual Improvement
XARF being extensible and providing forward and backward compatibility by design allows for feedback and refinement based on the community's overall reporting experience. This leads to continuous improvement in the reporting process and schemata and better collaboration between reporters and network operators.
Do you want to make XARF a part of your future?
Do you want to simplify your abuse management future by using XARF?
If you are a reporter and wish to report abuse, learn how to do it for free here at Abusix’s Global Reporting Project.
If you are a receiver and want to be more efficient at processing abuse reports, regardless of the format type, look here at Abusix’s AbuseHQ.
If you are a CSIRT and wish to use XARF to collaborate with another CSIRT or network operator within your country, ask us for help to deploy quickly and simply.
If you need more information, chat with us at [email protected]
