Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) is a security solution that’s designed to detect, investigate and respond to threats that involve user identities, credentials and access privileges.
Put simply, ITDR helps businesses stop cybercriminals who try to log in as someone else or misuse legitimate access once they’re inside a business’ infrastructure.
As businesses have embraced cloud platforms, remote working, and third-party integrations, the traditional security tools alone that businesses have so long relied on for their cyber security are no longer enough to protect organisations from modern and more sophisticated cyber threats. While firewalls, antivirus software, and endpoint protection remain important, cyber attackers have shifted their focus to a far easier target which are identities.
The majority of cyberattacks involve compromised credentials in some form. Phishing emails, weak passwords, leaked login databases, and social engineering are common methods that criminals use to gain access. Once a cyber attacker gains access to a single account, it can open the door to email systems, customer databases, financial tools, and internal applications.
Unlike a malware attack that might trigger alerts quickly, identity-based threats often look like normal activity, which is why they can go about their work unnoticed for a longer period of time. Once a hacker logs into a company system using valid credentials, it may not be flagged by traditional defences. ITDR fills this gap by identifying suspicious identity behaviour, such as unusual login locations, impossible travel patterns, or unexpected privilege escalation.
One of the most dangerous parts of an identity breach is what happens after the attacker gains access. Cybercriminals rarely stop at one account. Their goal is usually to move across systems, explore data, and eventually find high-value targets like administrator accounts.
With ITDR, businesses can gain visibility into suspicious movements across accounts and services. For example, if a standard employee account suddenly starts accessing sensitive admin tools or attempting multiple password resets, ITDR can detect that as abnormal behaviour.
Phishing remains one of the most effective ways criminals can steal credentials. Even with security awareness training, employees still fall victim to sophisticated phishing pages or convincing fake login prompts. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) helps and plays a part, but attackers now use methods like MFA fatigue attacks and token theft to bypass it.
ITDR supports businesses by detecting these patterns early. It can highlight repeated MFA prompts, strange authentication attempts, or compromised session tokens. The quicker a business identifies stolen credentials, the faster it can respond, before the attacker causes damage.
Most organisations now use a mix of on-premise systems and cloud services such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, AWS, and various SaaS platforms. Managing identity access across these environments is complex, and that complexity creates opportunity for attackers.
ITDR tools provide centralised monitoring of identity events across cloud and hybrid environments. This means businesses can detect identity threats regardless of where they occur, whether it’s a login attempt to a cloud email account or misuse of access in an internal directory service.
The longer an attacker remains undetected, the more damage they can do. ITDR improves response times by helping security teams quickly investigate incidents involving identity misuse.
Instead of manually sorting through logs and access records, ITDR can correlate activity and alert teams to high-risk behaviour. Some systems also support automated responses such as forcing a password reset, disabling a compromised account, or enforcing stronger authentication controls.
Many industries must follow strict regulations around access control and data protection, such as GDPR, ISO 27001, or other industry-specific frameworks. Having ITDR in place helps organisations demonstrate they have a stronger oversight of who has access to their systems and data and when.
Beyond compliance, ITDR also supports trust. Customers and stakeholders expect businesses to secure sensitive information. A breach caused by stolen credentials can be just as damaging to reputation as a major ransomware attack. ITDR strengthens confidence by protecting the identity layer, where most modern attacks begin.
Identity-based threats are increasing, and businesses can no longer rely only on legacy security solutions. ITDR provides the tools needed to detect suspicious identity behaviour, reduce account takeover risks, prevent privilege abuse, and respond quickly before threats escalate.
Every business needs ITDR.
Even if you think you have adequate cyber security, you may not be protected against the ever evolving threat of more sophisticated attacks.
Our range of cyber security solutions are designed to bolster a company’s cyber defence. For more information, contact a member of the team.
