What caused the sudden spike in false positives for Sysdig's runtime threat detection alerts yesterday afternoon?

Introduction

The sudden spike in false positives for Sysdig's runtime threat detection alerts yesterday afternoon is a critical issue that demands immediate attention. This anomaly could significantly impact our customers' trust in our security platform and potentially lead to alert fatigue or missed genuine threats. I'll approach this problem systematically, focusing on identifying the root cause, validating our hypotheses, and developing both short-term fixes and long-term preventive measures.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (3 minutes)

• Looking at the timing, I'm thinking this could be related to a recent update. Has there been any system or rule set changes deployed in the last 48 hours?

Why it matters: Recent changes are often the culprit in sudden performance shifts. Expected answer: Yes, a minor update was pushed yesterday morning. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus on the update's contents and rollback considerations.

• Considering the specificity of "runtime threat detection," I'm curious about the scope. Is this spike affecting all types of runtime threats or specific categories?

Why it matters: Helps narrow down the problem area and potential causes. Expected answer: The spike is primarily in container escape attempts. Impact on approach: We'd investigate container-specific components and recent changes to related detection rules.

• Given that false positives are the issue, I'm wondering about our baseline. What's our typical false positive rate for runtime threat detection?

Why it matters: Establishes the magnitude of the problem and helps set resolution targets. Expected answer: Usually around 2-3%, now it's over 15%. Impact on approach: This significant jump would guide our urgency and resource allocation.

• Thinking about potential external factors, have there been any notable changes in our customers' environments or traffic patterns?

Why it matters: External changes could trigger new behaviors our system misinterprets as threats. Expected answer: No significant changes reported by major customers. Impact on approach: If confirmed, we'd focus more on internal factors rather than customer-side issues.