Authors: Neha Gupta
Abstract: The modern cyber threat landscape is defined by an asymmetrical relationship between the velocity of automated attacks and the cognitive limits of human security analysts. Traditional Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) frameworks, while effective at streamlining repetitive tasks, remain largely tethered to static, rule-based playbooks that struggle to adapt to polymorphic threats and complex, multi-stage campaigns. This review examines the integration of Machine Learning (ML) into the orchestration layer to create "Intelligent SOAR" ecosystems. By leveraging supervised learning for alert prioritization, unsupervised anomaly detection for identifying novel attack vectors, and reinforcement learning for dynamic playbook optimization, intelligent orchestration transforms the Security Operations Center (SOC) from a reactive unit into a predictive powerhouse. This article categorizes current methodologies, focusing on the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) for semantic event correlation and Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) for mapping relational dependencies across distributed infrastructures. We analyze the transition from "hard-coded" automation to "context-aware" intelligence, which significantly reduces the Mean Time to Respond (MTTR) by automating high-confidence remediation actions while providing explainable insights for complex investigations. Furthermore, the review addresses critical challenges, including the "black-box" nature of deep learning models, data silo interoperability, and the emerging risk of adversarial manipulation of orchestration logic. By synthesizing recent academic breakthroughs and industrial case studies, this paper provides a strategic roadmap for achieving autonomous security operations. The findings suggest that intelligent orchestration is not merely an efficiency gain but a foundational requirement for maintaining resilience in an increasingly automated adversarial environment.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19427354
Published by: vikaspatanker