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# Playbook of the Week: Catch Me if You Can! Stopping the Impossible Traveler

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By [Charity Spiri](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/author/charity-spiri/?ts=markdown "Posts by Charity Spiri")  
Mar 10, 2023  
3 minutes  
[Cortex XSOAR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/cortex-xsoar/?ts=markdown)  
[playbook of the week](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/playbook-of-the-week/?ts=markdown)  
[Security Orchestration Automation and Response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/security-orchestration-automation-and-response/?ts=markdown)  
[SOAR](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/soar-2/?ts=markdown)  
[XSOAR playbook](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/tag/xsoar-playbook/?ts=markdown)

Employee remote work continues to challenge the security measures of organizations. Is the user who keeps trying to access your cloud applications from Boston really Amelia in HR, who logged in this morning from your Portland, Oregon HQ? Identifying suspicious user activity based on anomalies is one way to combat potential threats.

The Cortex XSOAR [Impossible Traveler content pack](https://cortex.marketplace.pan.dev/marketplace/details/ImpossibleTraveler/) can help to automatically determine the legitimacy of remote access attempts and take appropriate steps to contain malicious user activity. Learn more about how you can automate response to alerts warning of suspicious login activity from uncommon locations or risky IP addresses.
![Figure 1: The process for catching an impossible traveler](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/word-image-180761-1.png)
Figure 1: The process for catching an impossible traveler

**What does this pack do?**

* Gathers IP-based information from the addresses used to initiate the connections
* Retrieves information about the user account that initiated the connections
* Calculates the time and distance between user login attempts
* Generates a geographical map of the deduced travel path of the user
* Determines, based on IPs, allow list entries, manager decision, and supposed speed of travel, whether the traveler is an impossible traveler
* Allows the analyst to block IPs from the user and disable the user in case of compromise

**Let's catch the Impossible Traveler**

The [Impossible Traveler content pack](https://cortex.marketplace.pan.dev/marketplace/details/ImpossibleTraveler/) includes out-of-the-box incident fields, layouts, and an incident playbook for impossible traveler investigations, all easily customizable to suit the needs of your organization. The playbook ingests detection alerts that have identified user activity originating from geographically distant locations.

Let's see it in action: Triggered by an alert coming from a SIEM, the playbook pulls in user details from Active Directory as well as manager account information. Simultaneously, it enriches IP information by checking the reputations of associated IP addresses using existing threat intelligence tool integrations. By calculating the distance between IPs, a location map calculates geographical distance and generates event duration.
![Figure 2: Calculated geographical distance of 4154 miles.](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/word-image-180761-2.png)
Figure 2: Calculated geographical distance of 4154 miles.

![Figure 3: Calculated event time difference of 5 minutes.](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/word-image-180761-3.png)
Figure 3: Calculated event time difference of 5 minutes.

If the log-in is deemed malicious (like in the scenario shown below), the playbook can execute a series of containment steps such as disabling the user account, blocking the external IP address, and notifying the management team.
![Figure 4: Incident severity and response](https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/word-image-180761-4.png)
Figure 4: Incident severity and response

Don't have Cortex XSOAR? Download our free [Community Edition](https://start.paloaltonetworks.com/sign-up-for-community-edition.html) today to test out this playbook and hundreds more automations for common use cases you deal with daily in your security operations or SOC.

*** ** * ** ***

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