Splunk® Glossary: Notable Event

How Security Teams Decide What Matters Most

Security systems generate thousands of alerts daily. So how do security teams decide which ones deserve immediate attention?

In Splunk, a notable event solves this problem. It’s an alert flagged as high-priority and requiring investigation. Think of it as the difference between your phone buzzing with a routine notification versus an alarm demanding immediate response.

From thousands of alerts to what actually matters

Throughout a typical workday, a company’s security system detects 500 unusual activities. Most are routine variations—an employee logging in from a new device, network traffic spiking during a video conference, a server restarting after an update.

But buried in those 500 activities, five show genuinely concerning patterns. Multiple failed login attempts followed by success from an unfamiliar location. Large amounts of data downloaded to an external drive during off-hours. Access to sensitive files by someone whose job doesn’t normally require it.

Those five become notable events, automatically escalated for immediate investigation. Instead of reviewing 500 individual alerts, analysts focus on the five that actually indicate potential threats.

What makes an event notable

Notable events are created when:

• Multiple suspicious activities correlate together: Twenty failed logins followed by success from a new country indicates something serious.
• Behavior crosses a risk threshold: When accumulated suspicious activity reaches a certain level, it triggers a notable event.
• Patterns match known attack signatures: The system recognizes behaviors consistent with documented attack methods.
• Critical assets are accessed unusually: When someone touches sensitive systems or data in unexpected ways, it warrants immediate attention.

When a notable event appears, it comes with context—what triggered it, what related activities occurred, and which assets or users are involved. This context makes investigation much more efficient.

The career opportunity

Organizations need people who can configure detection rules, investigate notable events, tune the system over time, and document findings clearly. You don’t need a cybersecurity degree to develop these skills. You need the ability to evaluate information, make decisions under pressure, and prioritize effectively.

If you’ve worked in roles requiring triage and prioritization—customer service, quality control, emergency response—you’ve already practiced the core thinking skills. Technical knowledge can be learned. The judgment and decision-making abilities are what make someone effective.

At Ableversity, our Splunk training teaches you how notable events work within broader security operations. You’ll learn to investigate alerts, determine which findings require escalation, and communicate analysis effectively through realistic scenarios that demonstrate how security teams actually operate.

Learn more at ableversity.com/blogs?utm_source=wordpress&utm_medium=Ableversity&utm_campaign=publer

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