Huntress Signals

Huntress Signals

Overview

Signals are security-relevant events detected by Huntress agents on managed endpoints. Not all signals become incidents — they represent the raw detection layer that feeds into Huntress SOC analysis. Monitoring signals provides visibility into the threat landscape before incidents are formally created.

Key Concepts

Signals vs Incidents

• Signals are raw detections from endpoint agents
• Incidents are confirmed threats escalated by the Huntress SOC
• Many signals are benign or informational; only confirmed threats become incidents
• Reviewing signals provides early warning and proactive threat hunting context

Signal Types

Signals cover various detection categories including:

• Suspicious process execution
• Persistence mechanism changes
• Network connection anomalies
• File system modifications
• Registry changes

API Patterns

List Signals

huntress_signals_list

Parameters:

• organization_id — Filter by organization
• page_token — Pagination token

Example response:

{
  "signals": [
    {
      "id": "sig-555",
      "type": "suspicious_process",
      "description": "PowerShell execution with encoded command",
      "organization_id": "org-456",
      "hostname": "ACME-WS-042",
      "severity": "medium",
      "created_at": "2026-02-26T14:00:00Z"
    }
  ],
  "next_page_token": "eyJwYWdlIjoyfQ=="
}

Get Signal Details

huntress_signals_get

Parameters:

• signal_id — The signal ID

Example response:

{
  "signal": {
    "id": "sig-555",
    "type": "suspicious_process",
    "description": "PowerShell execution with encoded command",
    "organization_id": "org-456",
    "hostname": "ACME-WS-042",
    "severity": "medium",
    "created_at": "2026-02-26T14:00:00Z",
    "details": {
      "process_name": "powershell.exe",
      "command_line": "powershell.exe -EncodedCommand ...",
      "parent_process": "cmd.exe",
      "user": "ACME\\jsmith"
    }
  }
}

Common Workflows

Proactive Signal Monitoring

1. List recent signals with huntress_signals_list
2. Filter by organization for client-specific views
3. Review signal types and severity distribution
4. Investigate unusual patterns or high-severity signals
5. Correlate with known incidents

Signal Investigation

1. Get signal details with huntress_signals_get
2. Review process chain and command details
3. Check if related incidents exist
4. Assess whether the signal indicates a genuine threat
5. If concerning, check for related signals on the same host

Threat Pattern Analysis

1. List signals across all organizations
2. Group by type and severity
3. Identify trending signal types
4. Detect patterns that may indicate widespread attacks
5. Proactively alert affected clients

Error Handling

Signal Not Found

Cause: Invalid signal ID or signal has been archived Solution: List signals to verify available IDs

Large Result Sets

Cause: Unfiltered signal queries return many results Solution: Use organization filters and pagination; signals are high-volume

Best Practices

• Use signals for proactive threat hunting, not just reactive incident response
• Filter by organization to manage volume
• Correlate signals with incidents for complete threat context
• Monitor signal trends to detect emerging threats early
• Don't treat every signal as an incident — trust the Huntress SOC triage process
• Use signal data in client security reports for added value

Related Skills

• [api-patterns](../api-patterns/SKILL.md) - Pagination for high-volume data
• [incidents](../incidents/SKILL.md) - Incidents created from signals
• [agents](../agents/SKILL.md) - Agents generating signals
• [organizations](../organizations/SKILL.md) - Organization context for signals