Hello readers! Think about how your security team reacts when they realize that the hacker has already made it into the network.
They didn’t get stopped by the firewall. They weren’t immediately detected by the antivirus. Your security team needs to figure out what happened, where they've been, and what data they might have had access to.
But now, think about being able to recognize who is attacking your industry, what their favorite vulnerabilities are, the infrastructure they use, and what signals they emit before reaching you.
This is where threat intelligence comes in handy.
Rather than simply responding to security incidents, companies can learn from threat intel who is attacking, how, and using what infrastructure these attacks are performed. CrowdStrike, IBM, and Rapid7 all agree that threat intel can help convert security data into actionable insights.
In this article, I am going to dive deeper into what threat intel is, where it gets the information, how it helps security teams, and why having thousands of threat indicators doesn’t necessarily mean increased security.
The Definition of Threat Intelligence
It refers to information that helps companies become aware of present and potential future cyberthreats.
An unknown IP address, malicious file hash, or phishing link is threat data. Threat intel gives meaning to these pieces of information, helping cybersecurity teams to understand who could have perpetrated a cyberattack, what their goals are, and how the perpetrators operate.
It also helps cybersecurity teams prioritize threats and choose how to respond to them. This is important since companies receive numerous security warnings. Threat intelligence helps analysts to filter out false alarms and act in accordance with security risks.
What is the Significance of Threat Intelligence?
Attackers continuously evolve their methods by modifying malware, creating new exploits, stealing credentials, and adapting themselves to avoid getting detected.
With threat intel, an organization can be able to gain insight into evolving threats, including APT attacks, and make more informed decisions about how to protect itself from such threats.
For instance, there may be several vulnerabilities at any given time within an organization; however, due to resource constraints, it may not be possible to patch all the vulnerabilities at once. With threat intel, a security team is able to get to know which of these vulnerabilities is being exploited.
This will translate raw security data into information. Organizations need to prioritize VAPT assessments to strengthen their security.
The Lifecycle of Threat Intelligence
The process of cyber threat intel follows six phases that enable businesses to transform their threat data into actionable intelligence. Each phase plays an important role in supporting the other phases and helping security specialists continuously improve threat detection and response.
Requirements and Direction
In this first phase, the direction is set. In particular, here the requirements of the cyber threat intel program are identified. The requirements are formulated with the help of key stakeholders of the program who contribute to defining its objectives. Thus, cyber security intelligence requirements are established in order to provide answers to the related cybersecurity questions. The involvement of stakeholders in this process helps to understand what kinds of intelligence are needed by the security teams and to document these requirements accordingly.
Collection
After setting the direction, the collection phase begins. During this phase, the security team collects data from different sources, both external and internal, such as security logs, threat feeds, interviews with experts, and others.
Data Sorting and Processing
Processing is the next step of data collection. In this process, the collected data is transformed into something usable. Filtering the unnecessary data and organizing the useful information makes it easier for further analysis. Using AI and machine learning allows recognition of certain trends, which will help in taking the next step.
Analysis
In the process of analyzing the threat intel, there are the following stages:
Translating processed information into actionable intelligence. In short, analysis methods include adversary profiling, threat correlation, and behavioral analysis.
Dissemination
When the analysis is done, the process of dissemination follows, during which key recommendations and conclusions are made available to the necessary stakeholders. Dissemination could have different forms, starting with threat intel reports and ending with video feeds and presentations, depending on the audience.
Feedback
And last but not least, there is an important step of feedback in the cyber threat intel lifecycle. It makes sure that the intelligence provided is adequate to the current requirements and priorities of the organization. Any additional questions or intelligence gaps in the process of feedback can be filled in the next cycle.
What are the Different Types of Threat Intelligence?
There are three types of threat information, which are differentiated on the basis of their audience and application.
Strategic
Strategic threat intel involves looking at things from a macro-perspective. This is the type of threat intelligence that is used by executives and security leaders to gain an understanding of the possible effect of certain events, trends, and motivations on the organization.
Operational
This threat intel gives us information about the nature of certain attacks or new threats. The objective of operational threat information is to help us plan and prepare for future attacks.
Tactical
This threat intel deals with the more specific technical details such as Indicators of Compromise (IOCs).
Type | Focus | Common Users |
Strategic | Long-term risks and trends | Security and executive leaders |
Operational | Attacker’s behaviour and campaigns | Security teams |
Tactical | Techniques, tactics, and indicators | SOV defenders and analysts |
Advantages of Threat Intelligence
Brings to Light the Unseen
Threat information reveals unseen threats, allowing the security team to make informed decisions about them.
Explores Attacker's Behaviour
When the TTPs of the attacker are known, security personnel have insights into how the attacker thinks and makes decisions, and therefore are able to defend themselves better.
Helps with Decision-Making
Threat details allow business decision-makers like CISOs, CIOs, and CTOs to make decisions about how best to invest their money.
Builds Proactive Defense
Threat intel allows organizations to be proactive rather than reactive in defending themselves against attacks.
Who Gets Benefited by Threat Intelligence?
There are many stakeholders who can get significant benefits from threat intel because it helps in understanding the attacker and responding to incidents more efficiently. Below are the various stakeholders along with the benefits they gain from threat information:
SMBs (Small and Medium-sized Businesses)
It helps organizations that do not have resources to build an internal security operations team. They can make use of threat information and get a level of protection that would have been impossible without it.
Big Organizations
Benefit: The large companies that already have a security operations team get various advantages out of threat intel such as reduced costs, reduced skill set requirements, etc.
Where Does Threat Intel Originate From?
It doesn’t come from one mystical database. Information can be collected from a variety of sources.
They may include security research, vulnerability information, malware analysis, threat intel feeds, and incident investigation.
Open-source and underground communities.
Recorded Future, for instance, emphasizes the importance of the fusion of information from underground sources together with technical intelligence and the surface web for threat actor profiling and activity tracking.
Threat intel feeds can serve as a source of constantly updating information on malicious domains, IPs, malware, and other threat indicators. It’s necessary to note that the feed isn’t always intelligence.
More Threat Intel Does Not Necessarily Mean Better Security
More threat data does not necessarily equal better security.
For instance, providing an analyst with 100,000 questionable IP addresses and no context means that they will still need to figure out which of them are pertinent, credible, and important. An overload of raw information can also lead to alert fatigue.
A successful threat intel program revolves around context. This step screens out information in accordance with the organization’s resources, technology, industry, risk assessment, and location.
This process is not aimed at accumulating information. This is aimed at analyzing and reacting to important information.
Threat Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence
AI has become an increasingly important tool in threat intel as security teams utilize it for processing large sets of information and recognizing patterns for investigation purposes.
Nevertheless, AI cannot replace the work done by human operators who have to distinguish between important and unimportant indicators. The use of AI in cybersecurity has become essential.
Thus, AI helps to increase the pace of the process, whereas human knowledge and experience are crucial for the process of making security decisions.
When Does an Organization Need Threat Intel?
Organizations that have extensive attack surfaces, handle highly sensitive data, and are more vulnerable to targeted attacks would find threat intel beneficial.
In addition, it would be especially helpful if an organization experiences difficulties with alert volumes, vulnerability prioritization, and analyzing the behavior of attackers.
Nevertheless, first of all, an organization needs to identify its problem before implementing threat intel and select the field where it will be used: threat detection, vulnerability management, threat hunting, etc.
In this regard, having proper cybersecurity maturity helps a business.
Conclusion
Hackers are always changing their methods and searching for vulnerabilities to exploit. It is not enough for organizations to have just security technologies and alerts. It is essential to understand the context.
Threat intel helps in that because it transforms disjointed information into insights about the attacker, vulnerability, campaign, and new threats.
Once the security team uses these insights to understand which risk requires immediate attention, which threat is likely to emerge, and which area should be protected, then they can make better and faster decisions.
It is unable to forecast the future actions of the hacker exactly. It is only able to see current trends, new threats, and areas of vulnerability.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Q1. What do you understand by Threat Intelligence?
This is based on the analysis of data related to cyber threats that will allow organizations to make security decisions.
Q2. Why is it necessary for cybersecurity?
It allows security experts to be aware of threats, prioritize risks, and respond proactively.
Q3. What are the various kinds of threat intel?
Some of the commonly known types of threat intelligence include tactical, operational, and technical.
Q4. Is threat intel helpful for small businesses?
Yes, it is beneficial for small businesses to identify threats and prioritize security.