The “cyber threat” refers to actions that are deemed malicious and are carried out deliberately or inadvertently by; hackers, criminals, business rivals, spies, dissatisfied workers, organized crime groups, and hactivist societies, in order to obtain unauthorized access, interrupt infrastructure, intercept classified data, and/or share data with third parties. Phishing, 0-day attacks, APT (Advanced Persistent Threat), trojans, botnets, ransomware, DdoS, malware, and other intentional cyber threats are some of the most well-known examples. Internal risks, on the other hand, may arise within a company. These risks have the potential to do significant harm to the affected company and/or organisation.
One of the sub-branches of cyber security is “cyber threat intelligence” which is the gathering and processing of data regarding cyber threats that affect an institution’s or organization’s security. Data by itself does not constitute knowledge. The information must be processed. A critical component of the cybersecurity ecosystem is cyber threat intelligence. Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) tracks the patterns attackers use by detecting and assessing risks, and by doing so, it assists companies in taking defensive steps to defend themselves from potential attacks. This allows for proactive steps to be taken in order to plan for potential cyber threats. Cyber threat intelligence is not a cure by itself. It is, nonetheless, a critical security measure. Because of the changing nature of risks, defense strategies are just as good as the information they depend on.
It is very difficult to heed security alerts, according to a report published by the Ponemon Institute in January 2015 on “the cost of malware safety.” According to the findings of this study and report, 40 percent of businesses have suffered a financial security breach in the last 24 months. It has been determined that 80 percent of these breaches could be avoided or the harm caused by the violations could be reduced using Cyber Threat Intelligence. Furthermore, having a bad reputation is one of the most serious issues that an organisation can face. To avoid this, using these methods is no longer an option, but rather a must.
The following questions are raised within the scope of cyber threat intelligence: who is attacking, who is being attacked, what is the intent of the attack, how can the attack happen, where does the attack come from, and how can the system be defended. It is important to be able to answer these questions. What distinguishes knowledge is the ability to have answers to these questions. As a result, Cyber Threat Intelligence teams aim to communicate with individuals or groups when possible, and they use a variety of sources to do so, including social media, illegal websites, communication platforms, the 3W (common web, deep web, dark web), individuals, open sources, photos, and so on. About every platform and cyber threat employs its own set of strategies and approaches. Sensitive and vital data regarding the organisation were closely traced by having a comprehensive investigation. The attackers’ views, goals, motives, and strategies are more or less decided after reviewing the collected data. The data is filtered, evaluated, and interpreted by experts as a product of the data gained.
The cycle in cyber threat intelligence is as follows:
Cyber threat analysis allows organizations to quickly collect information on the cyber threats they face and the dangers they pose. Before being affected by newly developing threats, necessary intelligence is gathered and preventative steps are planned. Threat events are tracked in real time. The organisation is informed of its vulnerabilities and deficiencies in the face of cyber threats. It facilitates a mechanism in which threats are passed to SIEMs (Security Information and Event Management) in order to deter them by initiating a quicker and more reliable associating operation. It allows SOC (Security Operation Center) observers to easily identify alerts by categorizing symptoms into severity levels. Security breaches are detected, and the appropriate steps are taken to address them. After all of this, the requisite steps can be taken. Most notably, Cyber Threat Intelligence ensures a consistent flow of data. As a result, the institution’s, workers’, and consumers’ losses will be reduced.
In light of all of this, cyber threat intelligence can be divided into three categories:
Being one or a few steps ahead of the attackers is one of the causes that relieves the organizations as a consequence of the given reasons and benefits. Early response to attacks will prevent or reduce damage both before and after the attack. Cyber threats are becoming more and more complex every day. Companies can be severely harmed even by a small-scale yet unforeseen attack. As a result, it is critical to detect such attacks by previous study. In terms of detecting cyber threats and taking countermeasures before they happen, cyber threat intelligence is critical.
