Threat intelligence and why it matters for cybersecurity

What is threat intelligence?

Cyber threat intelligence is what cyber threat information becomes once it has been collected and analysed using advanced algorithms. By gathering large amounts of data about current cybersecurity threats and trends, and performing analytics on this data, cyber threat analysts can derive usable intelligence that helps their customers to better detect and prepare for cyber threats. 

Security teams then consolidate this data into an intelligence report, which is circulated and shared with other departments. The end goal is to mitigate attacks by understanding how threat actors operate.

Why is threat intelligence important? Like all forms of intelligence, CTI provides a value-add to cybersecurity. It strengthens an organization’s capability to minimize cyber risk, manage threats and feed intelligence back into all products that protect the attack surfaces. 

How does threat intelligence work? 

Aside from identifying vulnerabilities in software and hardware, the report includes indicators of tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP). Traditionally part of the military jargon, TTPs are a key concept in cybersecurity and describe how cyber-attackers orchestrate, execute and manage operational attacks. 

“Tactics” define what a cyber-attacker’s goal is, and the general strategies used to gain access to an organization’s systems and information (e.g. social engineering or physical infiltration); “techniques” explains how the cyber-attack is conducted (e.g. phishing users via email attachments); and “procedures” are a step-by-step orchestration of the attack, and often the best way to build an attacker’s profile. This might include scanning a website for vulnerabilities, writing an SQL query that includes malicious code, then submitting it to an unsecured Web form to gain control of the server.

Cyber threat intelligence – who needs it?

The short answer is everyone. Cyber threat intelligence is for anyone with a vested interest in the cybersecurity infrastructure of an organization. Although CTI can be tailored to suit any audience, in most cases, threat intelligence teams work closely with the Security Operation Centre (SOC) that monitors and protects a business on a daily basis. 

Research shows that CTI has proved beneficial to people at all levels of government (national, regional or local), from security officers, police chiefs and policymakers, to information technology specialists and law enforcement officers. It also provides value to many other professionals, such as IT managers, accountants and criminal analysts.

The threat intelligence life cycle

The creation of cyber threat intelligence is a circular process known as an “intelligence cycle”. In this cycle, which consists of five stages, data collection is planned, implemented and evaluated; the results are then analysed to produce intelligence, which is later disseminated and re-evaluated against new information and consumer feedback. The circularity of the process means that gaps are identified in the intelligence delivered, initiating new collection requirements and launching the intelligence cycle all over again.

Three types of threat intelligence

Broadly speaking, intelligence is split into three areas to suit the wide range of intelligence needs of organizations. These can range from low-level information on malware variants being used in attack campaigns, to high-level information intended to inform strategic investments and policy creation. By studying these needs, it is often possible to make informed strategic, operational and tactical assessments. 

• Strategic intelligence: This type of threat intelligence is intended to provide a broad picture of how threats and tactics (including actors, tools and TTPs) change over time. Generated on demand as a report, this bird’s eye view of the threat landscape helps decision makers take high-level decisions in real time.
• Operational intelligence: This type of threat intelligence is focused on understanding adversarial capabilities, infrastructure and TTPs, and then leveraging that understanding to conduct more targeted and prioritized cybersecurity operations. This cannot be done by machines alone and human analysis is needed to convert the data into a digestible format. 
• Tactical intelligence: This type of threat intelligence is about understanding high-level trends and adversarial motives, and then leveraging that information to engage in strategic security and business-making decisions. It offers support to operations on a tactical level and its collection can almost always be automated.

These three types of threat intelligence (strategic, operational and tactical) are at the forefront of the revised ISO/IEC 27002 with a view to helping organizations collect and analyse “information relating to information security threats”. This control addition is incredibly important. Not only does it standardize the need for threat intelligence, but the intelligence being consumed will help organizations inform security strategies and deliver appropriate mitigation actions. The result is intelligence that is “relevant”, “insightful”, “contextual” and “actionable” across an organization’s whole security perimeter. 

Integrated intelligence for your organization

A good intel solution helps organizations easily consume intelligence, take action and maximize the impact of their intelligence investment. The job of an advanced threat intelligence platform – or TIP for short – is to automate the threat investigation process, deliver actionable intelligence and provide deeper visibility into the global threat landscape. Armed with this level of automation, your cybersecurity team can begin analysing the threats that are most relevant to your organization.

For optimum results, select a threat intelligence platform with the following characteristics:

• Multi-source data correlation, i.e. the ability to aggregate internal and external data sources to provide an organization with comprehensive visibility into cyber threats.
• Automated analysis and triage, which avoids the risk of having to contend with a deluge of redundant and low-quality data.
• Data sharing function, which automatically disseminates data across an organization’s security deployment.
• Automation, used to speed up the analysis and use of threat intelligence.
• Actionable insights, to give hands-on advice on how organizations can protect themselves against the threats that cyber intelligence has brought to their attention.

• ISO/IEC 27001:2022Information security management systems
• ISO/IEC 27002:2022Information security controls

Threat intelligence – what’s next?

Every day, cybersecurity teams are faced with vast quantities of information regarding potential threats. With data streaming in from websites, apps, back-office systems, user accounts, and many more entry or access points, handling threat intelligence becomes a formidable challenge. To navigate this landscape effectively, a sophisticated and integrated solution is necessary to sift through the noise, discern patterns and anticipate emerging trends.

A robust threat intelligence platform doesn’t only streamline the process, it also enables teams to continually reassess their priorities within their specific context, so they can swiftly adapt their defence strategies. Investing in comprehensive security measures for your digital assets has numerous benefits, from cost savings associated with outsourcing IT staff to enhanced incident response capabilities – and the peace of mind it brings is priceless!