Threat intelligence is the knowledge that enables the prevention or mitigation of attacks on corporate data. Rooted in data, it provides context : who is attacking, what their motivations and resources are, and what indicators of compromise should be looked for in applications.
And this contextualization helps Information Technology (IT) managers make informed decisions about information security. This is always bearing in mind that digital technologies are at the heart of almost every industry today.
In practice, it is necessary to be aware that automation and the greater connectivity they offer have revolutionized organizations, but they also bring risks.
We will help you reflect on this throughout this article. Read on to understand what it is and why to invest in threat intelligence!
Why is threat intelligence important?
Today, the cybersecurity ecosystem faces multiple challenges: increasingly persistent and rogue threat actors; a daily barrage of data filled with extraneous information and false alarms in various interconnected systems and a serious shortage of qualified professionals.
Some organizations try to embed threat data feeds into their network, but don't know what to do with ever-increasing bases. This increases the burden on analysts who do not always have the tools to decide what to prioritize and what to ignore.
That's why threat intelligence is very important.
According to Gartner , it is "evidence-based knowledge, including context, mechanisms, indicators, implications, and action-oriented advice about an existing or emerging threat or hazard to assets." Furthermore, "this intelligence can be used to inform decisions about the subject's response to that threat or hazard."
From a tooling point of view, a cyber threat intelligence solution can solve each of these problems. Typically using machine learning to:
- automate data collection and processing;
- integrate with existing solutions;
- receive unstructured data from different sources;
- and connecting the dots by providing context on indicators of compromise and threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures.
In short, threat intelligence is actionable: timely, it provides context, and it can be understood by the people in charge of making decisions to protect information systems and assets.
Who can benefit from threat intelligence?
Cyber threat intelligence is widely imagined to be the domain of elite analysts. However, it adds value across all security functions for organizations of all sizes.
There are companies that treat threat intelligence as a separate function within a broader paradigm. This, rather than an essential component that augments all other functions, means that many of the people who would benefit most from this strategy do not have access to it.
Security operations teams are often unable to process the alerts they receive—threat intelligence integrates with the security solutions you already use, helping to automatically prioritize and filter alerts and other threats.
Vulnerability management teams can more accurately prioritize the most important vulnerabilities with access to the insights and external context provided by threat intelligence.
And fraud prevention, risk analysis, and other high-level security processes are enriched by the understanding of the current threat landscape that threat intelligence provides. Including key insights into threat actors, their tactics, techniques and procedures, and more.
Want to keep learning about Threat Intelligence? Download our newly released eBook on the topic now !
