Today's world is more interconnected than ever before thanks to digital technology. However, increased connectivity has increased the risk of cyberattacks such as security breaches, data theft, and malware. Threat intelligence is an important aspect of cybersecurity. Continue reading to learn about cyber threat intelligence, why it's important, and how to use it.

What is Cyber threat intelligence: Definition

Threat intelligence is frequently confused with other cybersecurity terms. People frequently confuse 'threat data' with 'threat intelligence,' but the two are not synonymous:

Threat data sets consist of a list of potential threats. Cyber Threat intelligence considers the big picture to create narratives that inform decision-making by interrogating data and its larger context.

The use of threat intelligence enables organizations to make more informed, timely security decisions. It shifts an organization's mindset from a reactive posture—wherein they are only responding to attacks that have already occurred and stealing the opportunity for proactive defense.

Why is it important?

A cyber threat intelligence programme, also known as CTI, can:

• Prevent data loss: A well-structured CTI programme can detect cyber threats and avoid data breaches from releasing sensitive information.
• Provide guidance on safety protocols: CTI identifies and analyses threats, identifying patterns used by hackers and assisting organisations in putting security measures in place to protect against future attacks.
• Alert others: Hackers are becoming more sophisticated by the day. To stay ahead of the game, cybersecurity experts share the tactics they've seen with others in their community in order to build a collective knowledge base to combat cybercrime.

Types of Cyber Threat Intelligence

Cybersecurity threat intelligence is frequently classified into three types, these types will tell you in detail what is cyber threat intelligence: strategic, tactical, and operational.

Strategic threat intelligence

This form of analysis is often used by non-technical decision makers, such as a company's board of directors. Strategic threat intelligence examines overall trends as well as motivations and is based on both internal company sources (such as reporting, research) and external open sources.

Tactical threat intelligence

This is focused on immediate threats and identifies simple indicators of compromise (IOCs)—searchable by network IT personnel to help them remove specific malware threats.

Bad IP addresses, known malicious domain names, unexpected traffic patterns or spikes in file downloads are all examples of IOCs. It is the easiest type of intelligence to generate and often automated. It tends to have a short shelf life because many IOCs are made obsolete by new technologies.

Operational threat intelligence

Every cyber attack has a "who," "why," and "how." Operational threat intelligence seeks to answer these questions by analysing previous cyber attacks and drawing conclusions about intent, timing, as well as sophistication. Operational threat intelligence demands more resources to gather, analyze and disseminate; it often spans months or years. This is due to the fact that cyber attackers are unable to change their tactics, techniques, as well as procedures (known as TTPs) as easily as they can change their tools, such as a specific type of malware.

Benefits of Cyber Threat Intelligence

Threat intelligence benefits everyone with an interest in security. Benefits, particularly if you own a business, include:

Less Risks 

Hackers are always coming up with new ways of breaking into networks. Businesses can use cyber threat intelligence to identify vulnerabilities as they emerge, lowering the risk of data loss and business disruption.

Preventing data breaches

A comprehensive cyber threat intelligence system should assist in the prevention of data breaches. This is accomplished by monitoring suspicious domains or IP addresses that attempt to communicate with an organization's systems. A good CTI system will block suspicious IP addresses from the network, which could otherwise steal your data. In the absence of a CTI system, hackers could flood the network with bogus traffic and launch a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

Reduced Costs

Data breaches are costly. The global average cost of a data breach in 2021 was $4.24 million (although this varies by sector – the highest being healthcare). These expenses include legal fees and fines, as well as post-incident reinstatement costs. Cyber threat intelligence reduces the likelihood of data breaches which saves money. Cyber Threat intelligence research essentially assists an organisation in understanding cyber risks and the steps required to mitigate those risks.

What should a Cyber Threat Intelligence programme look for?

Threat management necessitates a 360-degree view of your assets. To protect your organisation, you need a programme that monitors activity, identifies problems, as well as provides the data you need to make informed decisions. Here are some characteristics to look for in a cyber threat intelligence programme:

Customised threat management

You want a company that can access your system, identify flaws, recommend safeguards, and monitor it around the clock. Many cybersecurity systems claim to do this, but look for one that can tailor a solution to your specific requirements. Because cybersecurity isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, don't settle for a company that sells it.

Genuine solutions

A cyber threat intelligence programme should assist your organisation in identifying attacks and mitigating risks. The programme must address all aspects of the problem, and not just those identified by outside observers.

About DriveIt

DriveIT Technologies is a group of cyber security enablers based in India that offers cyber security services. We turn cyber security challenges into innovative solutions that meet our clients’ needs. One of the ways we do this is by working closely with them to secure their critical IT infrastructure. With our assistance, the client's IT infrastructure will be secure, redundant, stable, and recoverable, providing them with a flexible strategy to operate their core businesses effectively and affordably with the help of our cyber threat intelligence.

In an ever-expanding threat landscape, cyber threats can have serious consequences for your organisation—but with strong intelligence on those threats you can reduce risks that could cause reputational and financial harm. To stay ahead of cyber attacks, request a demo of the DriveIt Threat Intelligence platform—and see how these advanced capabilities can help your organization.