In today’s world, cyber attacks are a constant threat to businesses of all sizes. In order to protect themselves, businesses need to have a strong understanding of the threats they face. Threat intelligence can provide this understanding by providing businesses with information about potential threats, such as the types of attacks that are being used, the groups that are behind them, and the targets they are targeting.
Threat intelligence can be gathered from a variety of sources, including open-source intelligence (OSINT), human intelligence (HUMINT), and technical intelligence (TECHINT). OSINT is information that is publicly available, such as news articles, social media posts, and threat actor forums. HUMINT is information that is gathered from human sources, such as informants and defectors. TECHINT is information that is gathered from technical sources, such as network traffic and malware samples.
Once threat intelligence has been gathered, it needs to be analyzed and processed in order to identify potential threats to a business. This analysis can be done by threat intelligence analysts, who are experts in identifying and understanding cyber threats. Once potential threats have been identified, businesses can take steps to mitigate those threats, such as implementing security controls or increasing employee awareness.
Threat intelligence can be a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes. By understanding the threats they face, businesses can make informed decisions about how to protect themselves. Threat intelligence can also help businesses to respond more effectively to cyber attacks, should they occur.
Here are some of the benefits of using threat intelligence:
- Increased situational awareness: Threat intelligence can help businesses to understand the threats they face, both in terms of the types of attacks that are being used and the groups that are behind them. This increased situational awareness can help businesses to make more informed decisions about how to protect themselves.
- Improved threat detection: Threat intelligence can help businesses to identify potential threats early on, before they can cause damage. This can help businesses to respond more quickly and effectively to cyber attacks.
- Reduced risk: Threat intelligence can help businesses to reduce their risk of being attacked by cyber criminals. By understanding the threats they face and taking steps to mitigate those threats, businesses can make themselves a less attractive target.
- Improved compliance: Threat intelligence can help businesses to comply with regulations that require them to have a strong understanding of the cyber threats they face. For example, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) requires businesses to have a vulnerability management program in place, which can be supported by threat intelligence.
If you are looking for a way to improve your business’s cyber security posture, threat intelligence is a valuable tool that can help you to identify and mitigate potential threats.