How to Use Cyber Threat Intelligence? 4 TI Categories to Learn SOC/DFIR Team

Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is a process that actively gathers and analyzes information on potential cyber threats, including Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) used by attackers, along with their goals and capabilities. 

The ultimate goal of CTI is to proactively understand an organization’s attack surface and identify vulnerabilities that need patching while collecting data is just the first step; effective CTI requires processing and analyzing the data to make informed security decisions. 

Threat intelligence Lookup can be categorized into four categories to provide a comprehensive picture of cyber threats. Strategic intelligence focuses on the big picture, analyzing threat actors’ trends, motivations, and capabilities. 

It helps answer questions like “who can attack us and why?”. Operational intelligence dives deeper, examining the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) used in attacks. 

Equips security teams to actively detect and respond to threats with tools like Threat Intelligence Platforms and sandboxes. 

To proactively defend against cyberattacks, security teams use technical threat intelligence (TTI) that identifies specific indicators of compromise (IOCs) like IP addresses, file hashes, and malicious domains. 

Intel informs the configuration of security and monitoring systems to block or detect ongoing attacks. Tactical threat intelligence, on the other hand, provides immediate, actionable information for ongoing incidents. 

It includes details on exploited vulnerabilities within the infrastructure or specific malware families involved in the attack, allowing security teams to respond swiftly with tools like incident response playbooks and vulnerability remediation guides. 

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Threat Intelligence Lifecycle:

The Threat Intelligence Lifecycle is a continuous, 6-step process for proactive cybersecurity that begins with planning to identify critical assets and define intelligence needs where diverse data from open sources, human intelligence, and internal logs is collected. 

The data is then processed for analysis, which involves techniques like data mining to identify patterns and potential threats. Derived insights are disseminated to security teams, executives, and partners as reports and alerts. 

Stakeholder feedback is used to refine intelligence requirements and improve overall security posture, ensuring organizations stay ahead of evolving threats. 

To maintain relevant threat intelligence, run a full lifecycle analysis every 1-3 months, review intelligence needs quarterly and prioritize distributing critical threats immediately. 

Using automated systems like threat intelligence feeds for continuous data collection and processing ensures analysts have access to the latest information for early incident detection, which keeps threat intelligence sharp.  

Analysts can use interactive sandboxes to analyze the threat in a controlled environment when encountering an unidentified malicious executable with suspicious network activity. Platforms like ANY.RUN mimic real systems and allow researchers to upload the sample for execution. 

The sandbox monitors the malware’s interactions with the network, hard drive, and memory, providing real-time data on its behavior and potential impact, which facilitates rapid threat identification and informed response strategies.

Security products often offer built-in reporting features to expedite threat intelligence distribution. For instance, ANY.RUN allows for generating MITRE ATT&CK reports that map malicious actions to techniques and link to mitigation details. 

Customizable text reports with selective information can be created and shared securely via links, streamlining threat intelligence dissemination amongst stakeholders. 

Exploring the Four Types of Threat Intelligence

Threat intelligence can be divided into four distinct types, each offering unique insights and analysis scopes:

1. Strategic
2. Operational
3. Technical
4. Tactical

Here’s a closer look at each category:

• Strategic Threat Intelligence provides a broad overview of the cyber threat landscape, focusing on threat actors’ trends, motivations, and capabilities. It aims to answer questions such as “Who might target us and for what reasons?”

• Tools for Strategic Threat Intelligence:

1. Threat landscape reports
2. Geopolitical threat analysis
3. Profiles of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)

• Operational Threat Intelligence delves into the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) employed by adversaries. This intelligence is crucial for security teams to effectively detect and counteract threats.

• Tools for Operational Threat Intelligence:

1. Threat Intelligence Platforms (e.g., OpenCTI)
2. Lookup portals for threat intelligence
3. Interactive malware sandboxes (e.g., ANY.RUN)

• Technical Threat Intelligence zeroes in on specific Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) such as IP addresses, domain names, and file hashes. This information is vital for configuring security measures and monitoring systems to thwart or identify and halt attacks.

• Tools for Technical Threat Intelligence:

1. Threat intelligence feeds (e.g., ANY.RUN Feeds)
2. Tools for analyzing network traffic
3. Solutions for deobfuscation and reverse engineering

• Tactical Threat Intelligence provides immediate, actionable information needed to respond to current threats. It covers details like exploited vulnerabilities within your infrastructure or specific malware families implicated in active attacks.

• Tools for Tactical Threat Intelligence:

1. Incident response playbooks
2. Malware analysis reports
3. Guides for patching vulnerabilities

Each type of threat intelligence plays a critical role in a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, offering different layers of insight to protect against and respond to cyber threats effectively.

What is ANY.RUN?

ANY.RUN is a cloud-based malware lab that does most of the work for security teams. 400,000 professionals use ANY.RUN platform every day to look into events and speed up threat research on Linux and Windows cloud VMs.

Advantages of ANY.RUN 

• Real-time Detection: ANY.RUN can find malware and instantly identify many malware families using YARA and Suricata rules within about 40 seconds of posting a file.
• Interactive Malware Analysis: ANY.RUN differs from many automated options because it lets you connect with the virtual machine from your browser. This live feature helps stop zero-day vulnerabilities and advanced malware that can get past signature-based protection.
• Value for money: ANY.RUN’s cloud-based nature makes it a cost-effective option for businesses since your DevOps team doesn’t have to do any setup or support work.
• Best for onboarding new security team members: ANY. RUN’s easy-to-use interface allows even new SOC researchers to quickly learn to examine malware and identify signs of compromise (IOCs).

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