Cyber threats like zero-day, malware, and denial-of-service attacks have risen more than before. With people sharing more organizational and personal data online, cybercriminals are finding new approaches to obtain and use that information for unwanted purposes and get more money.
Fortunately, there are steps that you can take to ensure your data will remain secure. This is where cybersecurity comes in. From the word itself, cybersecurity is the application of technologies, controls, and processes to safeguard devices, systems, networks, programs, and data from cyber threats and illegal access.
One way in which cybersecurity is applied is through cyber threat intelligence (CTI). But what is it about?
Cyber Threat Intelligence
CTI is about knowing a threat actor’s targets, motives, and attack behaviors. This is made possible by obtaining, processing, and assessing cyber data. CTI sources include social media, open-source, technical, and human intelligence. It can also include data from the deep and dark web.
Having security intelligence feeds is crucial for an organization for some reasons. It helps one to identify, examine, and respond to unwanted cyberattacks. Thus, organizations with threat intelligence programs are more prepared to protect themselves from these threats. The reason is that this intelligence offers insight into the most up-to-date threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities so they can determine what to do to prevent and reduce them.
Moreover, CTI can assist in determining the purposes and strategies of particular cybercriminals. This data can help adjust one’s security practices and become more ready against possible attacks from those people over time.
Benefits Of Cyber Threat Intelligence
There are other benefits to having CTI besides preventing cyber-attacks. If you want to know more, read on.
- Cost-Effective
Although you may assume this state-of-the-art technology could be expensive, CTI is cost-effective and can help you save money. An enhanced defensive posture based on CTI can reduce and prevent continuous threats. This can be ideal for avoiding risks, reducing response times, and boosting security investments. You can enhance financial and human resources efficiencies with resources centered on actual cyber threats that can badly impact your organization.
- Makes Your Cybersecurity Team More Effective
Cyber threat intelligence recognizes possible cyber threats to your organization. It also states which cyber threats require more immediate focus. This can help your cybersecurity department to become more prepared.
Additionally, CTI will boost the response rate of your organization’s time. It’s because your security team can focus more on pressing security threats at the moment. This can significantly increase the efficiency of your security team and reduce their responsibilities.
Types Of Threat Intelligence
Now that you’ve learned two examples of benefits that a CTI can offer, it’s time to know the two types of threat intelligence. You should know them so that you can assess which are ideal for your organization.
- Tactical Threat Intelligence
Threat actors are usually driven by money and plan cyber-attacks to obtain enterprise data. This data can either be sold or used as a tool for ransom. Some threat actors are hacktivists, meaning they attack cyber defenses against organizations whose practices are contrary to what they believe or support. Other groups are state-sponsored that do so out of espionage to steal intellectual property and confidential state information from foreign parties.
For this reason, tactical intelligence can be ideal. Tactical threat intelligence identifies threat actors’ techniques, tactics, and procedures that can specifically attack an organization. It also assesses the state of an organization’s network, focusing on its strong and weak points. Thus, tactical CTI can secure your brand, data, and systems.
- Strategic Threat Intelligence
This type of cyber threat intelligence provides a panoramic view of cyber threats that can affect an organization. It assists executives and other decision-makers in determining the cyber threats they’re more concerned with.
Typical sources of strategic intelligence are:
- New reports
- Policy papers
- Whitepapers and reports from security organizations
That said, the data obtained from this data is suitable for extensive use. It’s also ideal for creating strategic organizational decisions. For instance, you can examine the outcome of this threat intelligence when planning the budget, employee, and product balance in safeguarding critical assets.
Takeaways
Cyber threats are increasing as time goes by. With more people and organizations sharing data online, the need for proper cybersecurity measures becomes more vital than before. One way that you can employ cybersecurity is through CTI. CTI is a way to gather data about cyber threats and threat actors to mitigate and prevent such risks.
There are many benefits to having proper CTI. One advantage is that it reduces expenses. As you boost your organization’s cyber defenses, you can spend more investments on your online security. The second benefit is that it makes your security team more effective. The data gathered through CTI can prepare the team for possible online risks.
Ultimately, incorporating CTI into your organization ensures your data will remain safe and avoid damaging people’s trust. This can prevent financial loss and can safeguard your reputation over time.