How Threat Intelligence Management Platforms Help Detect and Mitigate Cyber Threats

With rising sophistication and volume of cyber-attacks, there's ever-increasing pressure on businesses to secure their data, networks and systems. We are living through an era of increasingly sophisticated attack methods, including ransomware, phishing, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and more; organizations need to employ advanced strategies for discovering and mitigating cyber risks. A threat intelligence management platform is one of the most useful tools in a cybersecurity strategy. These services allow businesses to use the data gathered in order to interpret and respond to threats to stay ahead of criminal activity and exposure to risk.

In this article, we will explore how threat intelligence management platforms work and how they help organizations detect and mitigate cyber threats.

What is Threat Intelligence Management?

Threat Intelligence Management is the set of processes and technologies used to collect, analyze and share information about potential and real threats. This data contains information about attack methods, vulnerabilities, behaviors of threat actors, indicators of compromise (IOCs), etc. Threat intelligence is that actionable insight implemented correctly helps the business understand the risk it entails and take a proactive approach to defend itself against the very risk.

Threat intelligence management platforms offer the capabilities necessary to work with this data efficiently; businesses can thus integrate, analyze, and share threat intelligence in real time. By processing large amounts of disparate threat data, these platforms enable organizations to make informed decisions and respond rapidly to threats.

How Threat Intelligence Management Platforms Detect Cyber Threats

1. Aggregating Threat Data from Multiple Sources

Aggregating data from different threat intelligence sources is one of the core functions of a threat intelligence management platform. These include open-source intelligence (OSINT), commercial threat intelligence providers, government agencies, and sector-specific sharing initiatives. Centralizing this data in one place gives businesses visibility over the whole threat landscape.

A threat intelligence management platform, for example, could aggregate data from multiple intelligence sources to monitor for known bad IP addresses, malware signatures, or phishing tactics. For instance, by studying this data, the platform can sense the first signs of an attack, like attempts to exploit a known vulnerability or contact with a suspicious IP address.

2. Analyzing Threat Data for Patterns and Trends

Once the threat data is aggregated, threat intelligence management platforms use advanced analytics to identify patterns and trends within the data. This type of analysis allows businesses to be aware of threats that are on the horizon and gives them insight into the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) that a given threat actor might use.

The platform could, for example, identify that a new flavor of malware is spreading in regions or industries. Recognizing these trends allows businesses to adjust their defenses to counter these new threats before they hit critical systems.

3. Offering Alerts To Take Action In Real-Time

Threat management intelligence platforms aim to alert you in real-time, whenever suspicious activity is detected. This is crucial for organizations that have to act fast to avoid threats and reduce damage. Such alerts can be indicators of compromise (IOCs): IP addresses, file hashes, URLs related to known attacks, etc.

These platforms are capable of triggering automated responses via integrations with other security systems, including SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools, and firewalls. If, for instance, the platform identifies an unauthorized IP address attempting to connect to a secure system, it has the capability to automatically deny the connection, thereby thwarting the attack before it can advance.

4. How to Enable Threat Hunting and Incident Response

Threat intelligence management platforms are also enabling proactive threat hunting and incident response activities. Security teams and threat hunters are able to use the platform’s data in a query-based way to find potential threats across the network and systems by looking for atypical behavior and signs of compromise.

These platforms allow security teams to act quickly and effectively in response to an attack. Providing a detailed picture of the threat, including the attackers' tactics and objectives allows security teams to better contain and remediate the incident.

How Threat Intelligence Management Platforms Mitigate Cyber Threats

Improving Risk Prioritization

Looming cyber threats are relentless, forcing organizations to prioritize their countermeasures against these risks. Use threat intelligence management platforms that provide insights that help businesses identify which of these threats are most detrimental to so they can prepare accordingly. By studying a threat’s context, like how serious it is, how common, and what damage it could cause, businesses can give priority to guarding against which of the threat types.

For example, when a threat intelligence platform discovers a large scale phishing campaign that threatens to affect an industry, businesses in that field can move up their implementation of email security or employee awareness training and so on to reduce the chances of being a victim of such an attack.

Augmenting Threat Mitigation Actions

Most ATA platforms leverage integration with other security systems for mitigration automation. However, you can leverage automation in the case of a known bad actor in your network by way of trusted third-party integration to respond faster. Such that if your platform can detect a referred malicious IP address trying to connect to your network, it should be able to lock-off that address with a network access control tool or firewall. This minimizes the need for human intervention and aids organizations in responding swiftly to threats.”

Automated mitigation also means that responses are uniform and effective. Utilizing threat intelligence allows organizations to maintain their defense posture against new threats or vulnerabilities without the need for constant oversight.

Partnership with Trusted Parties on Threat Intelligence

Another notable advantage of threat intelligence management platforms is their capacity to share threat data with trusted partners. A lot of organizations work with industry partners, government agencies, and information-sharing communities to share threat data. These collaborative efforts provide firms with access to valuable information about emerging threats and lessons learned from their peers.

An example is a threat intelligence platform that companies can use to share information (within that professional environment) about new malware that has been discovered or about new types of attacks, so that those in the industry can better protect themselves against those types of attacks. The collective effort enhances the security posture of entire industries, raising the bar for cybercriminals.

Introducing Empowered Incident Postmortem and Analysis

Understanding how an attack happened and what might have been done to prevent it all matters, especially after a cybersecurity incident. Threat intelligence management platforms offer this detailed data that can be utilized in the during the postmortem of an incident to determine which access routes the threat actor leveraged and which tools they wielded.

It assists organizations to enhance their security to prevent future attacks. Learn more from historical events and incorporate threat intelligence to enhance security posture and minimize the impact of future attacks.

What to Look for in a Threat Intelligence Management Platform

Here are some of the key features to look for when evaluating a threat intelligence management platform for your organization:

• Train the Platform with Latest Threat Intelligence: The platform should include real-time threat information, so that organizations can react quickly to upcoming risks.
• Integration with Security Tools: Choose a platform that can integrate with your current security infrastructure, such as firewalls, SIEM systems, and endpoint protection solutions.
• Configurable Alerts: The solution should allow you to configure alerts as needed for your organization’s unique threat ecosystem and security environment.
• Collaboration And Sharing: A good platform should offer you the ability to share threat intelligence with trusted partners, and to learn from other organizations.
• Response Automation: Automated response capabilities can help organizations respond more quickly to critical incidents while minimizing human error.

Conclusion

Short for Threat intelligence management types of systems open source or commercial. The need to deploy threat intelligence management platforms to help organizations better recognize and defend against cyberthreats, prioritize risks, and automate defensive actions. Such platforms provide organizations with the ability to proactively address developing threats, respond speedily to incidents, and minimize their total risk exposure. Learn more →As threats become increasingly evasive and resistance are always on the rise, if its not already there (and even if it is), strength in the tools you have at your disposal is paramount to securing your digital estate and ensuring uptime in your business.