Threat intelligence refers to the collection, analysis, and use of detailed data about cyber threats to help organizations protect their IT infrastructure from malicious attacks.
Every day, organizations around the world are forced to deal with a barrage of increasingly dangerous and sophisticated cyber threats. Threat intelligence (also known as cyber threat intelligence, or CTI) is a powerful tool that can help cybersecurity teams stay up to date and informed about new and emerging cyber threats, identify potential risks or vulnerabilities in their systems, and protect their IT networks, business, and reputation.
Threat intelligence involves gathering and analyzing intelligence from a variety of different sources to create a survey of the cyber threat landscape and build a profile of the latest tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) being used by bad actors. The sources of CTI can range from open-source intelligence (OSINT) and indicators of compromise (IoCs) to internal analyses, technical intelligence, cyberattack forensic data, social media sources, commercial intelligence providers, and individual device logs.
Unlike traditional security measures such as firewalls or anti-malware software which defend against attacks that are already underway, threat intelligence allows organizations to adopt a more proactive approach towards cybersecurity by taking concrete, actionable, and data-driven steps to prevent cyberattacks before they occur.
Why is threat intelligence important?
Threat intelligence is a crucial part of an organization’s threat detection and response strategy that helps cybersecurity teams understand the mindset, methods, and motives of cybercriminals so they can proactively identify emerging threats, anticipate how best to defend against them, and implement those defences before an attack takes place.
By allowing organizations to make smart decisions fast, threat intelligence also makes it possible to react more quickly and decisively when cyberattacks do occur—everything from phishing schemes and malware attacks to botnet assaults, ransomware attacks, data breaches, identity threats, SQL and DDoS attacks, and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
Combining proactive and reactive approaches enables organizations to fortify their security posture, minimize risk, and respond to threat incidents more efficiently. As a result, businesses ranging from large financial institutions and resource firms to entertainment conglomerates and multinational social media companies have been able to successfully use threat intelligence to defend themselves and their customers against both real and potential cyber threats—potentially saving millions of dollars in remediation costs in the process.
Who can benefit from threat intelligence?
Threat intelligence can benefit businesses of any size and in every sector of the economy. This includes organizations trying to protect their own sensitive assets and information, security analysts who use threat intelligence technologies to analyze and interpret vast amounts of raw data, and even law enforcement agencies that rely on threat intelligence to track bad actors and investigate cybercrimes.
For larger businesses, threat intelligence can significantly reduce cybersecurity costs while improving security outcomes. For small- and medium-sized businesses that lack the money or resources to employ a dedicated in-house cybersecurity team, threat intelligence provides a way to prioritize high-impact security measures that can mitigate their biggest risks.
Effective threat intelligence can also help organizations inform their corporate strategies by giving them the data and insights they need to identify the most likely threats, assess the potential impacts on their business operations, and guide their security investments appropriately.
Unlike most other cybersecurity tools, threat intelligence can be shared collaboratively between organizations, cybersecurity providers, and government agencies. That exchange delivers mutual benefits, allowing businesses to combat cyber threats more effectively, strengthen their collective defences, and stay one step ahead of even the most malicious attackers.
What are the five stages of threat intelligence?
Threat intelligence is a continuous, cyclical process: each stage informs and guides the next, and the last leads back to the first in an ongoing loop of intelligence, analysis, and action. The threat intelligence lifecycle involves five main stages:
1. Planning
First, the cybersecurity team works with all key stakeholders to identify which threats they want to investigate, define the objectives they want to achieve, outline roles and responsibilities, plan for any specific issues or challenges that must be met, and establish the requirements for the intelligence they want to gather.
2. Data collection
Next, relevant intelligence data is gathered from as many different internal and external sources as possible to answer the stakeholders’ questions and paint a complete picture of the main risks, vulnerabilities, bad actors, and methods of attack.
3. Data analysis
All of that raw data is then processed, assessed, and analyzed using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools to identify any patterns or trends in the data, distinguish real threats from the false positives, highlight the most likely targets and vectors of attack, and create a plan for how to respond to any security incidents.
4. Intelligence dissemination
The team then shares its conclusions, insights, and key recommendations with stakeholders so that new measures can be put in place to defend against the identified threats. This includes addressing any vulnerabilities that were discovered in the IT environment, updating or expanding their existing defences, and prioritizing new investments in any additional cybersecurity systems, tools, or technologies.
5. Continuous improvement
Lastly, the team gathers feedback from the various stakeholders, assesses the effectiveness of the intelligence in preventing or defending against the targeted cyber threat, and uses that information to improve the whole threat intelligence process as the cycle begins all over again.
The effectiveness of the intelligence that’s delivered at each stage can be measured in terms of accuracy, timeliness, and relevance—and especially with respect to how well the intelligence helped the organization anticipate, prepare for, or defend against the identified threat.
What types of threat intelligence are there?
While all threat intelligence platforms follow the same general process, there are several different types of threat intelligence organizations can use to inform their security teams and bolster their security systems. Three of the most common types are:
- Strategic threat intelligence, which gathers and analyses primarily non-technical data to give senior executives a high-level view of the overall cyber threat landscape, inform their corporate cybersecurity strategy, and offer insights into potential attackers, their goals, and how best to stop them.
- Tactical threat intelligence, which uses targeted and technical intelligence to give cybersecurity teams an in-depth analysis of likely tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) related to specific cyber threats, attacks, or attackers.
- Operational threat intelligence, which uses data gathered from chat rooms, IP addresses, and dark web sites linked to known attackers to offer deeper insights into the motives, timing, and probable methods of a specific possible attack, and provide security teams with the information to defend against them.
Examples of real-world applications for threat intelligence
The benefits of threat intelligence aren’t just hypothetical. Threat intelligence has numerous concrete and highly effective real-world applications that can help organizations identify threats, uncover their vulnerabilities, and protect themselves from attack.
For example, organizations can use threat intelligence to inform incident response plans so they can react to cyberattacks more quickly, efficiently, and effectively. The right intelligence can also help speed up recovery and remediation after an incident has occurred, as well as offer recommendations for how to prevent similar attacks from happening again in the future.
Organizations can also integrate the use of threat intelligence directly into their existing security operations, including their threat detection and response strategies, to help them identify the most malicious bad actors, defend against advanced persistent threats (APTs), and proactively mitigate even the most sophisticated cyber threats.
Where can I get help with threat intelligence?
Powered by more than 35 years of global threat research, Trend Micro™ Threat Intelligence delivers deep insights into emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and indicators of compromise (IoCs). With more than 250 million sensors, research from more than 450 global experts, and the industry’s largest bug bounty program—the Trend Zero Day Initiative™ (ZDI)—it provides unparalleled intelligence for proactive security.
Seamlessly integrated into our Trend Vision One™ AI-powered enterprise cybersecurity platform, it enriches XDR alert investigations and cyber risk exposure management, enabling faster, data-driven decisions and reduced risk exposure.