What are the steps to develop a comprehensive threat intelligence program?

There are four main requirements to a threat intelligence program : relevant, insightful, contextual, actionable. - Relevant: It must be aligned with your organization's business mode, asset and risk profiles. - Insightful : It must provide means to understand the strategies, tactics of your adversaries, for instance identifying a new trend in phishing attacks - Contextual : it must give your organization the context that will help provide a custom response to the threat - Actionable : It must provide steps to take when an incident happens so to deal with it as efficiently as possible

Yea, This will define a clear roadmap and ensures your program aligns with your needs, resources, and objectives and goals. Let’s just imagine a company that has limited resources focusing on external threats while neglecting the internal risks. Defining requirements ensures a balanced approach, addressing the right threats efficiently.

Define objectives and scope. Identify information sources. Collect and analyze threat data. Develop threat indicators. Implement monitoring and alerting. Disseminate actionable intelligence. Continuously update and improve the program.

A crucial question to ask is "what exactly do you want to accomplish here ?" Do CISOs want to subscribe to a bunch of threat feeds that gets shown as a pretty dashboard on a monthly basis ? Or do they want specific, context-based data that is applicable to their sector and systems ? If you are a payment processor then the latest attack on critical infrastructure like a power plant does not mean anything from a threat intel perspective. I always recommend to list down the 5 key things they are hoping to accomplish and pretty presentations should NOT be one of them !

Codifying these insights in a CTI charter that has been approved by CISO-level leadership provides authority to operate and leadership buy in. The charter document should outline the CTI program's mission, vision, goals. From this an execution plan containing a 30-60-90-180 day milestones can act as a feedback loop to gauge successful build out and whether the program is meeting its intended goals which leadership agreed to in the charter document. Annually the charter document should be re-evaluated to determine relevance that accounts for any shifts in support the team is providing and align with changes to the organization's direction.

In 2022, Mandiant published a framework identified as the CTI Analyst Core Competencies to enumerate knowledge, skills, and abilities required of CTI analysts. Since each organization's CTI program will vary in its stakeholders and support to them, the competencies were designed as a taxonomy that enumerates focal areas. The frameworks design allows for flexible application to assess prospective candidates while measuring internal team members' against role-specific criteria to determine progression pathways consistent with talent retention strategy and evolving organizational needs.

Assemble a team with the necessary skills and expertise. This could include analysts, researchers, and IT professionals. The team should have a diverse set of skills, including technical knowledge, analytical abilities, and understanding of the business and its industry. In terms of infrastructure, you'll need secure systems for collecting, storing, and analyzing data. This could involve specialized threat intelligence platforms, as well as more general IT infrastructure.

One thing I've found helpful in developing a threat intelligence program is building a strong team and infrastructure: Assemble the Right Team: Hire or train individuals with the necessary skills and expertise. Acquire Suitable Tools: Invest in the right tools for data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Establish Processes: Set up efficient workflows and processes for operational consistency. Adopt Best Practices: Utilize frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, Cyber Kill Chain, or the Diamond Model for guidance. This setup enables the program to function effectively and meet its intelligence objectives efficiently

In my experience, effective data collection and processing are pivotal in threat intelligence: Diverse Data Sources: Gather data from open-source, commercial, and internal channels. Data Refinement: Filter, normalize, and enrich the collected data for clarity and relevance. Advanced Techniques: Employ data mining, web scraping, and threat hunting to uncover new threats. This approach ensures the data is both comprehensive and actionable for threat analysis and response.

One time at work, the crucial step was transforming data into actionable intelligence: Apply Analytical Methods: Utilize IOC analysis, threat actor profiling, and threat modeling. Use Structured Frameworks: Implement the Pyramid of Pain, Intelligence Cycle, or Diamond Model for organizing analysis. Create Intelligence Products: Develop reports, alerts, and dashboards to guide security decisions. This analysis not only illuminates potential threats but also empowers informed decision-making in cybersecurity.

In my experience, effectively disseminating and sharing intelligence is a key step: Targeted Delivery: Ensure intelligence reaches relevant teams, management, and partners promptly. Adapt to Audience Needs: Utilize suitable formats and channels like email, web portals, or APIs. Foster Collaboration: Encourage feedback and collaboration through shared intelligence. Effective dissemination enhances understanding and collaborative efforts in addressing cybersecurity threats.

It is not only important to answer the "what happened?" question but CTI professionals working on the private sector are now expected to answer the "so what?" and the "now what?".

Build Strategic Intel Dissemination Framework Structured Dissemination Plan: Develop a well-defined plan for sharing intel across dept, ensuring prompt coordination. Secure Comm Channels: Usage of encryption & secure platforms enhance the confidentiality of shared data.. Partnerships for Reciprocal Sharing: Collaborate externally for a broader threat intel n/w. Tailored Info: Customise dissemination based on each department's needs & focus areas. Training & Awareness Prog: Educate stakeholders on interpreting & utilising shared intel effectively. Feedback Mech: Implement a feedback loop for continuous improvement in the dissemination process. Timeliness & Relevance: Prioritise current & relevant info for effective cybersec measures.

In simple terms: A threat intelligence program it's like regularly servicing a vehicle to ensure it runs smoothly; without evaluation and improvement, the program can become outdated and less effective, potentially leaving vulnerabilities unaddressed. Need to keep relevant in the cyber landscape to avoid vulnerabilities and any cyber threats.

It is critical to understand that building a comprehensive platform is a long-term journey. You must build in continuous evaluation, changes, and improvement. The landscape is always changing and your adversaries are always learning and trying new things. You have to be willing to continue to educate yourself and your company.

Considerations for Comprehensive Threat Intelligence: Security Infra Integration: Ensure seamless integration with existing systems like SIEM for real-time threat correlation. Legal & Ethical Compliance: Establish protocols for handling sensitive info, ensuring legal & ethical standards. Continuous Training: Invest in ongoing team training to stay abreast of evolving threats & analysis techniques. Metrics for Success: Define KPIs for measuring program success, such as reduced IR time and improved threat detection. Scalability Design: Accommodate future growth in data volume & complexity in program design. IR Integration: Seamlessly integrate threat intelligence into IR, enhancing proactive threat addressing.

Developing a comprehensive threat intelligence program involves: Assessment: Identify assets,risks,and potential threats. Data Collection: Gather information from internal logs,external feeds,and security tools. Analysis: Evaluate collected data for patterns and IOCs. Integration: Incorporate findings into security tools for proactive defense. Sharing: Collaborate with industry peers to exchange threat insights. For instance,a financial institution developing such a program assesses critical data,gathers threat data from various sources like Dark Web monitoring,analyzes it for potential risks, integrates findings into their security systems,and shares relevant threat information with other banks for collective defense against cyber threats.