Your organization is under threat. How can you find the best intelligence platforms to protect it?

These Points to Consider: 1. Prioritize tools like XDR, vulnerability Management, Intune, and other MDM solutions. 2. Perform several external pen tests. 3. Perform a risk assessment to discover insider and outer threats. 4. Begin the risk management plans.

To select the best intelligence platform for your organization: 1. Identify threats (cybersecurity, physical security). 2. Research platforms; compare features, reviews, costs. 3. Look for customization, system integration. 4. Prioritize real-time intelligence capabilities. 5. Assess provider credibility, support quality. 6. Request demos, trials. 7. Consult with security experts. 8. Ensure legal compliance, data privacy. 9. Network for peer recommendations. 10. Continuously evaluate effectiveness.

Below points need also to be pointed: Threar Hunting Dark Web searching Vulnerability intelligence XDR integration Eliminate false positive

When choosing intelligence platforms to protect your organization from threats, prioritize ones providing cyber threat intel feeds mapping to MITRE ATT&CK. Seek platforms giving global visibility of threats across surface, deep & dark web. Evaluate threat data quality - source diversity, expert validation matter. Prioritize actionable intel over large data volumes. Consider platforms providing finished intel reports to directly inform defense strategies. Choose services mapping threats to your assets & industry. Opt for machine readable data to maximize automation. Seek customizable platforms fitting your budget and objectives. Integration with existing security tools is key.

Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs) are cybersecurity solutions that aggregate, analyze, and normalize threat data from various sources, providing organizations with actionable insights to proactively defend against cyber threats by supporting automated response and facilitating information sharing.

To choose the best Threat Intelligence Platform (TIP), assess your organization's specific needs, consider factors such as data aggregation capabilities, normalization features, automation support, integration with existing security infrastructure, user interface intuitiveness, incident response support, information sharing capabilities, customization options, and vendor reputation, while also ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

I would mention the importance of thorough testing for functionality and performance ensuring the platform not only meets current needs but is also adaptable for future challenges Also assessing the quality of customer service and technical support is essential.

Even though this might seem like your usual IT strategy question on software choices – 'best of suite' versus 'best of breed' – one important aspect to consider is 'correlation.' Whether you're going for an XDR (extended detection and response) system or piecing together your own setup with various tools, the goal is to leverage data from different sources and connect the dots to see the whole picture of what's going on in your environment. Think signals from attack surface, vulnerabilities, cloud misconfigurations, identity, endpoint, network, and more. It's pretty clear how impactful it can be when you can link data from these sources to provide a comprehensive view.

This depends on organization to organization how they want to define their security strategies and how they have planned their budgets and how much budget is allocated to security tools. Below points should be given priority while choosing a platform 1- Scope of platform:- First and foremost thing is to check for the scope of platform. What coverage it is providing. Does that platform has active threat intelligence or just relying on scanning. 2- Integration:- Always check for the integration that tool is providing with different ITSM tools like Service now, Nova, Jira etc. 3- Technical Support:- Does that platform has good technical support? 4- Compatibility:- How compatible that tool is with your organization's infrastructure?

First Thing to use the TIP effectively is to hire a right resource who is skilled enough to handle the platforms and improve in its alerting as the platforms in major seem to generate lots of false positives. The analyst needs to have a clear idea and clarity about what is the priority in terms of monitoring and how spontaneous team is to alert the clients after the alert is triggerred. Also using right set of tech stack and other information for monitoring purpose should also be key takeaways. The platform needs to be configured with right set of inputs and relevant feeds which shall be actionable and not just informational.

Platforms alone won't protect an organization. This needs to be coupled with the right staffing and processes which enable threat intelligence to be converted into either preventative or detective controls which protect the organization. Most organisations consume threat intelligence but are poor in creating actionable items from the intelligence obtained. Lastly, when choosing a platform or providers it is important to understand whether they are obtaining information on your particular industry in addition to general threats and also to a lesser extent to understand whether they obtain information from the geographic locations you operate in.

"You can't solely rely on Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs) for protecting organizations, as TIPs currently generate numerous false positives; instead, you need a skilled analyst or team to analyze these alerts. Otherwise, here are a few points to use TIPs effectively: defining objectives, integrating with existing tools, automating tasks, prioritizing threats, facilitating information sharing, customizing for relevance, training security teams, staying updated, incorporating into incident response, and measuring effectiveness through key performance indicators."

A lot of misconception around Intelligence comes from how it's defined initially. A list of indicators is not intelligence. It can be used to produce Intel, but on its own, it does not constitute intelligence. No matter which platform ends up integrated into an environment, there needs to be analysis tied to the data from most platforms. That's where CTI analysts come into the picture.

As a retired FBI agent, I've noticed that despite increased spending on cybersecurity products and services over the past decade, the cybercrime problem has dramatically escalated. It's crucial to understand that while these tools are important, the core of your defense lies in a CyberSecure mindset. This approach, focusing on awareness and preventive practices, is fundamental. Before investing in more tools, ensure your organization leverages this mindset, as it can prevent nearly 90% of cybercrime victimizations. Prioritize strategic awareness over mere accumulation of tools for a more effective defense. I'm not saying that we don't need these platforms, however if you don't do the basics first.....then bad things will happen.

Integration with Emerging Technologies: 1- Cloud Computing: Leverage cloud-based intelligence platforms for scalability and flexibility. This allows for the handling of massive data sets and complex processing tasks with ease. 2- Blockchain: For securing data integrity in log management and ensuring transparent, tamper-proof record-keeping in SIEM systems. 3- Quantum Computing: Although still in its nascent stage, quantum computing holds potential for advanced data encryption and decryption, enhancing security measures against sophisticated cyber threats.

I have had to do so many comparative analysis for tools and my approach in researching reputable threat intelligence platforms is to consider user reviews, and assess features such as real-time monitoring, incident response capabilities, and integration with existing security infrastructure. Prioritize tools with a comprehensive threat database, machine learning capabilities, and a user-friendly interface. Seek solutions that align with your organization's specific needs, compliance requirements, and scalability. Additionally, consult with cybersecurity experts, attend industry conferences, and leverage trial periods to test compatibility and effectiveness before making a decision.

Conducting a Threat Assessment of the organization: Performing a thorough assessment of your organization's existing security posture. Identify vulnerabilities and potential areas of risk that intelligence platforms can help mitigate. This assessment will provide insights into what specific features and capabilities you should prioritize in an intelligence platform. Basically knowing where you currently are (in terms of process (exposure), people (knowledge gaps) and technology will help identify what is possibly lacking; also identifying where you want to be and developing a clear and detailed path towards it. I’m addition; knowing the severity of these risk and how soon you need to close them.

Threat intel solutions must be evaluated based on below key criteria > The capability of the platform to automate complete threat intel lifecycle. Look for support for structured and unstructured threat data and support for STIX, TAXII, JSON, XML, etc. > Must have native mapping with MITRE ATT&CK framework. > Ability to tightly integrate with orchestrate solution (SOAR) > Fine grain curation of threat intel feeds must be made available including commercial feeds, OSINT, other regulatory feeds. > Additional features of External Attack Surface Management, Darkweb, deepweb, etc.