In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, Threat Intelligence Frameworks have emerged as a crucial tool for organizations seeking to fortify their defenses against potential cyber threats.
These frameworks provide a structured methodology for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence about emerging or potential threats to information systems and networks.
This article delves into the intricacies of Threat Intelligence Frameworks, highlighting their functionality, common applications, and significant value in mitigating cybersecurity risks in today’s digital world.
Threat Intelligence Frameworks
Learn the role of these frameworks in risk management, their implementation, and how they could transform your business’ security posture.
Table of Contents
MITRE ATT&CK
The world of cybersecurity is an unrelenting game of cat and mouse, where attackers employ creative tactics to exploit vulnerabilities, and defenders continuously strive to protect the digital frontier. With the increasing sophistication of cyber threats, modern organizations need all the strategic help they can get.
This brings us to the MITRE ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) framework, a globally-accessible knowledge base of cyber defense best practices built upon real-world observations of adversarial behavior.
Founded by a not-for-profit organization called MITRE, the ATT&CK framework provides a data-driven approach to improving cybersecurity.
This universal standard for adversary behavior offers insight into all stages of a cyber attack, breaking it down across a multitude of models, such as Initial Access, Execution, Persistence, Privilege Escalation, Defense Evasion, Credential Access, Discovery, Lateral Movement, Collection, Exfiltration, and Command and Control.
One of the key features of MITRE ATT&CK is its enormous database of adversary tactics and techniques, spanning cyber threat intelligence from an assortment of industries and sectors.
By mapping attack stages against the observed behaviors, the ATT&CK framework fosters deep comprehension of the operational methods employed by threat actors, leading to enhanced proactive and retrospective defenses.
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is continent on community-based intelligence. It’s an open-source initiative, inviting contribution from security researchers and practitioners worldwide.
This collaborative approach helps in the accumulation of diverse and comprehensive knowledge pertaining to cyber threats.
Companies can hence utilize this resource to test their defenses against a wide array of simulated attacks, identifying weak points, and developing effective solutions for those vulnerabilities. Another important aspect of the ATT&CK framework is its applicability.
Given the real-world basis of the framework’s information, it is applicable across a vast array of industries. Whether it’s banking, retail, or government, no sector is immune to cyber threats making the ATT&CK framework a beneficial resource for all.
Further, the ATT&CK also plays a key role in bolstering incident response.
This framework helps organizations to determine the ‘how’ behind an attack, providing a clear picture of where the security infrastructure failed and how it can be mended. By correlating tactics and techniques used by the adversary with the stages of attack, the ATT&CK offers a thorough understanding of the complete attack timeline.
Lastly, ATT&CK can facilitate seamless communication within the cybersecurity community. Its common taxonomy allows security teams to share information accurately about attacks, leading to a potent network defense.
In conclusion, the MITRE ATT&CK is more than just a cybersecurity framework; it’s a dynamic resource offering a data-driven approach to improve cybersecurity awareness, prevention, detection, and response.
With its vast database, open-source benefits, comprehensive insight into cyber threats, and universal applicability, it equips organizations with the knowledge they need to stand tall against cyber adversaries in an ever-evolving digital space.
Hence, the implementation of the MITRE ATT&CK framework should be considered not just a good practice, but a necessity in today’s cyber-threat landscape.
TIBER-EU
In the face of ever-increasing cyber threats, the demand for advanced cybersecurity measures within the financial sector is more crucial than ever before.
To help fulfill this prerequisite, the European Central Bank (ECB) launched the Threat Intelligence-Based Ethical Red Teaming (TIBER-EU) framework in 2018. This groundbreaking initiative seeks to bolster the resilience of the European financial sector through a series of independently executed cyber resilience tests.
With the increasing dependence on technology in the finance sector, comprehending the TIBER-EU framework can help shed light on the future of cybersecurity in finance. TIBER-EU, at its core, is a framework designed to enable European financial entities to gauge their defence capabilities against sophisticated cyber threats.
This assessment occurs through controlled, bespoke, and intelligent tests, which simulate real threat landscapes consistent with the financial entity’s business nature and size.
TIBER-EU tests aim at identifying vulnerabilities before adversaries exploit them, thus providing an opportunity to strengthen the cybersecurity infrastructure. The key highlight of the TIBER-EU process involves cooperation between the financial entity and an independent red team – a select group of ethical hackers.
Their role is integral to the process; they simulate genuine cyber-attacks mimicking real-world operations of malicious hackers.
Through this ‘intelligence-led red team testing’ (ILRT), the red team can assess the efficacy of the entity’s protection, detection, and response capabilities, providing concrete insight into potential vulnerabilities.
The TIBER-EU framework provides a standardized testing methodology, promoting consistency across the EU. However, it is inherently flexible, acknowledging the diversity of European markets best reflected in its application by individual national authorities. Entities can implement TIBER-EU at a group or solo level.
In turn, the aggregated feedback presents a comprehensive picture of the cybersecurity health of the overall European financial sector.
Why is the TIBER-EU approach necessary, and what makes this framework innovative?
The simple answer revolves around the evolution and adaptation of cyber threats. Traditional measures of cybersecurity, such as routine system scanning and penetration testing, are no longer sufficient. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, and hackers are increasingly financially savvy.
By mimicking the behaviours of these advanced adversaries, the TIBER-EU process offers a more realistic and relevant evaluation of cybersecurity resilience. Moreover, this framework prioritises a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
Post-testing, entities receive extensive feedback on their cybersecurity posture, illuminating areas for improvement. This concept of ‘learning by doing’ encourages entities to regularly evaluate their cybersecurity strategies and evolve them as necessary, promoting a proactive rather than reactive approach to threats.
Implementation of the TIBER-EU framework has already met with promising success in several EU nations, including the Netherlands, which implemented a similar framework even before the official launch of TIBER-EU.
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/other/ecb.tiber_eu_framework.en.pdf
https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/pdf/other/ecb.tiber_eu_framework.en.pdf
TIBER EU
OST Map
OST Maps, formally known as Ordnance Survey (OS) Trigonometry Station Maps, are an invaluable tool in the realms of surveying, geography, planning and environmental science. Replete with precise, up-to-date and comprehensive data, these maps are known for their unparalleled reliability and accuracy, making them immensely useful in various professional fields and academic disciplines.
Origins of OST Maps The inception of OST Maps can be traced back to 1791 when the British government founded the Ordnance Survey to produces maps for military and civilian purposes.
The first-ever OST map covered a small area of the county of Kent. Over the centuries, the precision and coverage of these maps have significantly improved, making them an indispensable resource for modern navigation and planning systems.
Essential Characteristics of OST Maps OST Maps utilize a network of triangulation stations, resulting in exceptional accuracy.
This is because triangulation, a complex mathematical process, allows large areas to be accurately mapped without measuring every detail physically.
The essential feature of OST maps lies in their detail, portraying not just the topography but also the man-made features such as buildings, roads, bridges, and more. The maps vary in scales, ideal for different purposes.
For instance, the 1:25,000 scale is perfect for walks and hikes, representing 4cm on the map equating to 1km on the ground. The 1:50,000 scale, on the other hand, is great for road cycling and car journeys.
Applications of OST Maps OST Maps are deployed in a myriad of ways across various sectors. In architecture and urban planning, these maps provide valuable insights into landscape features, aiding the planning of roads, settlements and utilities.
In the environmental field, they offer crucial data for flood risk assessment, conservation planning, and habitat monitoring.
OST Maps are also an essential tool for outdoor enthusiasts. From hikers to cyclists, the accurate depictions of terrain on these maps allow for efficient route planning. With the advent of digital platforms, it’s now easier than ever to access and use OST Maps, both online and offline.
OST Maps Today Today, the Ordnance Survey has shifted from solely paper maps to digital data products and online services.
Through the OS Maps app, people can now access these maps on their smartphones, providing extensive coverage of Great Britain with varied levels of detail. They have also introduced custom-made maps, allowing individuals to create bespoke maps of any area in Great Britain.
As OST Maps evolve, they hold immense potential for future applications such as autonomous driving, VR/AR visualization, 3D planning, among many others.
While there’s no doubt about their crucial role in the past, it’s increasingly clear that these maps will play an instrumental role in shaping the geographical understanding of our future as well.
Conclusion In a time when we are rife with countless apps and digital platforms for navigation, the reliable and comprehensive nature of OST Maps holds its ground.
Ever since their origin in the late 18th Century, these maps have constantly evolved, providing an abundance of precise and detailed geographic information.
Whether it’s for professional use, academic research, or outdoor activities, the importance of OST Maps remains undeniable. Indeed, in the realm of geography, the true north is often found in OST Maps.
Mandiant Advantage
The digital world is continually evolving, becoming more ingrained into our daily lives, and with this growth comes an increasing need for robust cybersecurity measures.
Hackers and cybercriminals exploit every potential vulnerability in the digital landscape, leading to a need for advanced cybersecurity solutions. One such game-changing solution is Mandiant Advantage.
Mandiant Advantage is a cloud-based SaaS solution that offers a comprehensive cybersecurity platform for businesses. Developed by FireEye, a leading company in the cybersecurity industry, Mandiant Advantage is designed to provide robust security solutions that are efficient and practical to use.
Cyber Threat Intelligence: A Key Component One of the critical components of Mandiant Advantage is its Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI). It provides a complete view of the tactical, operational, and strategic threat perspectives in real-time.
This is achieved through a combination of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and expert human analysis. CTI allows organizations to stay ahead of any potential threats with insights into cyber-attacks and the threat actors responsible for them, exposing existing vulnerabilities, offering actionable advice, and due diligence during an incident.
Automated Defense at Scale Mandiant Advantage boasts an automated defence facility which translates the threat intelligence into defence measures executed by the organization’s existing security infrastructure.
Leveraging machine learning, the platform adjusts its security measures with observed trends in the threat landscape.
User-friendly Interface and Seamless Integration Mandiant Advantage sports a user-friendly interface that decreases the learning curve for users and allows for seamless integration with the current security infrastructure utilized by the organization.
This integration enables the platform to gather more data about the cyber threats and deliver a tailored defence strategy in real-time. Leading Penetration Testing Another notable feature of Mandiant Advantage is its penetration testing capability.
Here, highly skilled Red Team operators mimic potential cyber attackers to identify the vulnerabilities in an organization’s security before they can be exploited.
This ensures the proactive identification of any potential weak points in an organization’s defence, allowing for countermeasures to be set in place before any potential breach. Global insights Mandiant Advantage stretches beyond an organization’s internal IT systems, tapping into a global network of sensors feeding in threat data, continuously updating the platform with the latest threat trends worldwide.
This allows for new threat indicators to be rapidly identified and dealt with before causing material harm to the clients.
In Conclusion In a time where securing digital systems is of paramount importance, Mandiant Advantage serves as a crucial tool for organizations to counter cyber threats proactively. Its comprehensive suite of tools offers formidable protection, intelligence, control, and insight into the increasingly complex digital threat landscape.
By providing real-time information through user-friendly interfaces, Mandiant Advantage puts control back into the organization’s hands, offering a proactive approach to cybersecurity – an essential aspect in today’s fast-paced and ever-evolving digital world.
Through the capabilities of Mandiant Advantage, organizations can invest more confidently in their digital transformation initiatives, safe in the knowledge that their cybersecurity is robust, sophisticated, and adaptable.
CrowdStrike Falcon
Cybersecurity stands as a pressing concern in this digital age, with the growing sophistication of cyber threats bringing forth the necessity of potent digital protection.
In the forefront of this fight against cyber threats sits CrowdStrike’s premier product, Falcon, a pioneering cloud-native solution that sets it apart from traditional cybersecurity offerings.
CrowdStrike Falcon: A Brief Overview Developed by CrowdStrike, a global cybersecurity leader, the Falcon Platform revolutionizes how organizations handle their cybersecurity.
CrowdStrike Falcon harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI), next-generation antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and proactive threat hunting, offering a comprehensive defense against a broad spectrum of cyber threats.
Falcon’s cloud-native structure allows for rapid implementation without the need for additional hardware, highlighting CrowdStrike’s commitment to simplicity and efficiency. Intricacies of Falcon Platform Falcon’s primary features reside in its powerful AI and sophisticated EDR capabilities.
It leverages artificial intelligence to instantly identify and block known threats while simultaneously learning and adapting to new potential threats.
Coupled with the EDR capabilities, Falcon offers companies the ability to continuously monitor devices, detect threats in real-time, and respond quickly and efficiently to any potential security breaches. Moreover, Falcon’s threat hunting functionality resembles a proactive approach to security maintenance.
The service actively seeks suspicious activity rather than only responding to alarms, a strategy encapsulating the shift from reactive to proactive cybersecurity. Seamless User Experience Total visibility and control are crucial components of any cybersecurity solution.
With CrowdStrike Falcon, users gain complete insight into real-time security incidents, enabling them to retrace the steps of an attack or identify dormant threats.
The comprehensive, yet user-friendly dashboard provides detailed attack logs, ensuring both emerging and seasoned infosec professionals can utilize its features effortlessly. Performance and Scalability One of the standout features of the CrowdStrike Falcon platform is its unrivaled scalability and unintrusive performance.
It is designed to effortlessly scale with an organization’s growth, providing consistent protection without impacting system performance. Falcon’s lightweight agent doesn’t require system reboots or frequent updates, alleviating the disruption of business operations. Conclusion In an ever-evolving digital epoch, cybersecurity demands constant vigilance.
As cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, CrowdStrike’s Falcon has positioned itself as a front-running champion, seamlessly integrating AI technology and threat hunting into a single, potent solution.
With its ability to provide real-time data, proactive security, rapid response, and seamless scaling, Falcon offers organizations a formidable shield against the myriad of cyber threats that lurk in today’s digital landscape.
In a nutshell, CrowdStrike Falcon does more than protect – it equips companies with the best resources to stay a step ahead in the world of cybersecurity.
Therefore, in becoming a fully cyber-resilient organization, the investment in Falcon is an investment into the future.
Ontic
Ontic, a term frequently encountered in metaphysical debates, is a critical aspect in philosophical discourses, diverging narratives into concrete and abstract expressions. Its roots trail back to the Greek word ‘ontos,’ meaning being or existing, thus, it widely carries the weight of ‘reality’ and ‘existence.’
However, in order to fully comprehend its breadth and depth, it is vital to scrutinize ontic and its influence on various fields of knowledge.
At its core, the ontic is concerned with what is objectively real or factual, the conflicting or supporting particulars that fall into the timeless dichotomy of ‘what is’ versus ‘what isn’t.’ It implicates the materialistic physical world, the tangible existence that can be empirically perceived—the things that exist or have existed, rather than what could or should arguably exist.
One can raise questions like, “Does material continue to exist when no one is observing it?” or “Does the external world exist independently of human consciousness?”
Here, ontic provides ground to such discussion, for it anchors prominently on physical and objective reality. The ontic is largely acknowledged in the realms of science, where empirical facts underpin hypotheses and theories—a thriving domain where the ontic is not simply the reality, but also the logical structure that offers a basic framework used to describe it.
By this definition, concrete phenomena like cells, planets, atoms, climate changes, or diseases, as they exist in the physical world, embody the ontic reality.
However, the ontic should not be mistaken for the concept of ontology—the philosophy that examines the nature of being and the categories of being. Rather than asking ‘what there is,’ ontology seeks to understand the core nature and interconnectedness of entities within a system.
Consequently, the ontic is often referred to as the domain of objective reality, while ontology is the study of that domain. Meanwhile, diverse interpretations of the ontic have found consistent prevalence in the field of phenomenology.
Derived from Husserl’s concept of the “life-world” or “Lebenswelt,” the notion of the ontic has flourished into a dialogue about the world as immediately experienced through subjective perception—shaped by cultural, societal, and historical lenses.
It’s fascinating to note the role of the ontic in existentialism as well, where it influences the belief that personal freedom and decision making construct our reality. In this light, the ontic unveils the personal experience – the feelings, actions, thoughts, and values, as the objective reality.
The ontic also establishes its relevance within the discourse of quantum mechanics, computer science, and artificial intelligence.
In this regard, ontic is seen as the physical state of a system, hence reflecting on key questions regarding system behavior and computational realities. In conclusion, the concept of the ontic encompasses a wide spectrum, expressing a multitude of interpretations within various metaphysical paradigms and professional domains.
From physical world phenomena to personal experiences, the ontic encapsulates objective reality, thus enabling a comprehensive understanding of existence and reality.
As philosophical and scientific explorations expand, it will be intriguing to observe how notions of the ontic further evolve to adapt to and inform our understanding of a rapidly changing world.