Book Image

Operationalizing Threat Intelligence

By : Kyle Wilhoit, Joseph Opacki
Book Image

Operationalizing Threat Intelligence

By: Kyle Wilhoit, Joseph Opacki

Overview of this book

We’re living in an era where cyber threat intelligence is becoming more important. Cyber threat intelligence routinely informs tactical and strategic decision-making throughout organizational operations. However, finding the right resources on the fundamentals of operationalizing a threat intelligence function can be challenging, and that’s where this book helps. In Operationalizing Threat Intelligence, you’ll explore cyber threat intelligence in five fundamental areas: defining threat intelligence, developing threat intelligence, collecting threat intelligence, enrichment and analysis, and finally production of threat intelligence. You’ll start by finding out what threat intelligence is and where it can be applied. Next, you’ll discover techniques for performing cyber threat intelligence collection and analysis using open source tools. The book also examines commonly used frameworks and policies as well as fundamental operational security concepts. Later, you’ll focus on enriching and analyzing threat intelligence through pivoting and threat hunting. Finally, you’ll examine detailed mechanisms for the production of intelligence. By the end of this book, you’ll be equipped with the right tools and understand what it takes to operationalize your own threat intelligence function, from collection to production.
Table of Contents (18 chapters)
1
Section 1: What Is Threat Intelligence?
6
Section 2: How to Collect Threat Intelligence
12
Section 3: What to Do with Threat Intelligence

File-based IOCs

No matter what collection methodology is used to obtain unknown files, your organization can utilize several file analysis techniques to examine them. These techniques help derive file artifacts that can be used to determine the maliciousness of the file. Additionally, these file artifacts can be IOCs themselves or can help you generate file-based IOCs that can be used to identify the file or artifacts of the file's execution. These artifacts and IOCs can even be used to block activity on the endpoint or in the network; detection would mean that the file is successfully executed in your organization's environment.

File analysis techniques fall into three main categories:

  • Static tool analysis: This type of file analysis means that the researcher is focusing on what the file is. If it is harmful or malicious, any intelligence value that's provided by utilizing a software application or tool that derives artifacts and IOCs can be used to determine...