Be prepared to ward off any virtual threat your organization receives or may receive using diligent and effectual analytics tools designed with new strategies and techniques!
Quick Summary: It is astonishing how promptly technology evolves with each day. And, it is certainly not a hidden fact that each technological advancement accompanies a rise in cybercrimes. Worry no more! Here is a perfect solution to save your business from unforeseen digital attacks.
Almost everyone knows cybersecurity risks are no less than doom for all sizes of businesses. One click with an evil intention can cost you your whole business. As hackers and cybercriminals continue to sophisticate their attacks using new and malicious tactics, it has become impossible to dodge them. Every year comes with a new record of digital attacks. 2021 ended with corporations experiencing 50% more cyber attack attempts per week. Do you know there were about 52 million data breaches worldwide in just the second quarter of 2022? With the increasing number of virtual crimes and daily news headlines, many enterprises are aware of security threats and incidents.
You don’t need to be a specialist to comprehend the recent security risks. But that is the easy part! The tricky part is to ascertain why these attacks happen and when you may become a victim. Unfortunately, the daunting part does not end there. Apart from the mentioned things, it is crucial to figure out how pervasive attacks are and the several types of threats lurking there. And, by chance, if you fall prey to one such episode, what will be the cost to overcome it, and how do you plan to deal with its consequences?
Too many questions with no stable solution? Read the article to learn about an ideal way to elude inherent cyber attacks!
Cyber threat hunting is a strategy to search for unknown dangers lurking within a network. It is more competent than other threat detection techniques as it finds evasive skeptical attackers who have managed to break into the system without any traces.
Cyber threats come in various forms, like viruses, Denial of Services (DoS) attacks, data breaches, etc. Threat hunters comb through the company’s network and security data using TTP investigation and a hypothesis-driven approach to locate suspicious or malicious malware or attackers by correlating patterns.
Cyber threat hunting has evolved with time. Traditional threat hunting is a manual process where a security analyst examines and inspects data using their skills and knowledge of the network and systems. The manual process has become more effective and efficient with automation, User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UBEA), and machine learning to caution the security team about possible risks.
For more details, read: 6 Tips to Combat Cybersecurity Threats
It depends on the IoA (Indicators of Attack) and the cyber attacker’s TTP (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures). Threat hunters coordinate the attacks contingent on the TTP found on the network. Thus, they can detect the threat in the early stages before the cyber criminals’ attack. Structured hunting uses threat intelligence sources like MITRE ATT&CK to get detailed information on various TTP.
The second form of threat hunting begins with IoC (Indicator of Compromise) or a trigger. Threat hunters search for suspicious behavior patterns before and after the IoC or trigger in the network. Historical datasets come in handy in these investigations. Hunters can analyze the earlier attacks similar to the recent ones and discover new types of threats.
Sensitive data and critical computing resources are always at high risk. Situational or entity-driven threat hunting prioritizes and focuses on the high-value entities of a business. It aids in improving threat hunting activities to counterattack cyber threats. Situational hunting identifies the high-priority targets like domain controllers, IT administrators, etc., and helps search for such threats.
Threat hunting varies from the traditional threat detection procedures, as the former accompanies a more human aspect. It requires skilled and adept IT professionals to search, monitor, analyze, log, and neutralize potential attacks or threats before they harm your firm. You can follow the typical four-step process to undertake a successful cyber threat hunting program.
The first and foremost step in cyber threat hunting is to draft a threat hypothesis. You can include risk or vulnerability within the firm’s network, attacker’s TTP (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures), or current threat intelligence. Hypothesis investigation is triggered when a new threat is detected in the organization’s network through the massive heap of crowdsourced attack data. A threat hunter utilizes his knowledge, experience, and problem-solving skills to create a hypothesis.
The second step leverages the tactical threat intelligence to well-known catalogs. The threat hunter relies on complex and previous datasets of threat hunting solutions like Security Information and Event Management (SIEM), UBEA, and MDR (Managed Detection and Response). The investigation continues until the hypothesis is valid and confirmed and any activity is detected.
Threat hunters deploy prompt responses once they find the anomaly or malicious action. They use several measures like blocking IP addresses, altering network configurations, implementing security patches, disabling users, implementing novel identification processes, updating authorization privileges, etc. When the security team endeavors to resolve these threats, they familiarise themselves with hackers’ tactics, techniques, and procedures. It enables them to mitigate against similar attacks in the future.
You may prevent or avert a threat whenever it terrorizes your business, but you can never entirely stop the cybercriminals. They are swiftly advancing their attacks using the newest technologies and methods. Therefore, cyber threat hunting must become an everyday practice in your company. You can avail of it hand in hand with automated threat detection methods and your current security processes.
Cyber threat hunting is becoming everyone’s favorite security program in several enterprises. It ensures situational awareness that earlier and many recent tools fail to reach. A threat hunting framework has many advantages that can facilitate your organization. For instance,
Threat hunting helps detect malware or suspicious attacks that may have entered your company’s network. Threat intelligence enables the security team to anticipate and identify specific threats. It provides incident responders and analysts with actionable intelligence, i.e., analyzed, contextualized, accurate, reliable, timely, precise, and predictive data.
Threat hunting assists in preventing potential attacks or external threats by detecting them in the early stages. Additionally, it is an ideal method to analyze your firm’s security. When IT analysts search for any lingering threat or ATPs (Advanced Persistent Attacks), they get a better picture of the current security state of the organization.
Managing threats timely in a composed manner is not easy. Threat hunting is more of a human process. You can identify abnormal activities in the network that an automated detection method might miss. Locating the threats earlier gives you enough time to take adequate action against them.
Threat hunters utilize historical data to get detailed information about a specific threat or attack. It allows them to understand the scope of a threat by knowing its causes and impacts. Many analysts use an active approach, computer network traffic, to gather information about potential compromises to investigate the after-the-fact incidents.
A diligent threat hunting program requires the latest technology and tools like SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) software to ensure your firm’s security. These modern and practical analytic tools assist in taking measures to avert attacks before they leave your business vulnerable.
Implementing a dynamic approach to data security is the only option to survive in this inconstant cybersecurity environment. Therefore, efficient and meticulous threat hunting platforms and services are essential in organizations. You never know when you will become prey to unethical behavior. And as the saying goes- “better late than never.” If you did not notice it earlier, be attentive now.
Initiating a cyber threat hunting program can be easy, especially when we are here! At Sattrix, we provide managed threat hunting as-a-service to help you steer clear of the increasing cyber-attacks and threats. Our company is home to excellent threat hunters with plenty of experience tackling cyber adversaries. You can rely on us at any time to ensure your digital protection.
Multiple characteristics differentiate our services from others. And that is the reason why many organizations trust us with their security. Some of the features of our threat hunting tool are:
We do not limit ourselves to assisting organizations in digital security. Additional to deriving benefits from the features, you can also avail of the following advantages by employing our product:
