Cyber Intelligence Report (CIR)
What is cyber intelligence and why is it important? Cyber intelligence is the process of collecting, analysing and disseminating information about cyber threats, actors, vulnerabilities and incidents. Cyber intelligence helps organisations to understand the cyber landscape, identify and prioritise risks, and respond effectively to cyber attacks.
Cyber intelligence is not just a technical activity. It also involves human aspects, such as understanding the motivations, intentions and capabilities of cyber adversaries, as well as the impact of cyber attacks on the organisation and its stakeholders. Cyber intelligence also requires collaboration and coordination among different functions and teams within the organisation, as well as with external partners and stakeholders.
We discuss below some of the key components and challenges of cyber intelligence, as well as some best practices and recommendations for developing and implementing a cyber intelligence program.
Components of cyber intelligence
Cyber intelligence can be divided into four main categories: strategic, operational, tactical and technical.
Strategic
Cyber intelligence provides a high-level overview of the cyber threat landscape, including trends, patterns, actors and campaigns. It helps to inform decision-makers about the current and future cyber threats and their implications for the organisation’s mission, vision and objectives.
Operational
Cyber intelligence focuses on the specific cyber threats and incidents that affect the organisation’s operations, assets and systems. It helps to identify and prioritise the most relevant and urgent cyber risks and provide actionable recommendations for mitigation and response.
Tactical
Cyber intelligence deals with the technical details of the cyber threats and incidents, such as indicators of compromise (IOCs), tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs), malware analysis and attribution. It helps to provide technical support and guidance for the detection, prevention and remediation of cyber attacks.
Technical
Cyber intelligence involves the collection and processing of raw data from various sources, such as network traffic, logs, sensors, open source intelligence (OSINT), social media, dark web, etc. It helps to enrich and validate the information obtained from other sources and provide additional insights and context.
- Volume: The amount of data and information available for cyber intelligence is enormous and constantly growing. It is difficult to filter out the noise and focus on the signal.
- Velocity: The speed at which cyber threats evolve and change is very fast. It is difficult to keep up with the latest developments and updates.
- Variety: The diversity of data and information sources, formats, languages and quality is very high. It is difficult to integrate and correlate different types of data and information.
- Veracity: The reliability and accuracy of data and information sources is variable. It is difficult to verify and validate the data and information obtained from various sources.
- Value: The relevance and usefulness of data and information for cyber intelligence is dependent on the context and purpose. It is difficult to extract meaningful insights from data and information that can support decision-making.
Cyber intelligence is not an easy task. It faces many challenges, such as:
Challenges of cyber intelligence
Define clear objectives
What are the goals and expected outcomes of cyber intelligence? Who are the target audiences and stakeholders? What are their needs and expectations?
Establish a framework
What are the processes, methods, tools and standards for cyber intelligence? How are they aligned with the organisation’s policies, procedures and guidelines?
Build a team
Who are the people involved in cyber intelligence? What are their roles, responsibilities and skills? How are they organised, coordinated and communicated?
Collect data
What are the sources of data for cyber intelligence? How are they accessed, acquired and stored? How are they protected from unauthorised access or tampering?
Analyse data
How are the data processed, filtered, enriched, correlated and analysed? What are the techniques, models, algorithms and tools used for data analysis?
Disseminate information
How are the results of data analysis presented, reported and shared? What are the formats, and platforms used for information dissemination?
Evaluate performance
How are the outcomes and impacts of cyber intelligence measured and assessed? What are the metrics, indicators and feedback mechanisms used for performance evaluation?
Despite these challenges, there are some best practices that can help to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of cyber intelligence, such as:
Best practices for cyber intelligence
- Start small: Don't try to do everything at once. Focus on a specific problem or use case that can demonstrate value and benefit from cyber intelligence.
- Learn by doing: Don't wait for perfection. Experiment with different approaches and tools and learn from your mistakes and successes.
- Iterate and improve: Don't settle for good enough. Continuously monitor, review and update your processes, methods, tools and standards based on feedback, lessons learned and changing requirements.
- Collaborate and share: Don't work in silos. Engage and involve your stakeholders and partners in the cyber intelligence process. Share your data, information and insights and leverage their expertise, resources and networks.
Based on these best practices, here are some recommendations for developing and implementing a cyber intelligence program:
Recommendations for implementing a cyber intelligence program
Conclusion
Cyber intelligence is a vital capability for any organisation that wants to protect itself from cyber threats and enhance its cyber resilience. Cyber intelligence requires a systematic and structured approach that combines technical and human aspects, as well as collaboration and coordination among different functions and teams. By following some of the best practices and recommendations discussed above, you can develop and implement a cyber intelligence programme that can help you achieve your objectives and improve your performance.
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