Threat hunting: 3 reasons why it is necessary to implement it

Threat hunting is a proactive protection practice against advanced threats essential to maintaining the integrity and security of an organization’s systems and data.

Below, we explain in more detail what Threat hunting is and the relevance of implementing it in organizations.

What is Threat hunting?

Threat hunting is a proactive process of searching for and detecting cyberthreats capable of bypassing traditional security defenses. Unlike reactive methods that rely on automatic alerts, threat hunting involves actively searching for suspicious or malicious activity within the system or network, both internal and external.

Threat hunting aims to identify, mitigate, or nullify advanced threats before they can cause significant damage. This includes detecting advanced persistent attacks (APTs), malware, exposed vulnerabilities, and other risk factors that may go undetected by conventional security tools.  

Threat hunting methodology

Now that you know what Threat Hunting is, you must discover its methodology. This process usually follows an iterative cycle that includes the following phases:

1. Hipothesis. Threat hunting begins with formulating hypotheses about possible threats based on threat intelligence, behavioral analysis, and knowledge of the environment.
2. Data collection. Data is collected from various sources, such as event logs, network monitoring, and endpoint data.
3. Analysis. The data collected is analyzed for unusual patterns or indicators of compromise (IoCs).
4. Research. If suspicious activity is identified, a more in-depth investigation is conducted to determine the nature and extent of the threat.
5. Response. If a threat is confirmed, steps are taken to contain, nullify, or mitigate the impact.

Threat hunting uses a variety of tools and techniques, including

• Intrusion detection systems (IDS): to monitor and analyze network traffic for suspicious activity.
• Log and behavior analysis: to review and correlate events recorded in different systems and identify deviations in the normal behavior of users and systems.
• Threat Intelligence: to gain insight into open breaches and vulnerabilities exposed across the network, dark web, deep web, and social media.

How to do Threat hunting: steps to follow

To carry out threat hunting effectively, the following key steps are necessary:

1. Define objectives and strategy. Determine what you want to achieve, identify advanced threats, improve incident detection, and develop a strategy with the necessary resources, tools, and procedures
2. Form a Threat Hunting team. The team must have experience in cybersecurity and data analysis and be permanently updated on the latest threats and techniques.
3. Collect and analyze data. Compilation through event logs, network traffic and intrusion detection systems (IDS), automated Cyber Intelligence platforms…
4. Formulate hypotheses. Based on threat intelligence and behavioral analysis, hypotheses about possible threats are formulated, and steps are defined to investigate each hypothesis.
5. Execute the hunt. Active searches are conducted on the collected data to identify suspicious activity. If indications of a threat are found, further investigation is carried out to confirm the nature and scope.
6. Respond and mitigate. When a threat is confirmed, steps are taken to contain, nullify, or mitigate its impact.
7. Documentation and reports. All findings and actions are documented, and reports are provided to senior management and cybersecurity managers to improve security defenses and strategies.

What do you need to start Threat hunting?

To implement an effective Threat Hunting program, several key components must be prepared and organized to ensure its success. These fundamental elements include proper team selection, collecting and analyzing relevant data, and integrating threat intelligence.

Human capital

Selecting the right Threat hunting team is crucial to the strategy’s success. A Threat hunting team must combine technical skills, practical experience, and the ability to work in a team.
The Threat Hunting team must consist of professionals trained in cybersecurity, data analysis, and attacker techniques and procedures. They must also have official certifications such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), or GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) and, if possible, extensive practical experience.
The team must be able to work collaboratively and effectively communicate its findings to other departments and senior management. Its updates on cybersecurity and threats must be continuous.

Data

To initiate threat hunting, it is essential to collect and analyze various data that can indicate suspicious or malicious activity.
This data must be extracted from event logs, such as system or security logs; network traffic, such as packet captures or network flows; endpoint data, such as activity logs or sensor data; threat intelligence, such as indicators of compromise or information collected in monitoring from external sources; user data; such as authentication logs or behavioral analysis; and exposed vulnerability and open breach data extracted from scans of the organization’s internal and external attack surfaces.

Threat Intelligence

Threat Intelligence focuses on collecting, analyzing, and utilizing information about potential and current threats that can impact an organization’s security. It provides a detailed view of malicious actors, their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), exposed vulnerabilities, and open security gaps that can be exploited to execute an attack.
Threat intelligence acts as a solid foundation that guides the team in identifying and mitigating risks. With access to up-to-date and accurate threat information, Threat hunting professionals can anticipate and detect suspicious activity before it becomes a security incident.
In addition, Threat Intelligence allows you to prioritize nullification efforts, focusing on the most relevant and immediate threats to the organization.  

Outstanding features and benefits of Threat hunting

Threat hunting offers several key features and advantages that set it apart from traditional security practices. Below we highlight the most relevant ones:

Proactive and immediate approach

Unlike traditional security methods that are often reactive, threat hunting empowers organizations to anticipate threats before they materialize. This proactive approach involves looking for signs of malicious activity rather than waiting for incidents.
By taking an immediate approach, Threat hunting professionals can identify and neutralize threats in real-time, minimizing their potential impact on the organization. This reduces incident response time and improves the organization’s ability to prevent future attacks.
In addition, the proactive approach allows organizations to stay one step ahead of attackers, quickly adapting to new tactics and techniques used by malicious actors.
You may be interested in→ Proactive security: What is it and why use it to prevent and detect threats and cyberattacks?

Continuous improvement

Threat hunting allows organizations to constantly evolve and adapt to new threats and tactics employed by malicious actors. Security teams can identify threat patterns and trends through threat hunting, allowing them to continuously adjust and improve their defense strategies.
Continuous improvement involves a constant feedback loop. Threat hunting’s findings are used to refine security policies, update detection tools and techniques, and train personnel in new defense tactics. This process strengthens the organization’s security posture and increases resilience to future attacks.

High adaptability

With threat hunting, organizations can quickly adjust their defense strategies in response to emerging threats and changing tactics from cyber attackers. Adaptability in Threat Hunting involves continuously modifying and updating the tools, techniques, and procedures used to detect and mitigate threats.
Thanks to this adaptability, security teams can respond more effectively to new challenges and vulnerabilities emerging in the cybersecurity landscape. In addition, adaptability allows organizations to integrate new technologies and methodologies into their defense processes, thereby improving their ability to protect critical assets.

Types of Threat Hunting according to the need

Types of Threat Hunting according to the need
Organizations can adopt various models to effectively address threat hunting depending on their specific needs and the context in which they operate. Each Threat Hunting model offers a different approach to identifying and mitigating threats, adapting to different aspects of the security environment and protection objectives.

Intelligence models

These models focus on identifying cyber threats using Cyber Threat Intelligence. They allow organizations to identify suspicious activity and behavior patterns that could indicate the presence of malicious actors, exposed vulnerabilities, and open breaches in the network using indicators of compromise obtained from threat intelligence sources. They respond to the organization’s need to detect, control, and understand the threats to its external perimeter to neutralize them or effectively respond to cybercriminals’ use of them.

Scenario models

These models focus on formulating hypotheses about possible cyber threats. They draw on the knowledge and experience of security analysts to develop feasible assumptions about potential attacks and how they are executed, as well as the vulnerabilities that can be exploited for this purpose. They respond to the organization’s need to anticipate any type of threat and to adapt to new threats as they appear proactively.

Personal models

They are advanced models that adapt to an organization’s specific needs. They are based on in-depth knowledge of the environment, weaknesses, and particular corporate requirements and use the organization’s own data and patterns to identify potential threats. They respond to the needs of detecting specific threats, adapting the strategy to the organization’s infrastructure and operations, and optimizing the organization’s resources. These models can be executed through human teams, advanced Cyber Intelligence platforms that allow customization in searches or a combination of both.  

Discover how Kartos by Enthec helps you in your Threat hunting strategy

Kartos is the Cyber Intelligence platform developed by Enthec that allows you to develop a Threat hunting strategy in your organization thanks to its continuous, automated and customizable monitoring capacity of the internet, the deep web, the dark web and social networks in search of exposed vulnerabilities and open corporate breaches. Thanks to its in-house developed AI, Kartos XTI is the only cyber intelligence platform that eliminates false positives in search results, thus ensuring the usefulness of the information provided to disable latent threats and vulnerabilities. In addition, Kartos by Enthec issues real-time alarms, sends permanently updated data and develops reports on its findings. Contact us to learn more about our Threat Intelligence solutions, their licenses, and how Kartos by Enthec can help your organization implement an effective Threat Hunting strategy.