Threat Intelligence
Credible, Informed, Attributed
Credible, Informed, Attributed
Threat intelligence, at its core, is the process of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information about potential and active cyber threats. When developed with the right methodology, it empowers defenders to anticipate attacks, pinpoint adversaries, and take well-informed, preemptive measures. Although often discussed in the context of large enterprises, a structured threat intelligence approach can benefit organizations of all sizes—from small businesses with limited cybersecurity budgets to global operations managing complex digital footprints.
Realistically, Threat Intelligence gives an organisation a context-rich picture of how, why, and when attacks are likely to occur. Credible, targeted, insightful threat intelligence provides:
Threat Intelligence is too broad to not divide & nuture individually, this is where organisations can significantly improve their real-world understanding of how Threat Intelligence is applied to an organisation.
At the heart of any solid threat intelligence program is a lifecycle—a structured approach that transforms raw data into relevant, actionable guidance. We call these insights. Generally, Threat Intelligence is baked into an organisations cyber defense through six stages:
Define what you need to learn and why. These requirements set the tone for the entire intelligence process. Regardless of industry or business context, this is crucial to define exactly, in your data governance & policy, what is critical to you, your customers, and your business operations. This data governance is your key driver in gathering relevant, contextually appropriate Threat Intelligence.
Gather data aligned with your stated requirements. Data classification under governance and participating in community intel-sharing. The objective is to compile information that’s specific and relevant. What exactly do you need to protect, and how will you protect it.
This is data governance in action, normalise, categorise, and label your data. In this stage, is not only governance, but correlating on incoming intel. This processing stage is plugging feeds into your SIEM/XDR, and engineering the detections to trigger for traige & analysis.
During this phase, data has become actionable intelligence. Analysts examine patterns that could point to specific adversaries—code reuse, infrastructure overlap, or distinctive phishing lures. This is also where detailed “fingerprints” of APT groups are developed, enabling more precise attribution and supporting proactive measures such as early detection rules and threat hunting.
Successful intel programs depend on distributing findings to the right recipients, in the right format, at the right time. This is so undersold in the current market, and needs to be better articulated. Technical staff need updated detection signatures and vulnerability alerts, while non-technical leadership might need higher-level summaries that inform investment or policy decisions. I keep repeating a word here, it's credible, if the insight is relevant, opportunistic, and contemporary, it's credible, and is prime for sharing.
The lifecycle ends at the start of the lifecycle loop, and is often the most difficult to achieve stage, Feedback. Everyone knows the power of reflection, review, & feedback, yet applying it is often incredibly difficult due to battling priorities. It pains me to say, but it's rampant that we don't have enough time to do this right. We're missing crucial insights from incident response & hunt findings, geo-policitical & international affairs, overseas adversary activity. It's a damn mountain of work to evaluate it all, distill it into something useful, and apply it back into your lifecycle.
But, because it's such a monumental task, it gives opportunity to build whatever you want for your organisation. Defenders know their orgs best, and are the kings of local insight. This is the advantage of living in a world where Threat Intelligence providers like Recorded Future, Mandiant, even the CISA KEV to an extent, help guide & run a thoughtful Threat Intelligence campaign, and builds a worthwhile lifecycle, creates a synergy between defensive measures and forward-looking strategies.
But again, that's the beauty of Threat Intelligence, it is so immediately applicable to an organisation that any maturity, is so worthwhile. It helps shift a SOC only reacting to alerts, to a security teams with the visibility to anticipate likely threats, map adversary tactics, and reduce the likelihood of successful infiltration.
Threat intelligence is most impactful when governed by a clear, iterative lifecycle that transforms raw data into targeted, actionable insights. A well-orchestrated program not only clarifies who might attack you and why but also offers practical guidance on how to prepare, detect, and respond—ultimately enabling a form of “defense offense” that puts defenders ahead of emerging threats.