What is a Cyber Threat Resilience and How is it Implemented?

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Cyber threat resilience is a vital part of any security strategy. But what exactly is it? And how can you put it to work to better understand the cyber threats facing your organisation and mitigate those risks?

Threat resilience refers to data about threats, vulnerabilities and other cyber security-related issues that can inform decisions about how to counter them. It's not just a report on what happened, but also an assessment of what might happen next.

What is Cyber Threat Resilience?

Cyber Threat Resilience is the ability of an organisation to anticipate and respond to cyber threats in a manner that protects people, processes, and the organisation's assets.

We all know that cyber threats are here to stay. The cyber crime landscape is constantly evolving, and companies need to be prepared for the next attack.

Cyber crime can take many forms, including:

    · Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks

    · Malware infections

    · Ransomware attacks

    · Social engineering scams

How Does Cyber Threat Resilience Work?

Threat resilience can be broken down into three parts:

         1.   Threat monitoring: The process of collecting information about potential threats and incidents as they occur. This includes monitoring social media feeds and other public sources as well as private sources such as threat               feeds or honeypots (decoy systems designed to lure attackers).

         2.   Threat analysis: The process of analysing the collected data — usually using tools like SIEMs — so you can identify trends, patterns and other potential indicators of future attacks. The goal here is not only to detect cyber              attacks, but also to understand their motives, capabilities and intentions so you can take appropriate action.

         3.   Threat mitigation: The process of taking action based on the results of your analysis. This might mean blocking an IP address or URL that has been identified as malicious; adding

The impact of a cyber attack can be physical (e.g., loss of life) or psychological (e.g., loss of reputation). It can also be financial (e.g., loss of revenue) or reputational (e.g., loss of confidence). Whatever form it takes, every cyber attack has the potential to cripple an organisation's ability to function effectively — even if only temporarily — which can lead to serious consequences for both the organisation and its stakeholders.

Why is Threat Resilience Important?

A recent survey of IT leaders revealed that 78% of them lack confidence in their current cybersecurity posture.Cyber Threat Resilience is important because it is the first step towards reducing your organisation’s exposure to cyber risk. Cyber risks can come in many forms, such as:

Data breaches – These are unauthorised accesses or disclosures of sensitive data that can cause significant damage to an organisation’s reputation, finances and operations.

‍Business disruption – A successful attack could result in significant financial losses due to downtime and lost business opportunities. This would also impact your customers who may lose trust in your products or services and go elsewhere for their needs.

‍Identity theft – This can happen when hackers gain access to personal information like credit card numbers, social security numbers etc., which they use for fraudulent activities like identity theft or fraudulent purchases with stolen credit cards etc.

‍Data loss prevention (DLP) - This refers to preventing unauthorised access or disclosure of sensitive data by employees through various means such as encryption, tokenization etc

Threat resilience is important because it helps organisations defend against a wide range of cyber-attacks. Threats come in many forms: from hackers that steal information for financial gain or embarrassment, to nation-states looking for political advantage. Some of these are highly sophisticated, while others are unsophisticated and easy to detect. Regardless of their sophistication level, however, all cyber threats can have devastating effects on an organisation.

Who Needs Threat Resilience?

A cyber threat does not discriminate and it's not going away. The question is, how can you prevent or mitigate the damage and be better prepared for the next one

Who Needs Threat Resilience?

Everyone needs some level of cyber threat resilience. If you're a small business owner with only one employee, your threats will be minimal compared to a large corporation that operates globally. However, you still need to protect yourself from attacks on your website, email accounts and social media pages. This means implementing basic security measures such as antivirus software, firewalls and password protection. You'll also want to back up important files regularly so that if something happens and your computer crashes, you'll have copies in case they're lost forever.

If you're an individual who uses online banking services or makes online purchases on a regular basis, then you may want to consider investing in some type of identity theft protection service like Lifelock or Identity Guard which will help protect your identity in case someone steals your personal information such as credit card numbers or Social media.

What are the Different Types of Threat Intelligence?

Strategic Threat Intelligence

Strategic Threat Intelligence intends to manage existing cyber threats by providing a high level of information on cybersecurity posture, industry leads, threats, and the financial impact of cyber activities on business decisions.

Threat intelligence has become an important part of an organisation’s security strategy due to the growing complexity of attacks. In fact, according to a study by PWC, 59% of respondents said they are worried about losing access to critical data because of a cyber attack.

In order to stay ahead of the game, organisations need to adopt a strategic approach in their efforts to improve cyber security. This includes implementing policies and controls that help protect against both known and unknown threats, as well as building teams with the skills and knowledge necessary to detect suspicious activity before it can cause damage.

Cybercrime is a global threat that has been around for some time. In fact, it is believed to be the fastest growing crime in the world and will only continue to worsen if not addressed properly.

Tactical Threat Intelligence

Tactical Intelligence looks at the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) of threat actors, along with detailing Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), to provide you with an idea of what needs protection. Taken literally, learning the tactics of an attacker gives an idea of their next move.

Tactical Threat Intelligence can be used in two ways:

Endpoint Protection - to detect ongoing malicious activity on endpoints and respond appropriately.

Network Protection - to identify suspicious network activity and block it before it reaches your endpoints.

Cyber Threat Intelligence Use Case

An effective cyber threat intelligence solution can increase your cyber security resilience. It can improve overall network visibility and detect malicious activities, unknown threats and adversaries targeting your systems. You should identify the best use cases that are right for your organisation. Finding out the 'why' can ensure information and reports are accurate and beneficial. Below we have listed some valuable use cases that your organisation can apply to your systems.

Incident Response & SOC

Cyber Threat Resilience makes sure that security teams have the right tools to automatically triage incidents, spot anomalies and stop threats efficiently.

Cyber threat intelligence can reduce the load by identifying and eliminating false positives, providing context for specific alerts, and comparing information to established sources to establish authenticity.

Skurio's cyber threat intelligence platform ensures your staff aren't chasing wild geese with irrelevant alerts so you can save time and money with automated search capabilities and practical filters. A right-hand on-hand analyst, who can provide helpful advice and recommendations, is just a click away.

Takeaway: Threat resilience is an important consideration for any business owner.

Just as we mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, while it is important to understand the nature of cyber attacks, it is even more crucial to develop a plan that addresses cyber attacks. The biggest challenge facing organisations today is not the potential for a cyber attack, but rather recognizing when an attack has occurred and being able to respond immediately. This can only be accomplished with a system in place that was specifically designed for that purpose.

Looking for a partner to help you strengthen your company’s information security? Cyber security firms like ICDigital can help you with threat intelligence framework. Get in touch today!

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