Emerging Threats in the Field of Threat Intelligence

In today’s interconnected digital landscape, the amount and variety of data available to organizations has increased exponentially, making cyber threats a major concern for businesses, governments, and individuals. With the rise of sophisticated and constantly evolving threats, it has become crucial for organizations to have effective threat intelligence programs in place. However, as threat intelligence evolves to keep up with the changing threat landscape, new challenges and emerging threats in the field are also coming to light. In this article, we will discuss some of the key emerging threats in the field of threat intelligence and provide practical examples of how they can impact organizations.

Data Overload:

One of the biggest challenges facing the threat intelligence community is data overload. The sheer volume of raw data being collected, stored, and analyzed can be overwhelming for organizations. As more and more data is being generated from a variety of sources such as network logs, social media, and security devices, it becomes increasingly difficult to process and extract meaningful insights. This can result in missed threats and delayed response times, making organizations more vulnerable to cyberattacks.

Practical Example: A large organization receives numerous alerts from different security systems, resulting in their threat intelligence team being inundated with thousands of alerts every day. This overwhelming amount of data can lead to fatigue and increased chances of missing a critical threat.

Lack of Context:

Another emerging threat in the field of threat intelligence is the lack of context. While organizations may have access to a vast amount of data, it is often fragmented and lacks context, making it challenging to connect the dots and get a comprehensive view of potential threats. This lack of context can lead to false positives, wasting valuable time and resources in investigating non-existent threats.

Practical Example: A financial institution receives multiple alerts for unauthorized access attempts on its network. However, without understanding the context of these attempts, the threat intelligence team cannot determine if they are coming from a legitimate user or a potential attacker, resulting in unnecessary investigations.

Skill Shortage:

The ever-changing threat landscape requires organizations to have skilled professionals who can detect and analyze threats effectively. However, there is a growing shortage of skilled professionals in the field of threat intelligence. According to a survey by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2, the global shortage of cybersecurity professionals is estimated to be around 3 million and is expected to grow to 3.5 million by 2021.

Practical Example: A small organization without the budget to hire full-time threat intelligence professionals may have to rely on their existing IT team to handle threat intelligence. However, without the necessary skills and expertise, these professionals may not be able to effectively identify and respond to potential threats.

Emerging Threat Actors:

As organizations strengthen their cybersecurity defenses, threat actors are also evolving their tactics, making it difficult for threat intelligence programs to keep up. In recent years, state-sponsored attacks and ransomware attacks have gained notoriety, posing a significant threat to organizations of all sizes. Moreover, the rise of the dark web has made it easier for threat actors to access tools and services to launch sophisticated attacks.

Practical Example: A technology company becomes a victim of a state-sponsored attack that compromises their sensitive data, resulting in significant financial loss and damage to their reputation.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, emerging threats in the field of threat intelligence pose a significant challenge for organizations looking to secure their systems and data. Data overload, lack of context, skill shortage, and emerging threat actors are just some of the key challenges that organizations need to address to stay ahead of potential threats. To effectively manage these threats, organizations need to continuously evaluate and upgrade their threat intelligence programs and invest in skilled professionals and sophisticated technologies to analyze and contextualize data. It is only through a holistic and proactive approach towards threat intelligence that organizations can effectively protect themselves from emerging threats in today’s ever-evolving threat landscape.