Cyber threat hunting is finding malicious actors in systems that can easily bypass your initial endpoint security. The malware can remain undetected for months, quietly collect data or sensitive information and look for login details to move laterally in the network.

“Threat hunting is the practice of proactively searching for cyber threats that are lurking undetected in a network.” (Crowdstrike)

For proactive cyber threat hunting it is crucial to build an effective threat-hunting team of highly skilled analysts.  The team members must be experts at practicing advanced threat-detecting techniques and using advanced threat-detection tools.

This blog will explain some best practices for building a successful cyber threat-hunting team, including the key skills and tools required for effective threat-hunting.

Definitions of Key Roles Involved in a Cyber Threat Hunting Team

A cyber threat hunting team is a group of security professionals responsible for identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities in the network. Here are the definitions of some key roles that are involved in a cyber threat hunting team.

Threat hunter:

The primary role of a threat hunter is to proactively search through an organization's network, endpoints, and datasets to identify and isolate advanced threats that remain undetected with conventional security systems. They use advanced analytics, manual techniques, and advanced threat intelligence to identify anomalies or threats in any organization's network.

Qualification of a threat hunter should be a bachelor's degree in computer science, cyber security, forensics, or other related fields with a master's degree in cyber security as a plus point. Previous working experience as a security analyst or related roles and experience in network & system administration and network traffic analysis can be beneficial.

SOC Analyst:

A security operations center (SOC) analyst is the person who monitors and audits a company's system for security issues. They work on a team to monitor, analyze, and respond to potential security breaches. SOC analyst works on surveillance of an organization's network to identify and mitigate security threats in real time. The role of SOC involves staying up to date with the latest threats and participating in security audits.

The educational background requirements for a SOC analyst vary from a bachelor's degree in cyber security and computer science-related fields to having certifications in specific cyber security fields.

Incident Responder:

The duty of the incident responder includes monitoring, assessment, testing, and analysis of the system to identify and mitigate any potential security threat. Companies hire incident responders to protect their networks against ransomware.

Incident responders can work as consultants or as permanent employees for large companies. Qualification for an incident responder should be a master's degree in computer science forensics, or a master's in incident response management.

Secure communications during threat hunting:

It is very necessary for threat-hunting team members to communicate securely. Secure email services provide end-to-end encryption for emails, chats, and any attached threat data. It is recommended to use encrypted services like ProtonMail (Black Friday Deal: 60% off starting at $3.99 ) and StartMail (Black Friday Deal: 50% Off the first year + 3 months free! November 11 - November 27 extends into Black Friday / Cyber Monday: November 28 - December 2nd) to protect sensitive information.

Cyber Threat Hunting Tools and Technologies

The threat-hunting process is based on different types of tools like SIEM, EDR, and other network detection tools. Cyber threat hunting tools are basically designed to detect anomalies, analyze endpoint and network data, or eliminate threats in real-time.

SIEM:

SIEM  tool is used to collect data from various devices and different sources within an organization's network to analyze unusual behavior. When these tools find something suspicious they generate alerts that that help security teams investigate and eliminate real threats. Security Information and Event Management system tool generates detailed reports that can help organizations find the nature and impact of ongoing or recent threats.

SIEM tool has some major features such as data collection, policies, Data consolidation and correlation, and also have notifications. There are some benefits of SIEM tools such as real-time threat recognition, AI-driven automation, improved organizational efficiency, detection of advanced and unknown threats, conducting forensic investigations, accessing and reporting on compliance, and monitoring users and applications.

EDR:

EDR is known as the Endpoint Detection and Response tool. The basic purpose of this tool is to monitor individual devices like servers, computers, and mobile phones. They provide all the information about files that contain malware or which files are used in ransomware. It also can isolate the infected devices to prevent the spread of any threat.

EDR has some major functions such as continuous monitoring, advanced analytics, unusual patterns, threat detection methods, automated response, and also have investigation and forensics.

Secure Internet access during threat hunting:

To ensure secure internet access during threat hunting investigation, it is necessary for threat hunters to use a reliable VPN. A tool like Nord VPN from Nord Security (Black Friday Deal: 74% off + 3 months extra, starting at $2.99 from October 16 - December 2) provides the encrypted connections. This can prevent attackers from stealing sensitive and important information and data.

Continuous Learning

The Threat landscape is continuously evolving. Threat-hunting teams must have the desire and ability to continuously learn in the field of threat-hunting and cyber security. Continuous learning will equip them with all the required knowledge related to new threats, tools, and techniques that can help them provide robust security surveillance to their organization.

Course Suggestions:

1.     Udacity: Nanodegree in Security Analyst (55% off for Black Friday with code BLACKFRIDAY)

2.     edX: Cybersecurity Fundamentals (Cyber Monday savings — get up to 30% off select programs until December 3. Use code EDXCYBER24)

3.     StationX: Cybersecurity Course

Conclusion:

Effective cyber threat hunting is necessary to prevent cyber threats. Organizations need highly skilled and professional individuals as threat hunters, SOC analysts, and incident responders. This team works together to identify threats and risks. They need SIEM tools for tracking different events, and EDR tools for monitoring devices. With the help of these tools they can catch unusual activity and they can prevent threat hunting. For your business to improve and grow faster you need the best and highly qualified team members and the best tools are necessary. A well-equipped threat-hunting team is key to success in this digital age.