Cyber Threat Hunting is an advanced approach to the process of identifying, and mitigating cyber security threats even before they can cause damage. It is fast forward compared to traditional security measures which rely on alerts after the cyber attack has occurred, threat hunting continuously seeks out suspicious activities that can cause potential damage.

Advancing Landscape of Cyber Threats:

Cyber threats are growing more sophisticated with time, any advanced external attacker that bypasses the initial network defense systems, can remain undetected for longer times. In this time they can gather sensitive information, compromise login credentials, and collect confidential data.

In this advancing landscape of cyber threats, cyber security personnel cannot afford to rely only on traditional automated threat detection alerts. It is time to utilize cyber threat hunting to detect potential threats before they can cause damage.

What is Cyber Threat Hunting?

Cyber threat hunting combines human threat hunters with software solutions to find adversaries that may evade typical defense approaches. Human intuition, critical thinking, and problem-solving capacity play a major part in the cyber threat-hunting process. These human characteristics provide organizations with faster and more accurate robust security implementation,  rather than solely relying on traditional automated threat detection tools.

Cyber Threat Hunting vs Standard Cybersecurity Approach:

Standard cybersecurity approaches, such as reactive antivirus software depend upon known threats and previously identified malware signatures to trigger alerts. Comparatively, Cyber threat hunting actively searches for hidden threats within an organization's network to detect advanced persistent threats (APTs) and zero-day exploits.

Reactive antivirus (standard cybersecurity approach) relies on existing knowledge of threats and malware. In contrast, cyber threat hunting uses behavioral analysis and threat intelligence to detect adversaries that may bypass traditional defenses.

Core Components in Cyber Threat Hunting:

For a cyber threat hunting program to be successful, focus on the core components such as threat intelligence, behavioral intelligence, and AI tools is essential. Let’s discuss these components in detail:

Threat Intelligence:

Threat intelligence works on the analysis and collection of data about potential threats from various sources. Threat intelligence provides cyber threat hunters with valuable information about emerging threats that can be in the form of raw threat data or detailed analyses of malware strains. With the help of this contextual information, organizations can proactively focus on detecting and eliminating potential cyber security risks.

Behavioral Analysis:

Behavioral analysis identifies unusual activities within a network that may signify a security threat. It helps organizations to effectively detect and respond to potential cybersecurity threats. Behavioral analysis monitors for any anomalies and deviations of users, and systems from normal patterns that can be useful in early detection and response of cyber threats.

Automation and AI Tools:

Automation and AI tools combined with human intelligence can significantly enhance the efficiency and accuracy of cyber threat hunting. Automated tools speed up the threat detection process by analyzing high volumes of data for anomalies. The cyber threat hunting process can be made more effective and scalable by automating repeated tasks and using AI for pattern recognition, leaving human analysts to focus on more complex and high-priority threats.

Key Techniques Used in Cyber Threat Hunting:

Here are the key techniques used in cyber threat hunting:

Network Traffic Analysis:

This is the process of monitoring data flow and network availability to identify anomalies. Network Traffic Analysis can be helpful in detecting traffic patterns,  protocols, and volume of data used. If you detect a large amount of data exfiltration during non-business hours of any organization this could indicate a potential breach. NTA uncovers the hidden threats that bypass traditional threat detection systems.

Ø  Wireshark:

Wireshark is an open-source network monitoring tool that captures data packets traveling around the network to monitor and analyze for any suspicious or anomalous behavior. Wireshark analyzes live or saved packet data provides detailed information on the protocols and identifies potential threats or performance issues.

Ø  Snort:

Snort is another powerful intrusion detection tool that provides real-time network traffic analysis. It can be helpful to detect DoS attacks, DDoS attacks, stealth port scans, etc. It uses rule-based activity to identify and detect malicious activity and send alerts to users.

Ø  OSSEC:

OSSEC is a host-based intrusion system that complements, network analysis tools in monitoring the security of individual endpoints, servers, and systems. OSSEC detects changes to critical files on a system and provides real-time alerts for suspicious activities, along with other features.

Endpoint Detection and Response:

EDR tools monitor, detect, and respond to suspicious activities on individual devices, Endpoint detection and response tools monitor data in real-time and provide detailed forensic data allowing security teams to detect and respond to potential security threats. It combines behavioral analysis, threat intelligence, and machine learning tools to cyber threats.

Log Analysis:

Another crucial component of a threat detection system is log analysis which provides detailed information on user activities, network transactions, and records of system events. Cyber threat hunters can utilize these records to detect any unusual malicious activity that might go unnoticed.  Log analysis can detect for early signs of threats and provides detailed information for detecting and mitigating security incidents.

Tip: Once the cyber threat hunting is done you need to share the threat data. Try using secure mail services such as Startmail & ProtonMail which can help share sensitive threat information with end-to-end encryption.

Online Learning Platforms:

Online learning platforms offer multiple courses in the field of cyber security that can help enhance your skills and knowledge in threat detection.

Courses by StationX:

1.    Digital Forensic and Incident Response

2.    Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking

Courses by Udacity:

1.    Security Analyst Nanodegree

Courses by edX:

    1.IBM: Threat Intelligence in Cybersecurity

Conclusion

While concluding the blog, we must discuss the main benefits of cyber threat hunting.

1. It helps detect threats even before they cause damage.
2. It detects the hidden threats that bypass traditional defenses.
3. It improves the speed and accuracy of threat investigation and mitigation.