Advanced Threat Hunting: The Proactive Cyber Approach to Protect Your Company

Traditional methods of dealing with cybersecurity are no longer effective. Cybercriminals are increasingly adept and equipped with sophisticated tools, leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation to outwit security controls and mechanize the cyber attack life cycle. As a result, cybercrime now has become a multi-billion-dollar industry.

No organization can afford to sit back and wait for an attack. Therefore, business owners need to proactively boost their security measures to avoid becoming easy targets.

One crucial strategy to enhance an organization's cybersecurity defenses is proactive threat hunting, which will be the focus of this blog.

Challenges of Threat Hunting

While threat hunting offers numerous benefits, it also presents several challenges that organizations need to address:

1. Skill Shortage:

The cybersecurity industry faces a scarcity of skilled professionals with the necessary expertise in threat hunting. Recruiting and retaining talented threat hunters is particularly difficult due to the high demand for their services and the competitive salaries in the cybersecurity field.

2. Resource Intensity:

Threat hunting requires significant human and technological resources. Organizations must invest in advanced tools, which can be expensive and difficult to maintain.

3. False Positives:

Managing and minimizing false positives is crucial for efficient threat hunting. Too many false alarms can waste valuable resources and potentially lead to genuine threats being missed.

Proactive vs. Reactive Cybersecurity

Reactive Cybersecurity Tactics

Most businesses implement security measures such as firewalls, antivirus software, and threat monitoring software as reactive security. Reactive cybersecurity approaches focus on the prevention of known cyber threats or incidents. Their main objective is to detect and minimize the harm caused by a cyber-attack or breach once it has been identified. Some solutions for these reactive measures include:

• Firewalls
• Incident Response
• Forensics
• Spam Filters

Proactive Cybersecurity

Proactive cybersecurity aims to prevent cyber threats before they occur. It focuses on predicting potential threats and implementing strategies to detect and mitigate them early. Threat hunting is a primary activity in proactive cybersecurity.

Benefits of Threat Hunting

Organizations typically take around 287 days to discover and manage a breach. Often, threats remain undetected until a major event occurs. Key benefits of threat hunting include:

1. Early Detection of Hidden Threats:

According to the SANS 2022 Threat Hunting Survey, organizations engaging in threat hunting report significant improvements in detecting sophisticated threats.

2. Shortened Investigation Time and Minimized False Positives:

Research indicates that regular threat hunting can reduce response times by up to 50%, minimizing the potential impact on business operations.

Will Threat Hunting Increase Your ROI?

According to a study by the Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a data breach in 2023 was $4.24 million. Organizations with proactive threat-hunting programs reduced this cost by 25%. The ROI of threat hunting can be measured through several key metrics:

Reduced Incident Response Costs

The Ponemon Institute's 2021 report revealed that companies with active threat-hunting practices saved an average of 3$ million per breach in mitigation costs compared to those without such measures. Early detection and mitigation of threats can significantly lower the costs associated with incident response and recovery.

Minimized Downtime

Proactive threat hunting reduces system downtime, maintaining business continuity.

Regulatory Compliance

Proactive measures help ensure compliance with cybersecurity regulations, avoiding potential fines and penalties. per breach in mitigation costs compared to those without such measures. Early detection and mitigation of threats can significantly lower the costs associated with incident response and recovery.

Threat Hunting Methodologies

Threat hunters initiate targeted searches to identify abnormal activities or behaviors that could indicate a malicious presence. Proactive threat hunting typically falls into three main categories:

Hypothesis-Driven Hunting:

This process starts with developing hypotheses based on recognized threats or observed anomalies. Threat hunters use their experience and threat intelligence to predict likely attacker actions and system vulnerabilities.

Indicator of Compromise (IoC) Hunting:

IOC hunting involves searching for known signs of a security breach, such as specific malware signatures, suspicious IP addresses, or unusual network patterns.

Advanced Analytics and Machine Learning Investigations:

Using advanced analytics and machine learning to detect deviations from normal operational patterns. Anomalies may include unusual user behavior, unexpected outbound network traffic, or unexplained changes in system files, potentially indicating cybersecurity threats.

Effective Threat-Hunting Tools

Utilizing efficient tools is essential for effective threat hunting, allowing threat hunters to identify, examine, and address potential threats effectively. Some crucial threat-hunting tools include:

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)

EDR systems monitor and collect data on endpoint activity to identify potential threats, analyze this data for patterns indicating a threat, automatically mitigate or isolate recognized threats, and promptly notifying security personnel. F orensic techniques and analysis investigate detected risks and identify abnormal behavior.

SIEM

SIEM collects security data from various sources and uses software tools to analyze security alerts in real-time, generated by different hardware and software components within your network.

Threat Intelligence

Threat hunters rely on threat intelligence platforms to detect potential threats, gain valuable insights, and enhance their defense strategies against attacks and threat actors.

User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)

UEBA tools monitor and detect abnormal user and entity behavior, providing valuable insights to threat hunters aiming to mitigate the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.

What is Required to Start a Threat-Hunting Program?

To ensure the success of a threat-hunting program, essential resources are needed, including:

Skilled Threat Hunters

Assemble a team of experienced cybersecurity professionals. Success of identifying and responding to cyber threats relies on analysts who possess a deep understanding of the system, the skills to detect complex attacks, the experience to formulate attack theories, and the necessary security tools to track and counteract malicious activities.

Threat Intelligence

Leverage threat intelligence feeds to acquire insights into the present threat landscape, including TTPs employed by malicious actors. This information guides the threat-hunting team, enabling them to identify potential threats and determine appropriate response strategies.

Vast Data

Collect comprehensive network data to provide security analysts with a complete overview of system events and assets.

When is an Organization Ready to Start Threat Hunting?

An organization may consider initiating a threat-hunting program when it exhibits certain indicators of readiness, such as a successfully reducing false alarms and routinely manages threats, often using automation. This efficiency signifies the cybersecurity team’s proficiency in handling regular cyber incidents and their readiness for more complex tasks.