Cyber Threat Intelligence

CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE
 
"Martin takes a thorough and focused approach to the processes that rule threat intelligence, but he doesn't just cover gathering, processing and distributing intelligence. He explains why you should care who is trying to hack you, and what you can do about it when you know."
--Simon Edwards, Security Testing Expert, CEO SE Labs Ltd., Chair AMTSO
 
Effective introduction to cyber threat intelligence, supplemented with detailed case studies and after action reports of intelligence on real attacks
 
Cyber Threat Intelligence introduces the history, terminology, and techniques to be applied within cyber security, offering an overview of the current state of cyberattacks and stimulating readers to consider their own issues from a threat intelligence point of view. The author takes a systematic, system-agnostic, and holistic view to generating, collecting, and applying threat intelligence.
 
The text covers the threat environment, malicious attacks, collecting, generating, and applying intelligence and attribution, as well as legal and ethical considerations. It ensures readers know what to look out for when considering a potential cyber attack and imparts how to prevent attacks early on, explaining how threat actors can exploit a system's vulnerabilities. It also includes analysis of large scale attacks such as WannaCry, NotPetya, Solar Winds, VPNFilter, and the Target breach, looking at the real intelligence that was available before and after the attack.
 
Topics covered in Cyber Threat Intelligence include:
* The constant change of the threat environment as capabilities, intent, opportunities, and defenses change and evolve
* Different business models of threat actors, and how these dictate the choice of victims and the nature of their attacks
* Planning and executing a threat intelligence programme to improve an organistation's cyber security posture
* Techniques for attributing attacks and holding perpetrators to account for their actions
 
Cyber Threat Intelligence describes the intelligence techniques and models used in cyber threat intelligence. It provides a survey of ideas, views and concepts, rather than offering a hands-on practical guide. It is intended for anyone who wishes to learn more about the domain, particularly if they wish to develop a career in intelligence, and as a reference for those already working in the area.

List of contents

Preface xi
 
About the Author xiii
 
Abbreviations xv
 
Endorsements for Martin Lee's Book xix
 
1 Introduction 1
 
1.1 Definitions 1
 
1.1.1 Intelligence 2
 
1.1.2 Cyber Threat 3
 
1.1.3 Cyber Threat Intelligence 4
 
1.2 History of Threat Intelligence 5
 
1.2.1 Antiquity 5
 
1.2.2 Ancient Rome 7
 
1.2.3 Medieval and Renaissance Age 8
 
1.2.4 Industrial Age 10
 
1.2.5 World War I 11
 
1.2.6 World War II 13
 
1.2.7 Post War Intelligence 14
 
1.2.8 Cyber Threat Intelligence 15
 
1.2.9 Emergence of Private Sector Intelligence Sharing 19
 
1.3 Utility of Threat Intelligence 21
 
1.3.1 Developing Cyber Threat Intelligence 23
 
Summary 24
 
References 24
 
2 Threat Environment 31
 
2.1 Threat 31
 
2.1.1 Threat Classification 33
 
2.2 Risk and Vulnerability 35
 
2.2.1 Human Vulnerabilities 38
 
2.2.1.1 Example - Business Email Compromise 39
 
2.2.2 Configuration Vulnerabilities 39
 
2.2.2.1 Example - Misconfiguration of Cloud Storage 40
 
2.2.3 Software Vulnerabilities 41
 
2.2.3.1 Example - Log4j Vulnerabilities 43
 
2.3 Threat Actors 43
 
2.3.1 Example - Operation Payback 46
 
2.3.2 Example - Stuxnet 47
 
2.3.3 Tracking Threat Actors 47
 
2.4 TTPs - Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures 49
 
2.5 Victimology 53
 
2.5.1 Diamond Model 55
 
2.6 Threat Landscape 56
 
2.6.1 Example - Ransomware 57
 
2.7 Attack Vectors, Vulnerabilities, and Exploits 58
 
2.7.1 Email Attack Vectors 59
 
2.7.2 Web-Based Attacks 60
 
2.7.3 Network Service Attacks 61
 
2.7.4 Supply Chain Attacks 61
 
2.8 The Kill Chain 62
 
2.9 Untargeted versus Targeted Attacks 64
 
2.10 Persistence 65
 
2.11 Thinking Like a Threat Actor 66
 
Summary 66
 
References 67
 
3 Applying Intelligence 75
 
3.1 Planning Intelligence Gathering 75
 
3.1.1 The Intelligence Programme 77
 
3.1.2 Principles of Intelligence 78
 
3.1.3 Intelligence Metrics 81
 
3.2 The Intelligence Cycle 82
 
3.2.1 Planning, Requirements, and Direction 83
 
3.2.2 Collection 84
 
3.2.3 Analysis and Processing 84
 
3.2.4 Production 85
 
3.2.5 Dissemination 85
 
3.2.6 Review 85
 
3.3 Situational Awareness 86
 
3.3.1 Example - 2013 Target Breach 88
 
3.4 Goal Oriented Security and Threat Modelling 89
 
3.5 Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Intelligence 91
 
3.5.1 Strategic Intelligence 91
 
3.5.1.1 Example - Lazarus Group 92
 
3.5.2 Operational Intelligence 93
 
3.5.2.1 Example - SamSam 93
 
3.5.3 Tactical Intelligence 94
 
3.5.3.1 Example - WannaCry 94
 
3.5.4 Sources of Intelligence Reports 94
 
3.5.4.1 Example - Shamoon 95
 
3.6 Incident Preparedness and Response 96
 
3.6.1 Preparation and Practice 99
 
Summary 100
 
References 100
 
4 Collecting Intelligence 105
 
4.1 Hierarchy of Evidence 105
 
4.1.1 Example - Smoking Tobacco Risk 107
 
4.2 Understanding Intelligence 108
 
4.2.1 Expressing Credibility 109
 
4.2.2 Expressing Confidence 110
 
4.2.3 Understanding Errors 114
 
4.2.3.1 Example - the WannaCry Email 114
 
4.2.3.2 Example - the Olympic Destroyer False Flags 114
 
4.3 Third Party Intelligence Reports 115
 
4.3.1 Tac

About the author

Martin Lee is Technical Lead of Security Research within Talos, Cisco's threat intelligence and research organization. Martin started his career researching the genetics of human viruses, but soon switched paths to follow a career in IT. With over 20 years of experience within the cyber security industry, he is CISSP certified, a Chartered Engineer, and holds degrees from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Paris-Sud and Oxford.

Summary

CYBER THREAT INTELLIGENCE

"Martin takes a thorough and focused approach to the processes that rule threat intelligence, but he doesn't just cover gathering, processing and distributing intelligence. He explains why you should care who is trying to hack you, and what you can do about it when you know."
--Simon Edwards, Security Testing Expert, CEO SE Labs Ltd., Chair AMTSO

Effective introduction to cyber threat intelligence, supplemented with detailed case studies and after action reports of intelligence on real attacks

Cyber Threat Intelligence introduces the history, terminology, and techniques to be applied within cyber security, offering an overview of the current state of cyberattacks and stimulating readers to consider their own issues from a threat intelligence point of view. The author takes a systematic, system-agnostic, and holistic view to generating, collecting, and applying threat intelligence.

The text covers the threat environment, malicious attacks, collecting, generating, and applying intelligence and attribution, as well as legal and ethical considerations. It ensures readers know what to look out for when considering a potential cyber attack and imparts how to prevent attacks early on, explaining how threat actors can exploit a system's vulnerabilities. It also includes analysis of large scale attacks such as WannaCry, NotPetya, Solar Winds, VPNFilter, and the Target breach, looking at the real intelligence that was available before and after the attack.

Topics covered in Cyber Threat Intelligence include:
* The constant change of the threat environment as capabilities, intent, opportunities, and defenses change and evolve
* Different business models of threat actors, and how these dictate the choice of victims and the nature of their attacks
* Planning and executing a threat intelligence programme to improve an organistation's cyber security posture
* Techniques for attributing attacks and holding perpetrators to account for their actions

Cyber Threat Intelligence describes the intelligence techniques and models used in cyber threat intelligence. It provides a survey of ideas, views and concepts, rather than offering a hands-on practical guide. It is intended for anyone who wishes to learn more about the domain, particularly if they wish to develop a career in intelligence, and as a reference for those already working in the area.

Report

"Martin takes a thorough and focussed approach to the processes that rule threat intelligence, but he doesn't just cover gathering, processing and distributing intelligence. He explains why you should care who is trying to hack you, and what you can do about it when you know."
--Simon Edwards, Security Testing Expert, CEO SE Labs Ltd., Chair AMTSO
 
"I really enjoyed this engaging book, which beautifully answered one of the first questions I had coming into the profession of cyber security: 'What is Cyber Threat Intelligence?'
 
It progressively walked me through the world of cyber threat intelligence, peppered with rich content collected through years' of experience and knowledge. It is satisfyingly detailed to make it an interesting read for those already in cyber security wanting to learn more, but also caters to those who are just curious about the prevalent cyber threat and where it may be headed.
 
One of the takeaways from this book for me is how finding threats is not the most important thing but how the effective communication of it is equally important so that it triggers appropriate actions at appropriate timing.
 
Moreover, as a penetration tester, we are used to looking at the little details so it was refreshing and eye-opening to learn about the macro view on cyber threat landscape."
--Ryoko Amano, Penetration Tester
 
"Cyber threats are a constant danger for companies in the private sector, which makes cyber threat intelligence an increasingly crucial tool for identifying security risks, developing proactive strategies, and responding swiftly to attacks. Martin Lee's new book is a comprehensive guide that takes the mystery out of using threat intelligence to strengthen a company's cyber defence. With a clear and concise explanation of the basics of threat intelligence, Martin provides a full picture of what's available and how to use it. Moreover, his book is packed with useful references and resources that will be invaluable for threat intelligence teams. Whether you're just starting in cybersecurity or a seasoned professional, this book is a must-have reference guide that will enhance your detection and mitigation of cyber threats."
--Gavin Reid, CISO VP Threat Intelligence at Human Security
 
"Martin Lee blends cyber threats, intel collection, attribution, and respective case studies in a compelling narrative. Lee does an excellent job of explaining complex concepts in a manner that is accessible to anyone wanting to develop a career in intelligence. What sets this book apart is the author's ability to collect related fundamentals and applications described in a pragmatic manner. Understandably, the book's challenge is non-disclosure of sensitive operational information. This is an excellent reference that I would highly recommend to cyber security professionals and academics wanting to deepen their domain expertise and broaden current knowledge. Threats indeed evolve and we must too."
--Dr Roland Padilla, FACS CP (Cyber Security), Senior Cyber Security Advisor - Defence Program (CISCO Systems), Army Officer (AUS DoD)
 
"Cyber Threat Intelligence by Martin Lee is an interesting and valuable contribution to the literature supporting the development of cyber security professional practice. This well researched and thoroughly referenced book provides both practitioners and those studying cyber threats with a sound basis for understanding the threat environment and the intelligence cycle required to understand and interpret existing and emerging threats. It is supported by relevant case studies of cyber security incidents enabling readers to contextualise the relationship between threat intelligence and incident response."
--Hugh Boyes, University of Warwick
 
"Cyber Threat Intelligence is a valuable resource for anyone within the cyber security industry. It breaks down the concepts behind building an effective cyber threat intelligence practice by not only explaining the practical elements to gathering and sharing intelligence data, but the fundamentals behind why it's important and how to assess the usefulness of it. By also providing a detailed history of intelligence sharing across the ages with a rich set of examples, Martin is able to show the value of developing this side of cyber security that is often neglected.
 
This book is equally accessible to those beginning their careers in cyber security as well as to those who have been in the industry for some time and wish to have a comprehensive reference."
--Stephan Freeman, Director, Axcelot Ltd
 
"This book is a wonderful read; what most impressed me was Martin's ability to provide a succinct history of threat intelligence in a coherent, easy to read manner. Citing numerous examples throughout the book, Martin allows the reader to understand what threat intelligence encompasses and provides guidance on industry best practices and insight into emerging threats which every organisation should be aware of. An incumbent read for any cybersecurity professional!"
--Yusuf Khan, Technical Solutions Specialist - Cybersecurity, Cisco

Product details

• Authors: Cambridg, Martin Lee, Martin (Universities of Bristol Lee, Lee Martin
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 17.04.2023
• EAN: 9781119861744
• ISBN: 978-1-119-86174-4
• No. of pages: 304
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > IT, data processing > IT; Computersicherheit, Politikwissenschaft, Informatik, Political Science, cyberkriminalität, Cyberkrieg, computer science, Cyber-Kriminalität, Cyber-Sicherheit, Computer Security & Cryptography, Computersicherheit u. Kryptographie, Spezialthemen Informatik, Computer Science Special Topics, Militär, Sicherheitsdienste, Geheimdienste, Military / Security / Intelligence