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What is Threat Intelligence Sharing?

Threat intelligence sharing is significant for cybersecurity, allowing organizations to collectively respond to new threats. This guide explores the benefits, including faster threat identification and enhanced security measures, ensuring a more robust defense.

What is Threat Intelligence Sharing?

Cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated, posing significant risks to organizations worldwide. According to a forecast by Statista, between 2023 and 2028, the global estimated cost of cybercrime is expected to increase by a staggering 5.7 trillion U.S. dollars, representing a %69.94 increase. By 2028, the cost of cybercrime worldwide is projected to reach $13.82 trillion.

Against this backdrop, the traditional approach to cybersecurity, which often involves organizations working in isolation to protect their systems, must be revised. This has led to threat intelligence sharing - a collaborative approach to cybersecurity. Threat intelligence sharing involves organizations sharing information about potential or ongoing cyber threats. This includes details about the methods used by cybercriminals, their potential targets, and practical strategies for mitigating these threats.

These alarming statistics underscore the importance of threat intelligence sharing. It enables organizations to learn from each other's experiences, reducing the likelihood of falling victim to the same threats. Also, it facilitates a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, allowing organizations to prepare for potential threats before they are targeted.

In this blog post, we will explore the concept of threat intelligence sharing, its benefits, challenges, and its significant role in cybersecurity. We aim to understand why working together to protect ourselves is not just a choice but something we need to do in our world that's getting more connected.

What is Threat Sharing?

Threat sharing, often referred to as cyber threat intelligence sharing, is a important strategy for enhancing cybersecurity across various organizations and industries. By adopting this collaborative approach, entities can exchange valuable information about potential cybersecurity threats, including details about malware, ransomware attacks, phishing schemes, and other cyber threats. This practice enables participants to gain insights into the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) employed by cyber adversaries, thereby fostering a proactive defense mechanism against potential cyberattacks.

Effective threat sharing not only bolsters the individual security posture of participating organizations but also contributes to the collective cybersecurity resilience of the broader community. Through dedicated platforms and networks designed for secure information exchange, such as Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs), companies can access real time threat intelligence, enhancing their ability to respond swiftly and efficiently to emerging cyber threats. The ultimate goal of threat sharing is to create a more secure cyberspace by leveraging collective knowledge and resources, thus minimizing the impact of cyber incidents on critical infrastructure and sensitive data.

The Impact of Not Sharing Threat Intelligence

The consequences of not sharing threat intelligence can be severe. According to a report by Cybersecurity Dive, when information is not shared, organizations are left to defend against cyber threats separately, widening the knowledge gap and increasing vulnerability. Also, known attacks, often overlooked, account for 90% of security breaches. Failing to share information about these threats can lead to them infiltrating other businesses, causing additional damage.

On average, it takes approximately 280 days to identify and respond to a security breach. Also, sharing threat intelligence can significantly reduce this time frame, enhancing your security response efficiency.

A survey by the Ponemon Institute found that 79% of security professionals said threat data feeds improve their organization's security posture. Also, the report also revealed that organizations were attacked an average of 28 times in the last two years, with more than one-third of the respondents stating that the cyberattacks succeeded because the business lacked "timely and actionable data from their feeds."

According to a report by Mandiant, a unit of Google Cloud, almost four in five organizations are making cybersecurity decisions without any insight into the threats they face. Only 35% of companies comprehensively understand threat groups’ tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).

This lack of threat intelligence sharing can lead to a misunderstanding of the severity of specific threats and an increase in successful cyberattacks. Moreover, the lack of threat intelligence sharing can lead to mistrust between companies and authorities. This mistrust can hinder the establishment of effective public/private sector relations, which are important for a comprehensive defense against cyber threats.

The lack of threat intelligence sharing can lead to increased vulnerability to cyber threats, a lack of actionable data to defend against these threats, and a breakdown in trust between key stakeholders. This highlights the urgent need for more proactive and collaborative approaches to cybersecurity.

How Threat Intelligence Works?

At its core, threat intelligence is collecting and analyzing information about potential and ongoing cyber threats. It involves understanding cybercriminals' tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), their potential targets, and the vulnerabilities they exploit. This information is then used to enhance an organization's cybersecurity measures, enabling them to anticipate better, prevent, and respond to cyber threats.

There are several types of threat intelligence, each serving a unique purpose. Strategic threat intelligence provides a high-level overview of the cyber threat landscape, helping decision-makers understand the risks and trends. Tactical threat intelligence focuses on the specifics of threats, such as the TTPs used by cybercriminals. Operational threat intelligence involves information about specific cyberattacks, including indicators of compromise (IOCs) and the details of the threat actors involved. Lastly, technical threat intelligence involves data about malware, IP addresses, and other technical indicators that can help detect and mitigate threats.

The process of gathering threat intelligence involves multiple steps. It starts with identifying sources of information, which can include open-source intelligence (OSINT), commercial threat feeds, industry reports, and information from internal security systems. This data is collected, processed, and analyzed to extract meaningful insights. The resulting intelligence is then disseminated to the relevant stakeholders, who use it to enhance their cybersecurity measures.

The Concept of Collaborative Defense

Moving on to the concept of collaborative defense, it is a cybersecurity strategy emphasizing cooperation and information sharing between organizations. In the context of threat intelligence, collaborative defense involves sharing threat intelligence with other organizations, enabling them to benefit from each other's experiences and insights.

Threat intelligence plays a important role in collaborative defense. By sharing threat intelligence, organizations can collectively strengthen their defenses, making it harder for cybercriminals to succeed. It enables organizations to learn from each other's experiences, reducing the likelihood of falling victim to the same threats. It also allows for a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, as organizations can prepare for potential threats before they are targeted.

There are numerous real-world examples of successful collaborative defense. For instance, the Cyber Threat Alliance, a group of cybersecurity vendors, shares threat intelligence to improve their products and services. Similarly, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) enables banks and other financial institutions to share threat intelligence, enhancing the security of the entire financial sector.

Threat intelligence is a vital component of modern cybersecurity. It provides valuable insights into potential and ongoing cyber threats, enabling organizations to enhance their defenses. Also, when combined with collaborative protection, threat intelligence can significantly improve an organization's ability to anticipate, prevent, and respond to cyber threats.

The Benefits of Threat Intelligence Sharing

Threat intelligence sharing is a powerful tool in the cybersecurity landscape, offering numerous benefits that enhance the effectiveness of threat intelligence and contribute to risk mitigation.

When organizations share threat intelligence, they amplify the value of the information. Each organization has unique experiences with cyber threats, and by sharing these experiences, they provide a broader perspective on the threat landscape. This collective knowledge can help identify patterns, uncover new threats, and provide a more comprehensive understanding of cybercriminal tactics. It allows organizations to learn from each other's experiences and insights, reducing the likelihood of falling victim to the same threats.

Also, threat intelligence sharing significantly impacts risk mitigation. Organizations can proactively strengthen their defenses by sharing information about potential and ongoing threats, reducing their vulnerability to cyber-attacks. It enables a more proactive approach to cybersecurity, as organizations can prepare for potential threats before they are targeted.

This reduces the risk of successful cyber attacks and minimizes the possible damage if an attack occurs.

Numerous case studies showcase the benefits of threat intelligence sharing. For instance, the Cyber Threat Alliance, a group of cybersecurity vendors, shares threat intelligence to improve their products and services. Their collaborative efforts have led to the identification and mitigation of numerous cyber threats, enhancing the security of their customers. Similarly, the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC) enables banks and other financial institutions to share threat intelligence, enhancing the security of the entire financial sector. These examples demonstrate the power of collaborative defense and the significant benefits it can bring.

Challenges in Threat Intelligence Sharing

However, despite these benefits, several difficulties are associated with threat intelligence sharing. One of the most common obstacles is standardized formats for sharing threat intelligence. This can make it difficult for organizations to share and interpret the information effectively. Additionally, many organizations need more tools and resources to collect, analyze, and share threat intelligence, limiting their ability to participate in collaborative defense.

Privacy concerns and data protection issues also pose significant difficulties. Sharing threat intelligence often involves sharing sensitive information, which can potentially violate privacy laws and regulations. This is particularly challenging in regions with strict data protection laws like the European Union. Organizations must therefore be careful to ensure that their threat intelligence-sharing practices comply with all relevant laws and regulations.

Despite these difficulties, there are several strategies that organizations can use to overcome them. Standardizing the formats for sharing threat intelligence can facilitate more effective communication and interpretation of the information. Investing in the necessary tools and resources can enable organizations to collect, analyze, and share threat intelligence more effectively. To address privacy concerns and data protection issues, organizations can implement strict data anonymization and minimization practices, ensuring that only the necessary information is shared and all shared information is anonymized to protect privacy.

While threat intelligence sharing offers significant benefits, it also presents several difficulties. Also, these difficulties can be overcome with the right strategies, enabling organizations to reap the benefits of collaborative defense. As the cyber threat landscape evolves, threat intelligence sharing will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in cybersecurity.

Keepnet Threat Sharing: A Revolutionary Approach in Cybersecurity Collaboration

Keepnet Labs offers a unique threat-sharing platform that allows organizations to share threats among communities, exchange knowledge within the industry, and take proactive measures against potential cyber threats.

The Keepnet Threat Sharing platform operates on the principle of community wisdom. It allows organizations to share and benefit from common threats, get to know attackers, and take measures before they discover you. This collective knowledge can help identify patterns, uncover new threats, and provide a more comprehensive understanding of cybercriminal tactics.

One of the unique features of Keepnet Threat Sharing is the ability to start your own communities and join others. You can set privacy settings to make your community public, closed, or hidden (invitation only). This flexibility allows organizations to control who can access threat intelligence, ensuring that sensitive information is only shared with trusted parties.

Another key feature is sharing threats anonymously and hiding parts of the email containing sensitive information. This addresses one of the critical challenges in threat intelligence sharing: privacy concerns and data protection issues. By allowing anonymous sharing and data anonymization, Keepnet ensures that organizations can share threat intelligence without compromising their privacy or violating data protection laws.

Keepnet Threat Sharing also provides detailed previews of threats, including suspicious email addresses, domains, URLs, attachments, and other details on email previews. This allows organizations to understand their threats better, enhancing their ability to anticipate, prevent, and respond to them.

Keepnet Threat Sharing offers a powerful solution to the challenges of threat intelligence sharing. It allows organizations to securely share and control threat intelligence, enhancing their cybersecurity measures and contributing to a more secure cyber threat landscape.

Next Steps

We understand that seeing is believing. That's why we're offering you the opportunity to experience the power of Keepnet Threat Sharing firsthand. Sign up today for a 15-day free trial and discover how this platform can enhance your cybersecurity measures.

During your trial, you'll gain full access to all the features of Keepnet Threat Sharing. You'll be able to join communities, share threat intelligence, and learn from the experiences of others. You'll also see how Keepnet's unique features, such as anonymous sharing and detailed threat previews, can provide you with a deeper understanding of the threats you face.

Take advantage of this opportunity to revolutionize your approach to cybersecurity. Try Keepnet Threat Sharing for 15 days, free of charge, and see the difference it can make for your organization.

Watch the Youtube video below and learn why threat intelligence sharing is important.

Also, watch our full product demo on Youtube and see how our Threat Intelligence sharing platform has companies fighting against phishing threats collectively.

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