In the cybersecurity space, the era of defending against everything is officially over. The sheer volume of potential attacks security teams face on a daily basis is simply too overwhelming. Teams cannot address everything. More importantly, as more targeted ransomware and more stringent regulatory penalties push the cost of a data breach ever higher, the chief security mandate is now precision.
Precision demands moving beyond basic threat feeds to incorporate data and techniques that zero-in on the most prevalent and high-risk threats. Enter threat actor profiling and the data it generates. Threat actor profiling data is an excellent tool for building a strategic understanding of who is coming – rather than just what code is being used to launch an attack.
The Anatomy of a Threat Actor Profile
There is no shortage of data security analysts can entertain themselves with. When building a threat actor profile, however, data needs are quite specific. Certain types of data are extremely helpful in building a useful profile. Other types are meaningless.
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So what are security analysts after? DarkOwl, a leading provider of threat actor profiling and other dark web intelligence technologies, suggests the following four data types:
- Intent and Motivation – Is a potential threat actor a nation-state seeking an espionage advantage, or a crime syndicate looking to score a big payday? Understanding why an attack is being mounted can help analysts better figure out potential attack scope, intensity, and duration.
- Infrastructure and Tooling – Analysts track everything from network servers to command-and-control frameworks. The point of studying infrastructure and tooling is to differentiate between a persistent threat from an experienced hacker and an amateur attack mounted by a script kiddie.
- Victim Patterns – Threat actor profile data includes information on past victims. Analysts take a deep dive into the industries, geography, and technologies a group or individual usually targets. This helps them better understand if their own organizations are on the hit list.
- Operational Cadence – Cybercriminals tend to work on a rhythm. That being the case, security analysts are interested in their cadences. When do they launch attacks? Do they usually attack within 24 to 48 hours of initial access? Understanding the time cadence is key to preventing long-term damage.
All the data gleaned during an investigation is analyzed, cross-referenced, and archived in the hopes of tying individual events to specific hackers or groups. When such links can be made, security teams are in a better position to stop the threat actors they already know about.
Threat Actor Data: The New Strategic Currency
To a chief security officer, threat actor profiling data is invaluable. It is strategic currency in the sense that it provides a threat-to-business mapping opportunity. Unlike generic security alerts that are often little more than noise, verified data on threat actors equals an actionable signal.
The primary value of the data lies in Cyber Risk Quantification (CRQ). For example, an organization’s security team might uncover a newly emerging attack on the financial sector by way of a known piece of ransomware. The organization can then shift its appropriate risk model from theory to active, quantifiable threat. Management can respond by ordering any and all necessary steps to prevent the organization from falling victim.
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Threat actor profile data goes well beyond usernames and email addresses to offer concrete data that helps organizations better understand who is coming for them. It is an ‘understand your adversary’ thing. The best way to gain an advantage in the cybercrime battle is to know exactly who it is you are fighting and how they operate. Threat actor profiling makes it possible.
