Threat hunting is a search for threats in a proactive mode when the information security specialist is sure that the network is compromised.
Join the DZone community and get the full member experience. Proactive search for complex threats seems to be a useful technology but inaccessible for many organizations. Is it really so? What do companies need to do to start Threat Hunting? What tools are needed for threat hunting? What trends in this area can be seen on the market in the coming years? Here’s everything you should know. Threat Hunting is a search for threats in a proactive mode when the information security specialist is sure that the network is compromised. They should understand how the network operates in order to be able to identify various attacks by examining the existing anomalies. Threat Hunting is a search for threats that have already bypassed automated detection systems. Moreover, most often, you do not have signals or alerts that allow you to detect an intrusion. From the SOC perspective, Threat Hunting is an extension of the service that allows you to counter any level of intruders, including those who use previously unknown tools and methods. Threat Hunting can be based on some data obtained by a security specialist, or it can be based on a hypothesis. If, after testing the hypothesis, the test gives a positive result, then later, it can be used to improve the processes and mechanisms of detecting threats. And also, Threat Hunting allows you to find blind spots in the security system and expand the monitoring area. Proactive threat hunting is relevant to those organizations that can become the target of a complex APT attack. At the same time, given the trend towards supply chain attacks, a small company may also become a target for motivated attackers. It should be noted that the organization’s maturity is very important for the implementation of Threat Hunting. Since the result of hunting for threats should be an improvement in the quality of the process of their detection, such procedures should at least exist in the company. Business leaders must come to an understanding they really need Threat Hunting. To do this, you first need to build the system of information security processes and assess risks and assets in order to understand how vulnerable and valuable the organization’s data is to possible attackers.
