WHAT IS CYBER INTELLIGENCE AND HOW CAN IT HELP SMEs TO GROW

It is one of the few industries that govern its evolution to the growth of infringements. Cybersecurity is passive, and innovations are derived from the need to defend the perspicacity of hackers.

In an increasingly digitized world, in which economic and business transactions are exposed to network dangers, security measures are no longer simple conjunctural instruments.

Only during the first weeks of quarantine, phishing attacks grew up to 70%. How to deal with this? Many companies are abandoning passivity to bet on active prevention.

Today at Tech Reviews Corner we explain the importance of cyber intelligence, a multidisciplinary approach that revalues ​​the role of cybersecurity in institutions and organizations.

What is cyber-intelligence?

Cyber Intelligence, also known as CTI, means, ” a collection of information regarding threats, which must be analyzed, adapted and contextualized to the specific risks of each business “.

In other words, we are talking about an application or translation of the traditional concept of business intelligence to cyberspace. The objective of this approach is to provide companies with the necessary resources to avoid having to implement other reactive cybersecurity solutions.

Although the latter is also based on prevention, cyber intelligence sets its ground at a much earlier stage of exposure. The goal is for the organization to be able to anticipate, identify, and attribute attacks and/or threats on the network.

The need for a methodology derived from cybersecurity itself stems from the progressive sophistication of cyberattacks, and from the lack of dynamism in companies. In fact, it is estimated that 67% of the time spent responding to incidents is wasted.

Thus, knowing who the attacker is, what his nature is, and what he is trying to do is crucial for the company to reorganize the adequate resources capable of dealing with it.

goals

To the complexity and sophistication of cyberattacks particularity of each industry and sector is added to it. Cyber ​​intelligence is committed to a standardized approach because it is impossible to specify measures.

This allows companies to approach the forefront of cybersecurity by responding to their own needs. And yes, they tend to be similar between organizations. In this way, cyber intelligence allows:

• Obtain a predictive early warning system: permanent analysis through data allows you to anticipate attackers before they materialize any threat.
• Eviscerate cyber threats: Tracking hackers and the main trends in this black market gives the company the right tools to weaken cyber attacks.
• Streamline decision-making: there is no more effective medicine against a stagnant culture than data. The information encourages the commitment of the entire organization and provides fluidity to the decision-making process on security matters.

Initiation in cyber intelligence

One can be one of the safest companies in the sector without following any of the postulates of cyber intelligence, just as it is possible to jump into this discipline without having much experience in terms of cybersecurity.

The important thing to achieve success with this methodology is not knowledge. Not even the resources. The key is through awareness and flexible corporate culture, open to changes and adaptation.

Just as a short-term, results-obsessed organization does not advocate for business intelligence, neither will it advocate for investing time and money in proactive monitoring resources.

The cyber intelligence process can be summarized in the following steps:

• Identification of the objectives to be achieved with the analysis of the information.
• Definition of the different sources of information to be used (private, public, internal to the company, automated).
• Study and analysis of the information using the appropriate tools.
• Identification of possible risks and threats defined in the objectives.
• Application of measures or actions to be taken in the face of threats and risks

We are talking, therefore, of a methodology that is divided into a technical phase, characterized by the use of analytics to extract information from the data, and a strategic phase guided by the identification of internal and external hazards and problems.

Specific applications

It is not easy for a Nobel company to observe the market to learn from the cyber intelligence strategies of the competition. This is always usually included within the cybersecurity plan and is indistinguishable from the most fleeting measures.

Yes, it is possible to induce the methodology from certain actions or deduce applications by resorting to theory. Moreover, based on this it is easy to list some examples of cyber intelligence.

Such as conducting forensic based analysis, or monitoring dangerous environments such as the Deep Web or IRC channels. It is even possible to know if the company has already been attacked by detecting the sale of confidential information.

This is not an easy technique to master, and it does not present a definite goal. In other words, like cybersecurity itself, companies are forced to improve and perfect themselves day after day. Do not forget that attackers do not rest.