Attack Surface Assessment

Digital attack surface assessment identifies and analyses your organisations attack surface on the internet. It provides point in time snapshot of security risks that could be exploited by threat actors.

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Overview

Threat intelligence services work on the objective that defence controls must be improved to minimise the ever expanding attack surface. In order to deal with threats, organisations must be aware of their attack surface. Entire threat intelligence domain works on the principle of “What you don’t know can hurt you”. Here’s how Gartner defines threat intelligence:

Threat intelligence (TI) is evidence-based knowledge — including context, mechanisms, indicators, implications and actionable advice — about an existing or emerging menace or hazard to IT or information assets.

The attack surface of your organisation is composed of multiple connects of information related to people, processes and/or technology in use. These attack vectors can be utilised as a stepping stone to launch cyberattacks or gain unauthorised access into your organisation.
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Digital Attack Surface Assessment

The attack surface of your organisation is composed of multiple connects of information related to people, processes and/or technology in use. These attack vectors can be utilised as a stepping stone to launch cyberattacks or gain unauthorised access into your organisation.
This assessment outcome helps organisations to assess their attack surface proactively, providing an opportunity to act on potential risks affecting the business over the internet. Real value is added to the business by acting on these risks before these are exploited by threat actors. Our expertise adds this value to customer security teams without their big spend on resources such as skill-sets, tools. Attack surface intelligence is an ongoing activity for many organisations to keep monitoring online presence and see what adversaries see, to analyse and contain the risk before it’s exploited.
A cyber attack surface assessment delivers multiple business benefits:

Minimise costs, maximise efficiency.

How this helps your business?

network
External threats assessed within the Attack Surface Assessment report include:

Book your Digital Attack Surface Assessment today

Benefits of Attack Surface Analysis

Prepare against evolving threats

The nature of cybersecurity threats is one of constant evolution; growing in sophistication and changing in order to exploit new vulnerabilities and evade detection. This is why you need to perform regular security assessments to protect your network.

Minimise costs and maximise efficiency

Our managed security services offer you a security team working for you at a fraction of cost should this be an in-house team. This would also incur expense on acquiring technology stack.

Security is a continuous process

There is no magic bullet or one size fits all cybersecurity solution that will protect your network. In order to make sure you’re protected, you need continuous security assessments and up to date solutions that keep your organisation ahead of the curve.

Adopt Proactive Cyber Security Approach

Cybersecurity is only effective when it is proactive. By identifying weaknesses and vulnerabilities before they are exploited, you ensure the integrity of your network. Frequent security assessments also create a more efficient system, helping to prevent data loss and minimise any downtime that would affect your business and your customers.

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August 14, 2023
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Cyphere provide a personal and assured service, focusing on both pre and post analysis in supporting us to change and embed a security cultured approach.
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August 12, 2023
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We had penetration tests service for PCI DSS compliance program from the Cyphere! Very professional, efficient communication, great findings that improved our system security posture! Highly recommended!
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Cyphere were great in both carrying out our penetration testing and taking us through the results and remediation steps. We would gladly use them for future projects.
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September 16, 2023
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I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Harman for a comprehensive PEN Test through his company, Cyphere. From our first interaction, it was clear that Harman embodies the very definition of an expert in the field of cybersecurity. His vast reservoir of knowledge and exceptional skill set became apparent as he navigated through complex security landscapes with ease and precision. Harman's remarkable ability to convey intricate details in a comprehensible manner made the process seamless and extremely enlightening. His dedication to providing top-notch service was evident in every step, ensuring not only the success of the project but also fostering a sense of security and trust in our collaboration. Working with Harman was nothing short of a fantastic experience. His bright intellect and professional approach to his work were genuinely awe-inspiring. What stood out the most was his genuine passion for his field, reflected in his meticulous approach and the innovative strategies implemented throughout the project. Not only is Harman a maestro in his field, but he's also an incredible person to work with - a true professional who takes the time to understand his client's needs and exceeds expectations at every turn. His vibrant personality and enthusiasm make working with him an absolute joy, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas flow seamlessly. If you are looking for someone who embodies expertise, professionalism, and a personable approach, then Harman and his company, Cyphere, should be your go-to. I couldn't recommend their services more highly. A true beacon of excellence in the cybersecurity landscape!
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Threat Intelligence: Everything You Need to Know

Threat Intelligence Everything You Need to Know

This blog post will discuss the definition of threat intelligence and different stages of the threat intelligence cycle to help you better understand what happens behind the scenes.

Gartner defines it as “Threat intelligence is evidence-based knowledge, including context, mechanisms, indicators, implications and actionable advice, about an existing or emerging menace or hazard to assets that can be used to inform decisions regarding the subject’s response to that menace or hazard.”

What is threat intelligence?

In the simplest terms, threat intelligence is a collection of data about any entities that pose some type of risk to your organisation such as malware and phishing emails. The main goal of threat intelligence is to help an organisation identify emerging threats before they cause damage by collecting information from internal and external sources like threat feeds, threat intelligence sharing communities, and honeypots.

What is cyber threat intelligence?

What is cyber threat intelligence

Cyber threat intelligence is a subcategory of organisational security that focuses on using collected data to help protect an organisation’s IT infrastructure. With cyber threat intelligence, organisations are able to identify the latest methods being used by hackers and adversaries so they can quickly implement strategies for protection. This includes collecting information about malware infections, vulnerabilities in software or hardware, tactics used by adversaries, and planned attacks.

Who is a cyber threat intelligence analyst?

A cyber threat intelligence analyst is a security professional whose main responsibility is to collect, analyse and report about any potential threats facing theirs or their customer organisation. Threat intelligence analysts use a variety of commercial, proprietary and open-source tools that allow them to search for specific data associated with different types of attacks, malware, vulnerabilities etc.

Importance of threat intelligence

Threat intelligence is not just a nice-to-have, but rather it is an essential part of any organisation’s security strategy. With the growing number of cyberattacks and malware infections around the world, cyber threat intelligence can help organisations protect their sensitive data by giving them access to real-time information about threat actors before they become active in their network.

Once threat intelligence is collected and analysed, it can be used to implement security strategies such as:

  • Security Awareness Training for employees to assist them in knowing how to identify actions of threat actors and avoid phishing emails including fake online shopping order confirmations.
  • Password enforcement policies that require complex passwords or the use of multi-factor authentication. Multi-factor authentication requires a second form of identification when logging in to a network, which makes it difficult for hackers to access personal information.
  • Application whitelisting so that only trusted programs are allowed to run on the network. Hackers have been known to exploit vulnerabilities by tricking employees into running malicious software when accessing an infected file-sharing site or email attachment. By controlling what applications can and cannot run, organisations can ensure that their network and data is protected.

How does the threat intelligence lifecycle work?

As the name implies, there is a threat intelligence cycle to collecting threat data that includes five stages. In order for an organisation to be effective at collecting, analysing, and disseminating cyber threat intelligence, it is good to keep a plan in place for each of the stages which are also mentioned below.

How does the threat intelligence lifecycle work

Creation

this stage consists of generating data about malware outbreaks or phishing emails for example. This could include anything from creating your own honeypot networks to seeding threat feeds.

In this stage, most threat intelligence starts. A company could collect data about malware outbreaks by creating their own honeypot networks or seeding existing threat data with the information they have collected on their own depending on what type of information they are looking for. This stage could also include tracking down new sources of cyber threat intelligence like blogs or forums that may be discussing malware outbreaks in detail and adding their links to the company’s own internal wiki.

Storage

This stage consists of storing the data so that it can be analysed later to identify larger patterns and trends in malware outbreaks or phishing emails for example. This will help your organisation determine what types of attacks are prevalent at certain times, where they come from, etc.

Depending on what kind of data is being collected, there needs to be a way to store it so that it is accessible easily by the people who need it. For example, if an organisation is collecting data about malware outbreaks and sharing that with other companies through a threat intelligence sharing community like TIE, they will want to store this data in a way that all employees can access it from one central location instead of having everyone keep their own copies on their local computers.

Analysis

This is where the data is reviewed and analysed to identify larger patterns and trends.

After collecting and storing data about malware outbreaks or phishing emails for example, the next step is to review it in order to identify larger patterns and trends so that you can effectively communicate these findings with other companies who could be affected by them. An effective analysis will include things like identifying how many unique malware samples were involved during an attack, what types of malware were involved during an attack and which type was most prevalent.

Dissemination

This stage consists of sharing information about malware outbreaks or phishing emails with other organisations that could be affected. This could include anything from alerting third party threat intelligence companies like iSIGHT Partners, FireEye’s Threat Intelligence Exchange (TIE) Community or even sharing information with other teams within your organisation.

The goal here is to effectively communicate information about threats like malware outbreaks or phishing emails with other companies that could be affected by them before they occur. This means sharing your data in a way that makes it easy for others to understand and use.

Consumption

This stage consists of using the strategic cyber threat intelligence to either strengthen your company’s security or take steps towards mitigating a potential threat based on data from the analysis and dissemination stages above.

After sharing information about malware outbreaks or phishing emails with other companies, the next step is to implement intelligence within your company based on what you have learned from reviewing data in the analysis stage above. This could include taking steps toward mitigating a potential threat by putting countermeasures into place that will be effective against certain types of malware or phishing campaigns.

What are the benefits?

There are a number of ways threat intelligence can benefit an organisation as a whole including:

benefits of threat intelligence

1. The ability to identify emerging threats before they become widespread.

2. Improved incident response time.

3. Better prioritisation of security efforts.

4. Better awareness of the emerging cyber threats targeting your organisation.

5. Improved threat detection and prevention capabilities.

6. Better collaboration between internal employees and external partners such as vendors, suppliers, or even law enforcement agencies.

7. Strengthening company security by being more proactive about threats that could affect them.

8. Communicating information about potential threats with other companies so they can take steps to protect themselves.

What should I consider before starting?

What should I consider before starting threat intelligence

Before getting started with gathering or sharing your own threat intelligence, there are some things to consider in order to make sure it’s done effectively. Threat intelligence is a new yet critical dimension to knowing and helping business leaders about attack vectors, malicious attacks, modern ways to data breaches, threat types and indicators. These include:

1. Considering how you will store data before gathering intelligence so that the process is streamlined and not time-consuming.

2. Filtering out noise by determining what you need to look at before gathering data so that your time spent looking over intelligence is effective.

3. Knowing who the right people are and how much information is enough when it comes to sharing with others in order to avoid unnecessary risk.

4. Make sure your organisation understands what intelligence actually is in case they haven’t already heard of it. This helps reduce the risk of miscommunication about what you are trying to do,

5. Understanding how threat intelligence is going to be shared with your security operations teams and other teams in order for them to understand it better.

Who can benefit from Threat Intelligence?

Threat Intelligence is really beneficial for any organisation or company that understands the importance of cybersecurity and wants to make their security stronger. Threat intelligence can also be used by companies who are already in a collaborative relationship with other organisations, especially if there’s an agreement about sharing information between them.

Different types of threat intelligence

types of threat intelligence

There are three types of threat intelligence including:

1. Operational threat intelligence

2. Strategic threat intelligence

3. Tactical threat intelligence

Operational Threat Intelligence

Operational intelligence is the kind that’s gathered on an ongoing basis by your security operations threat intelligence team. This information can be used to gather more specific, day-to-day threat intelligence which helps you respond faster and better identify threats before they become too widespread or cause damage. Threat visibility adds as an extra edge to blue teams working around the clock to improve and limit the attack probability and containment.

Operational intelligence is the data gathered to identify potential threats within an organisation like insider/employee behaviour or security incidents that are already happening. This could be used by different teams in your own company like legal or human resources.

Strategic Threat Intelligence

Strategic threat intelligence is the kind that’s gathered in order to assess potential threats from outside sources before they affect your company. It could include things like identifying a threat actor, threat groups or a nation-state being responsible for cyberattacks on other companies so you know what types of security measures may need to be taken in response.

Strategic intelligence is the data gathered about an organisation’s cyber threat landscape in order to track and monitor what others are doing in terms of cyber security solutions, approaches, and practices. Strategic intelligence could be beneficial for companies who want to improve their own security through learning from other organisations’ experiences with threats they have already faced. These inputs are further included in machine learning-based developments of security tools, vulnerability management and general threat intelligence use in security engineering and management around advanced threats.

Tactical Threat Intelligence

Tactical intelligence is the kind that’s gathered from specific events or incidents. It includes information about a particular threat, attack, or other cyber security event and can help to identify actions of a threat actor and what was done during those actions so it doesn’t happen again in the future.

Tactical intelligence is data related to a single piece of vulnerability intelligence such as a zero-day exploit, new variants of cyber attacks, new tactics techniques and procedures (TTPs) or a specific malware variant. Tactical cyber threat intelligence could be beneficial for companies who want to improve their security by knowing what has already happened in the past and how they can prevent it from happening again.

Threat Intelligence tools and platforms

Using threat intelligence tools and platforms is a great way to gather information, especially if you’re dealing with large amounts of data. There are different types of threat intelligence solutions that can collect as much or as little as possible from all over the internet in order to provide accurate threat intelligence for organisations looking to improve their cybersecurity practices even further. These tools are very important when looking holistically from malware analysis and known threat actor analysis view.

Open source threat intelligence feeds and databases

There are several open-source threat intelligence tools and threat data feeds that organisations can use in order to gather raw data from thousands of sources across the internet, including:

VirusTotal

An online service created by Google contains malware samples that are analysed by many different security vendors. Constantly evolving malware samples are often available here that are checked against anti-virus or endpoint software effectiveness.

PassiveTotal

A threat intelligence platform that specialises in gathering and analysing data from open sources such as DNS, IP addresses, email addresses, domains, hashes and more. It enables you to see what information is available about those specific pieces of data so you can use it for your own threat intelligence needs.

Commercial threat intelligence feeds

Although open-source threat intelligence is completely free, there are ways to purchase commercial information directly from various organisations who already gather this data for their cybersecurity solutions which can be beneficial if you want access to more detailed data or need it faster than what’s available through an open-source solution. Some examples include:

OTX

A threat intelligence platform that has more than 11 trillion events and is updated daily. It provides a deep analysis of the raw data so you can understand what’s going on in terms of cyber threats to your organisation, including things like malicious IPs, domains or files as well as potential indicators of future attacks. Alienvault OTX is available at https://otx.alienvault.com/ that also feeds into a lot of open sources OTX sources.

Flashpoint

A threat intelligence and strategic risk analysis firm which gathers information from open-source data points in order to provide detailed risk assessments based on their findings.

IntelSec

A cybersecurity company that specialises in cyber incident response and digital forensics, IntelSec provides real-time situational awareness for threats facing organisations today. It has more than 50 billion events in its database and is updated daily.

Conclusion

Whether your organisation believes in working on indicators of compromise or advanced analytics-based reactions such as user behaviour changes or removing false positives or to keep alert fatigue low, threat intelligence plays an active part in today’s security team objectives. Shedding light on the unknown helps reduce the probability and prepare better for futuristic adverse situations.

Get in touch to discuss your security concerns including any threat intel requirements.

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