Advanced Data Security: Threat Intelligence Tools Essential Guide

As the digital realm becomes increasingly complex, organizations are recognizing the importance of arming themselves with advanced tools and insights to proactively secure their digital assets. This realization has given rise to the prominence of Threat Intelligence—a key component in the arsenal against cyber threats.

Threat Intelligence goes beyond mere data collection; it involves the analysis and understanding of potential threats, enabling organizations to fortify their defenses with actionable information.

This blog explores the top-tier Cyber Threat Intelligence Tools and the best threat intelligence platforms that are instrumental in fortifying cybersecurity measures. From Threat Intelligence Platforms to Cyber Threat Analysis Tools, we delve into the diverse array of solutions designed to empower organizations in the face of an ever-expanding threat landscape.

What is Threat Intelligence?

Threat intelligence is the process of identifying and analyzing cyber threats. It involves gathering information about potential and existing cyber threats, analyzing the data, and applying insights generated to predict, detect, and counteract threats before they compromise a system.

Threat intelligence goes beyond merely installing firewalls or antivirus software; it is about understanding the landscape of threats, their sources, methods employed, and potential targets.

Threat intelligence is evidence-based knowledge, including context, mechanisms, indicators, implications, and actionable advice, about an existing or emerging menace or hazard to assets. It provides insights into the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by cybercriminals, which helps an organization defend itself effectively.

Threat intelligence is crucial for organizations to anticipate and prepare for cyber threats beforehand, rather than display knee-jerk reactions in the aftermath of security breaches.

It allows small businesses to optimize their cybersecurity resources by understanding which threats are most likely to target their specific industry or the type of data they handle. Businesses can determine their risk mitigation investments by leveraging intelligence gathered and analyzed through threat intelligence platforms and cyber threat intelligence tools.

The Top Cyber Threat Intelligence Tools

Kaspersky Threat Intelligence – Cloud-Based Cyberthreat Intelligence

Kaspersky Threat Intelligence is a cloud-based cyber threat intelligence tool that provides real-time threat intelligence and helps organizations identify and respond to cyber threats. It offers a range of features, including threat data feeds, threat intelligence reports, and a threat lookup API.

Here are its distinct features:

• APT Intelligence reports
• Financial Threat Intelligence reports
• Data feeds
• Trusted threat intelligence
• Comprehensive and real-time coverage
• Rich data
• Continuous availability
• Continuous review by security experts
• Easy-to-use web portal or API

Proofpoint Threat Intelligence Platform – Advanced Threats Insights

Proofpoint is a threat intelligence platform that provides insights into advanced threats and helps organizations protect against them. It offers a range of features, including email security, cloud security, and compliance solutions.

Here are the key features of Proofpoint threat intelligence software:

• Email Protection: Proofpoint Email Protection is the industry-leading email gateway that catches known and unknown threats that others miss.
• Advanced Threat Protection: Provides insights into advanced threats and helps organizations protect against them.
• Security Awareness Training: Proofpoint Security Awareness Training provides training to employees to help them identify and respond to cyber threats.
• Cloud Security: Includes security solutions for cloud applications such as Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace, and Salesforce.
• Archiving and Compliance: Proofpoint Archiving and Compliance provides archiving and compliance solutions for email, social media, and other digital communications.
• Information Protection: Proofpoint Information Protection provides data loss prevention and encryption solutions for email, cloud applications, and other digital communications.
• Digital Risk Protection: Digital Risk Protection provides solutions to help organizations protect their brand reputation and intellectual property.

CrowdStrike – Cloud-Based Threat Intelligence

CrowdStrike is a cloud-based threat intelligence software that provides endpoint protection and threat intelligence. It offers cloud-based threat intelligence services, endpoint detection and response, threat intelligence, and vulnerability management.

Here are the key features of CrowdStrike:

• Next-gen antivirus and threat intelligence: Provides protection against all types of threats, from malware and ransomware to sophisticated attacks, and deploys in minutes, immediately protecting your endpoints
• Endpoint detection and response: Provides Endpoint detection security, insights into advanced threats and helps organizations protect against them
• Threat hunting: Threat detection tools to detect multiple techniques and information sources to alert users of malware occurrences
• Real-time response: Reduces time to response with the ability to execute built-in commands or custom scripts directly on any managed endpoint, anywhere, at any time
• Asset Graph: Enables new Falcon modules and features built on top of it to define, monitor, and explore the relationships between assets within an organization

SolarWinds – Threat Security Intelligence Platform with Real-Time Insights

SolarWinds is a threat security intelligence platform that provides real-time threat intelligence. Among other security intelligence solutions, SolarWinds unique features include network performance monitoring, log management, and security information and event management (SIEM).

Here are the key features of SolarWinds:

• Data collection: SolarWinds provides a stable and scalable architecture that includes data collection, processing, storage, and presentation.
• Real-time threat intelligence: SolarWinds provides real-time threat intelligence and helps organizations identify and respond to cyber threats.
• Network performance monitoring: SolarWinds provides network performance monitoring to help organizations optimize their network performance.

Recorded Future Fusion – Customizable Threat Intelligence Feeds

Recorded Future Fusion is among the few cyber intelligence tools that offer customizable threat intelligence feeds, customer-sourced notes, and integration with third-party security solutions.

Here are the key features of Recorded Future Fusion:

• Proprietary Feeds and Internal Lists: Fusion allows you to add proprietary feeds, internal lists, and customer-generated notes to the all-source platform.
• Customization: Customize data before integrating it into third-party security solutions. This includes tailoring threat intelligence to specific use cases.
• Centralization: Fusion aggregates your proprietary and internal sources with Recorded Future-sourced intelligence. The data is analyzed by the Threat Intelligence Machine and delivered in a cohesive and easy-to-consume format.
• Collaboration: Fusion includes internal analysis and insights directly into Recorded Future. Teams can collaborate on investigations, research, and reports on a single platform.
• High-Fidelity Alerting: Fusion allows you to customize threat intelligence before it’s sent to a third-party solution, enabling you to hand-select what threat intelligence you want to use for correlation and alerting in an SIEM, or in other monitoring and alerting tools.

Anomali – Threat intelligence feeds, Threat Detection, and Incident Response

Anomali is one of the best threat intelligence platforms with a range of features, including threat intelligence feeds, threat detection, and incident response.

• Customizable threat intelligence services: Anomali allows users to customize threat intelligence before it’s sent to a third-party solution, enabling them to hand-select what threat intelligence they want to use for correlation and alerting in an SIEM or other monitoring and alerting tools.
• Customer-sourced notes: Enables customers to add their own internal notes and analysis directly in the Anomali solution.
• Real-time security threat intelligence: Provides real-time threat intelligence and helps organizations identify and respond to cyber threats.
• Collaboration: Allows teams to collaborate on investigations, research, and reports on a single platform.

ThreatConnect – Integration, Automation, and Orchestration for Threat Intelligence

ThreatConnect is another top cyber threat intelligence tool that offers a range of features, including threat intelligence feeds, threat detection, and incident response.

Here are the key features of Threat Connect:

• Bi-directional flow of threat intelligence data: This feature allows for additional enrichment, correlation, and analysis.
• False positives reporting: Analysts can report false positives directly from Splunk Solutions.
• Operationalize intelligence of a threat: Complete Diamond Model representations and matches from your environment can be viewed on a single dashboard.
• Workflow feature: This feature allows you to combine manual and automated operations to define consistent and standardized processes for your security teams, including malware analysis, phishing triage, alert triage, intel requirement development, escalation procedures, and breach standard operating procedures.
• Threat intelligence analysis and management: ThreatConnect combines the power of threat intelligence analysis and management, automation, orchestration, knowledge capture, and cyber risk quantification to help teams work smarter, faster, and better – together.
• Integration, automation, and orchestration: ThreatConnect integrates, automates, and orchestrates activities across all your tools using machine power.

FireEye – Threat Intelligence

FireEye threat intelligence software is a comprehensive threat intelligence service with several key features:

• Deep Adversarial Intelligence: FireEye Threat Intelligence delivers insights based on deep adversarial intelligence.
• Extensive Machine Intelligence: It provides extensive machine security threat intelligence.
• Detailed Victim Intelligence: FireEye Threat Intelligence offers detailed victim intelligence.
• Contextual Intelligence: It improves investigations and response plans with contextual intelligence that provides answers.
• Visibility into the Attack Life Cycle: You can gain visibility into the attack life cycle with pre- and post-attack threat intelligence.
• Actionable Threat Intelligence: FireEye Threat Intelligence allows you to consume actionable threat intelligence tailored to your security mission using an array of threat detection tools.
• Unique Intelligence: FireEye intelligence is unique in the industry. Their team of more than 150 security researchers and experts from around the globe draws upon decades of intelligence experience to transform raw information into finished intelligence.

IBM X-Force Exchange – Security Intelligence Platform

IBM security intelligence platform needs no introduction and comes with features specifically tailored to enterprise businesses. Here are the key features of IBM X-Force Exchange:

• Research: It enables you to rapidly research the latest global security threats.
• Aggregate Actionable Intelligence: You can aggregate actionable intelligence, consult with experts, and collaborate with peers.
• Collaboration: IBM X-Force Exchange allows you to share and act on threat intelligence.
• Integration with Security Tools: You can programmatically access information using STIX and TAXII standards or through a RESTful API in JSON format1. This allows you to use feeds to enrich threat context, along with curated, organic indicators and IBM X-Force research.
• Automation: IBM X-Force Exchange helps improve your security operations and enable near real-time decision-making in the face of cybersecurity threats and incidents.
• Threat Intelligence Reports: These reports provide timely access to contextual threat intelligence published and curated by the X-Force team.

AlienVault OTX – Endpoint Security and Threat Intelligence with Community Collaboration

Here are the key features of AlienVault OTX:

• Community Collaboration: OTX allows over 200,000 global participants to collaborate and share threat indicators.
• Integration with Security Products: You can integrate community-generated OTX threat data directly into your AlienVault and third-party security products.
• DirectConnect API: The OTX DirectConnect API allows you to easily synchronize the Threat Intelligence available in OTX to the tools you use to monitor your environment.
• STIX/TAXII Feeds: OTX can act as a TAXII server, making it possible for you to consume pulses via any TAXII client that you prefer.
• OTX Endpoint Security™: This is a free threat-scanning service in OTX. It allows you to quickly identify malware and other threats by scanning your endpoints for the presence of IOCs cataloged in OTX.
• Automated Threat Detection: OTX allows you to automatically extract IOCs from blogs, threat reports, emails, PCAPs, and more.
• Threat Analysis: OTX allows you to investigate emerging threats in the wild.

Arctic Wolf Security Operations Platform

Arctic Wolf Security Operations Platform is a comprehensive security operations solution with several key features:

• Broad Visibility: The platform collects over 3 trillion events weekly, providing broad visibility across endpoint, network, and cloud.
• Unlimited Data: It offers data retention and recall based on a flat fee, not on event volume.
• Generous Retention: It retains log sources for compliance purposes and provides on-demand access to your data.
• Threat Intel: The platform correlates all events with industry-leading threat intelligence feeds using commercial and open-source feeds.
• Digital Risk: All data is contextualized so you can quantify your digital risk with an understanding of vulnerabilities, system misconfigurations, and account takeover exposure.
• Cloud Analytics: It automatically detects advanced threats with machine learning and other cloud native detection engines.
• Customized Rules: Detection rules tailored to your environment collect events that other products miss and reduce false positives.
• Alert Aggregation: Alerts are aggregated into incidents to eliminate fatigue.

Cisco Umbrella – Cloud-Delivered Security Solution

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-delivered security solution with several key features and threat detection tools:

• Cloud-Delivered Security: Cisco Umbrella uses the Internet’s infrastructure to enforce security and block malicious activity before a connection is ever established.
• Broad Visibility: By delivering security from the cloud, there is no hardware to install and no software to manually update. You save time, reduce overhead, and get effective security.
• Prevent Phishing and Malware Infections: With Cisco Umbrella, you can stop phishing and malware infections earlier, identify already infected devices faster, and prevent data exfiltration.
• Complete Visibility: Because Umbrella is built into the foundation of the internet and delivered from the cloud, it provides complete visibility into internet activity across all your locations and users.
• Integration with Security Products: Umbrella processes 180 billion Internet requests a day to uncover threats before they reach your network or endpoints.
• Effective Protection: Umbrella makes it easy to see Internet activity across all cloud apps, devices, users, and locations, on and off the network. It blocks threats easily over all ports and protocols for the most comprehensive coverage.

DeCYFIR – Non-Intrusive SaaS Platform

Here are the key features of DeCYFIR:

• Cloud-native, non-intrusive SaaS platform with no implementation requirements.
• Provides predictive outside-in attackers’ view on the external threat landscape.
• Personalized & contextual intelligence based on geographical, geopolitical, and industrial factors relevant to the client.
• Systematically uncovers attack surfaces, vulnerabilities, attack methods, digital risk exposures, dark web observations, and situational awareness.
• Provides detailed insights into the cybercriminals interested in you, their motive and intent, when can they attack and how are they going to attack.
• Provides real-time continuous monitoring to identify shadow IT or porous systems that can be accessed by cybercriminals.
• Provides early warnings and alerts to help you prioritize risk and be well-prepared to fend off attacks.

Best Threat Intelligence Feeds

Threat intelligence feeds are databases of recent hacker attacks and planned events that could damage businesses. Warnings can relate to specific pieces of equipment, industries, countries, businesses, or asset types.

Intrusion detection systems (IDSs), endpoint detection and response (EDR) services, extended detection and response (XDR) packages, and SIEM platforms can all be enhanced by a threat intelligence feed. The idea of the threat intelligence feed is that when one company gets hit, it tells everyone else in the world what happened. That information goes into a database, and periodic extracts of recent database entries get distributed to subscribers.

The feed can be produced as a human-readable report or a formatted feed directly into a cybersecurity system. Such security systems that are written to take the threat intelligence feed use the information from this update to search for malicious activity.

Some of the best threat intelligence feeds in the market include:

• Emerging Threats: Developed and offered by Proofpoint in both open source and a premium version, The Emerging Threats Intelligence feed (ET) is one of the highest-rated threat intelligence feeds. ET classifies IP addresses and domain addresses associated with malicious activity online and tracks recent activity by either.
• AlienVault Open Threat Exchange: Best for community-driven threat feeds.
• FBI InfraGard: Best for critical infrastructure security.
• Cyveilance: Unique feeds on threat actors: indications of criminal intent.
• Spamhaus Project: Tracks email spammers and spam-related activity.

Conclusion

In the ever-evolving symphony of cybersecurity, the importance of fortifying digital defenses cannot be overstated. As we conclude our exploration into the diverse landscape of Cyber Threat Intelligence Tools, it’s imperative to recognize that cybersecurity is not merely a destination but an ongoing journey.

Embracing a proactive cybersecurity stance, fortified by these tools, positions organizations not just to withstand threats but to thrive amidst uncertainty. As the digital frontier continues to unfold, the symbiotic relationship between intelligence platforms, tools, and human expertise will be the linchpin of cyber resilience.

Our journey today is but a snapshot of the ever-expanding landscape, and we encourage you to delve deeper, explore further, and remain vigilant in the pursuit of digital security excellence. Together, armed with knowledge and cutting-edge tools, we embark on the ongoing mission of safeguarding the digital future.