[BreachExchange] What Is Cyber Threat Intelligence And Why You Should Care About It?

[Destry Winant]

https://ceoworld.biz/2018/12/20/what-is-cyber-threat-intelligence-and-why-you-should-care-about-it/

Today, it seems that cybersecurity is one of the hottest topics out
there.  All you need to do is turn on your computer or TV screen, and
you’ll likely hear another news story about some group of anonymous
hackers who’ve infiltrated and compromised a major company’s valuable
customer information.

That being said, data protection and online security is something that
should be near and dear to all of us who use the internet.
Cybersecurity is also a topic that we need to know about and
understand that there are real risks to having an online presence.

Fortunately, with the latest advancements in technology, cyber threat
intelligence is a growing industry which aims at protecting all of our
personal data that’s being stored online.

Still, this might leave you wondering what precisely cyber threat
intelligence is and how it can affect you.

What is Cyber Threat Intelligence?

Cyber threat intelligence can be described as what becomes of cyber
threat information once it has gathered, evaluated, and analyzed by
cybersecurity experts through a series of rigorous techniques.

Like any other form of intelligence, cyber threat intelligence reduces
the online uncertainty for consumers by identifying both existing and
potential types of cyber threats.

In order to detect potential threats and produce accurate and relevant
threat intelligence, cyber security analysts are required to identify
similarities and differences that can be found in large amounts of
information. This has often been a time-consuming and tedious process,
however, with the new technologies being created every day, it’s
becoming easier than ever for organizations to develop entire
databanks of threat intelligence.

When appropriately used, cyber threat intelligence can be used to
provide much better insight into potential cyber threats. And, it also
allows for a much faster, targeted response once a threat has been
identified, as well as improving the resource development process and
allocation for organizations which deal any type of sensitive personal
data.

There are also many other benefits to cyber threat intelligence. For
example, cyber threat intelligence can help decision makers and
business leaders determine what is considered an acceptable business
risk or it can be used to help them develop budgets and operational
controls for their organization. Additionally, it can also provide
valuable insight which can be used to guide and support responses to
incidents, as well as improving post-incident activities and recovery.

In the coming years, the inclusion of cyber threat intelligence will
become more and more important for any type of organization, whether
it be smaller local businesses or much larger financial institutions
and government entities.

What Makes Cyber Threat Intelligence Important?

Cyber threat intelligence involves gathering raw data about potential
or pre-existing threats from a variety of sources. This information is
then filtered and analyzed to create intelligence feeds and threat
reports which can then be used by automated security control systems.

Essentially, the main purpose of threat intelligence is to keep
companies and organizations informed about the risk of persistent
cyber threats, as well as the ways they can protect themselves from
them.

In the past, cyber threat intelligence has proven to be highly
beneficial in all levels of government and business. And, everyone
from politicians and policymakers, through to cybersecurity
specialists and law enforcement officers can benefit from
well-implement cyber threat intelligence systems.

Additionally, cyber threat intelligence can provide value for many
other experts, such as accountants, criminal analysts, and
counter-terrorism officials, who are always dealing with highly
sensitive information.

Why Should You Care About Cyber Threat Intelligence?

In today’s busy, high-tech world, most of us have a wide variety of
our own personal information stored either online on our social media
accounts or by the company’s that we deal with such as our banks and
favourite online retailers.

And while this information is generally stored safely and securely, it
can still be vulnerable if ever targeted by cybercriminals. Therefore,
cyber threat intelligence is something that we all need to know about
and understand that in the long run, it’s meant to protect our
valuable personal information.

When properly implemented and used accordingly, threat intelligence
helps organizations identify potential cyber threats and protect
individual consumers from them. It also ensures that individuals
remain up to date on the current volume of cyber threats, as well as
potential vulnerabilities and known bad actors.

In terms of the business world, cyber threat intelligence works to
keep managers, stakeholders, and business leaders informed about the
latest emerging threats, as well as the repercussions they could have
on their businesses.

Finally, the main reason that you should care about cyber threat
intelligence is that it can help you become knowledgeable and
proactive about both present and future threats to cybersecurity and
your personal information.