We are enjoying unmatched convenience and ease of everything in our lives because of technology and IoT devices. However, the same digital landscape is prone to various kinds of cyber threats. The security cams we installed to check on our toddlers can be misused to spy on us. The autonomous vehicles we use to navigate the traffic may lead us to an abandoned place. The possibilities can be anything. Cybercriminals try all the way to infiltrate networks, and steal data.

Therefore, it has become important for organizations to get ahead of reactive security measures and get along actively with cyber threat hunting – a proactive approach to identify and neutralize hidden threats before they become serious.

What is Cyber Threat Hunting?

Are you looking to make a career in cybersecurity? Then you cannot ignore the importance of cyber threat hunting. It refers to a methodical search process for malicious activity within an organization’s network. Unlike traditional security tools that detect threats based on pre-defined rules, threat hunting involves a more investigative approach.

Cybersecurity specialists and ethical hackers who take the role of threat hunters and digital detectives have to go through huge amounts of data to identify anomalies, various kinds of adversaries, and their activities.

IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2023 highlighted the dwell time for attackers within a network is surprisingly 287 days. This means attackers can remain undetected for nearly a year, and deteriorate an organization’s security system without getting caught. This number is enough to highlight the importance of a proactive cyber threat-hunting process.

Different Threat Hunting Techniques

So, are you excited for the role of threat hunter in your cybersecurity career? Here are some of the methodologies that you will be adopting to find threats in your organization’s security systems:

1.Hypothesis-Driven Hunting

This method includes formulating hypotheses based on current threat intelligence and industry trends. Cybersecurity professionals then analyze the data logs and network activity to see if there is any evidence that can support the suspicions they are feeling.

2. Indicator-Based Hunting

In this method, the cyber threat hunters use Indicators of Compromise (IOC) and Indicator of Attack (IOA). These refers to specific signatures or patterns that they already know about a malware and attacker behaviors. So, they search such indicators within their security system and identify if any threat is looming over it.

3. Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

There are numerous NTA tools that help security teams get deep visibility into network traffic patterns. Hunters can analyze these patterns to detect anomalies indicating unauthorized access or malicious activities.

4. User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA)

This method isn’t confined to just analyzing network traffic but also helps in monitoring user activity logs that can be used to identify abnormal user behavior and detect insider threats and compromised accounts.

Different ways to Manage Cyber Threats

Hunting different types of cyber threats in one way to prevent these attacks by identifying them beforehand. Apart from threat hunting, cybersecurity specialists are also involving in various kinds of cybersecurity measures to mitigate existing and emerging cyber threats. Some notable methods are:

1. Strong perimeter defense

This includes efficient firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems (IDS/IPS), endpoint security solutions, etc. So, you must keep these systems up-to-date and properly configured.

2.Patch Management

If the vulnerabilities are not patched on time, then they can serve as the major entry point for cyber attackers. Therefore, organizations must prioritize a robust patch management process and ensure all their systems are updated with latest security patches.

3.Incident response planning

Also, if organizations have a well-defined incident response plan in place, then they can swiftly and effectively react to security breach and minimize the damage. This plan should have proper defined roles, responsibilities, and procedures to contain, eradicate, and recover the damage.

What does the future of threat hunting look like?

In the future, we can see enhanced use of AI and ML technologies to detect and prevent threats. This will help enhance the overall efficiency and effectiveness of organizations. AI and ML have two strong positive impacts:

•Automation – they can automate repetitive tasks like log collection and free up cybersecurity specialists time to focus on complex investigative tasks.

•Machine learning – ML algorithms can be trained on past data to identify patterns and anomalies and proactively detect malicious activity and flag them off.

The world of cybersecurity is evolving and if you want to be updated about the latest trends and technologies in this domain then it is highly recommended to get certified with top cybersecurity certification programs. It will not only help you learn the latest cybersecurity skills on threat hunting concepts, but also enhance your employability among the employers.

Conclusion

Cyber threats are constantly evolving and therefore organizations need to adopt multi-layered approach to stay ahead of the innovative and sophisticated cyber attackers. Cyber threat hunting must be accompanied by strong defense and preventive measures. Organizations should also focus on building effective incident response strategies. Combined together, these steps will help build strong security posture for the organization.