Threat Intelligence is the process of collecting, analyzing, and applying knowledge about current and emerging cyber threats to protect an organization's infrastructure, software, and data. It enables security teams to anticipate attacks, mitigate risks, and strengthen defenses against threat actors, malware campaigns, vulnerabilities, and software supply chain threats.
Threat intelligence goes beyond simply detecting threats—it provides context on adversary tactics, attack techniques, and potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited. By leveraging real-time data, security teams can make informed decisions about how to prioritize security efforts and respond effectively to cyber threats.
In today’s evolving cyber landscape, threat actors are constantly adapting, and organizations need proactive defenses to stay ahead. Without effective threat intelligence, companies face:
Delayed response to cyberattacks – Security teams may fail to detect or react to threats in time without intelligence-driven insights.
Undetected software supply chain risks – Threat intelligence helps identify compromised dependencies, malicious contributors, and backdoors before they impact an enterprise.
Increased attack surface – Emerging vulnerabilities, such as zero-day exploits and known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs), can remain unpatched and unmonitored without intelligence feeds.
Compliance & regulatory challenges – Frameworks such as NIST, the Cyber Resilience Act, and Executive Order 14028 emphasize the need for continuous risk monitoring and intelligence-driven security operations.
Threat intelligence provides actionable insights by analyzing data from multiple sources to identify, categorize, and respond to cyber threats. It includes:
Tactical Threat Intelligence – Real-time indicators of compromise (IOCs) such as malicious IP addresses, domains, file hashes, and attack signatures.
Operational Threat Intelligence – Insights into active attack campaigns, adversary techniques, and malware distribution methods.
Strategic Threat Intelligence – Broader trends in cybercrime, nation-state attacks, and evolving security threats that impact industries and supply chains.
Technical Threat Intelligence – Analysis of vulnerabilities, exploitation techniques, and attack vectors used by adversaries.
Automate threat intelligence feeds to continuously monitor for newly discovered vulnerabilities and attack patterns.
Integrate intelligence with security operations to improve incident detection, response, and risk mitigation.
Map intelligence to security frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, NIST, and CIS controls for actionable risk reduction.
Prioritize vulnerabilities based on real-world exploitability to focus security efforts on the most critical threats.
By implementing Threat Intelligence, organizations can proactively detect and defend against cyber threats, mitigate risks before they escalate, and strengthen their overall security posture.