What Is Threat Hunting?

It is an active security strategy that integrates digital forensics with incidents response strategies to detect unidentified or ongoing cyber threats that are undiscovered within an organization's network. The main objective of the process is to identify potential threats before they can negatively affect your business.

This is done through:

• Monitoring you system's memory to identify suspicious activities with memory dumps that are snapshots of the RAM memory of a device (RAM) during a certain moment in time.

  
  

• Examining the disk images of the individual workstations to determine whether anything is an alarm.

  
  

• Monitoring server images for signs of suspicious activity.

  
  

• Examining the endpoint security data to identify signs of suspicious activities.

  
  

• Monitoring your network security infrastructure for alerts or unusual data signals that may signal the presence of a risk, for example, malware.

Types of Threat Hunting:

Threat hunting generally follows one of the three types:

• Structured:

During a structured hunt, the threat hunters search for unusual tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) which could be threats. Instead of going after at the data or system, and searching for breaches the threat hunter develops an idea of the potential attacker's strategy and then seeks out the signs of the attack. Since structured hunting is more proactive, IT professionals who employ this strategy are able to catch or stop attackers swiftly.

• Unstructured:

An unstructured hunt an individual who is a cyber-attack hunter looks to find the indication of compromise (IoC)and conducts the hunt from the point of beginning. Because the threat hunter has the ability to go back to search past data to find patterns and clues Unstructured hunts may detect previously undetected risks that still put the company at risk.

• Situational:

Situational threat hunting focuses on specific sources and data inside the digital ecosystem. If an organization determines that certain assets or employees have the highest risk they can guide the cyber-security analysts to focus their efforts in preventing or correcting attacks on those who are vulnerable and data sets, as well as endpoints.

The Threat Hunting Process:

The three stages of the process of proactive threat hunting.

1. Trigger:

Threat hunting is generally an encapsulated method. The hunter gathers data about the surrounding environment and formulates theories about possible threats. The hunter then selects an event that warrants further investigation. It could be a specific network, system or that is caused by an announcement of vulnerability or patch, details regarding a zero-day vulnerability or an anomaly in an anomaly in the security data set or a request made from another part of the organization.

2. Investigation:

When a trigger has been identified and a trigger is identified, the hunter's efforts are geared towards looking for any anomalies that support or refute the idea. Threat hunters often think, "We are compromised or vulnerable to this new exploit" and then goes backwards to establish whether the assumptions are true or not. During an investigation, the threat hunter uses various technologies to aid them in analyzing system logs and looking for irregularities, which could or might not be malicious.

3. Resolution:

Threat hunters gather crucial details throughout the investigative phase, and answer crucial questions like "Who?" , "What?", "When?" , "Where?" as well as should it be possible using the evidence provided, "Why?" When the resolution phase is completed the information is shared to other teams as well as tools that are able to respond to, prioritize, analyze or archive the data for future use.

When it is clear what the source of threat is identified, security professionals should immediately stop the attack and determine what vulnerabilities caused it initially. This will help rise security and reduce the risk of future attacks.

The Advantages of Threat Hunting:

Threat hunting Advantages are following:

1. Early Detection and Mitigation:

The most important benefit is the quick detection of dangers. By proactively identifying suspicious activities and anomalies companies can spot and deal with threats well before they become full-blown attacks or breaches. Early detection usually outcome in lesser damage and a lower cost.

2. Enhanced Incident Response:

Through continuous hunts for threats teams for incident response are more prepared should major incidents occur. They can draw on the data and intelligence collected during hunts are invaluable when determining the nature of a threat which could benefit speed responses and recovering.

3. Improved Security Posture:

An active approach can boost the company's security position. As vulnerabilities and threats are discovered and addressed, security measures are refined and strengthened, creating stronger defense mechanisms in the course of time.

4. Knowledge and Skill Development:

Threat hunting is a continuous process. With each cycle that goes on, the security team improves its knowledge. They are better in identifying suspicious behavior, analyzing new attack strategies and applying countermeasures. This continual learning enhances the organization's overall security capability.

5. Reduced Attack Surface:

Threat hunting helps organizations identify vulnerabilities in their infrastructure--loopholes they might not have been aware of. In identifying and fixing such weaknesses, an threat surface is reduced which makes it difficult for attackers to locate ways to get access.

6. Regulatory Compliance:

A lot of modern standards and regulations stress the importance of active security measures. Involving in threat hunting helps organizations to meet standards of compliance and possibly avoiding sanctions and legal consequences.

7. Stakeholder Confidence:

In an age where data breaches and cyber-related incidents could undermine trust among stakeholders by proactively pursuing threats, a proactive initiative shows a the company's commitment to security. It will improve the trust of partners, customers, and investors, demonstrating that the company is doing everything it can to protect the security of its digital assets.