Indicators of Compromise
In cybersecurity, Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) are like red flags or traces left behind that suggest a security incident or intrusion has occurred within a system or network. They're essentially clues that signify malicious activity, like a cyber attack or data breach.
Think of IOCs as evidence at a crime scene. Just as fingerprints or footprints can help investigators understand what happened, IOCs help cybersecurity professionals detect and analyze security breaches.
IOCs can take many forms, including:
Unusual network traffic: This could be a sudden spike in outgoing traffic, connections to known malicious IP addresses, or data being sent to unusual locations.
Suspicious file changes: Unexpected modifications to system files, unexpected software installations, or the presence of unknown files.
Unusual login activity: Failed login attempts, logins from unexpected locations or at odd hours, or unauthorized access to privileged accounts.
Presence of malware: Detection of known malware signatures, unusual processes running on a system, or files behaving suspiciously.
Changes to system configurations: Unauthorized alterations to system settings, registry entries, or security policies.
By monitoring and analyzing IOCs, security teams can:
Detect security breaches: Identify intrusions that may have bypassed traditional security measures.
Understand the attack: Determine the scope and nature of the attack, the attacker's methods, and the potential impact.
Respond effectively: Take appropriate steps to contain the breach, mitigate damage, and prevent future attacks.
Improve security posture: Use the information gathered from IOCs to strengthen security controls and prevent similar attacks from happening again.
IOCs are a crucial part of proactive cybersecurity. They enable organizations to shift from a reactive approach to a more proactive stance, allowing them to detect and respond to threats more effectively.
ThreatNG can help with the discovery of Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) by providing a comprehensive solution for external attack surface management, digital risk protection, and security ratings. It offers continuous monitoring, reporting, and investigation modules to detect and respond to IOCs.
External Discovery and Assessment
ThreatNG's external discovery and assessment capabilities help organizations identify and assess their external attack surface, including internet-facing assets, vulnerabilities, and potential entry points for attackers. This is critical in the first phase of an APT attack, infiltration, as it helps organizations to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities that attackers may try to exploit.
For example, ThreatNG can:
Identify subdomains that are vulnerable to takeover attacks.
Detect internet-facing assets that are running outdated software.
Uncover sensitive data that is exposed online.
Reporting
ThreatNG offers various reporting options, including executive, technical, prioritized, security ratings, inventory, ransomware susceptibility, and U.S. SEC filings. These reports provide insights into an organization's security posture and can help identify potential APT activity.
Continuous Monitoring
ThreatNG provides continuous monitoring of an organization's external attack surface, alerting on new vulnerabilities, suspicious activity, and changes to the organization's digital risk profile. This helps detect APT activity in the expansion phase, where attackers try to move laterally across the network.
Investigation Modules
ThreatNG's investigation modules offer detailed insights into specific threats and vulnerabilities. The modules include domain intelligence, social media, sensitive code exposure, search engine exploitation, cloud and SaaS exposure, online sharing exposure, sentiment and financials, archived web pages, dark web presence, and technology stack. These modules can help investigate and remediate APT activity.
For example, ThreatNG's investigation modules can:
Identify malicious domains that are associated with the organization.
Uncover sensitive data that is exposed on social media.
Detect code repositories that are leaking sensitive information.
Identify cloud and SaaS exposures.
Uncover online sharing exposures.
Monitor sentiment and financials.
Investigate archived web pages.
Monitor the dark web for mentions of the organization.
Identify the organization's technology stack.
Intelligence Repositories
ThreatNG maintains intelligence repositories that include information on dark web activity, compromised credentials, ransomware events and groups, known vulnerabilities, ESG violations, bug bounty programs, SEC Form 8-Ks, and Bank Identification Numbers. This intelligence helps organizations stay ahead of APT attackers and their evolving tactics.
Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG can work with complementary security solutions, such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs), and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions. By integrating with these solutions, ThreatNG can provide a more comprehensive view of an organization's security posture and improve its ability to detect and respond to APT attacks.
Examples of ThreatNG Helping
ThreatNG can help identify a phishing campaign targeting an organization's employees by monitoring the dark web for mentions of the organization's name and identifying any suspicious emails or websites that are being used in the campaign.
ThreatNG can help detect a subdomain takeover attack by continuously monitoring the organization's DNS records and alerting on any unauthorized changes.
ThreatNG can help identify sensitive data that has been leaked on the dark web by scanning the dark web for mentions of the organization's name and identifying any leaked data that is associated with the organization.
Examples of ThreatNG Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG can integrate with a SIEM system to provide the SIEM with real-time threat intelligence, which can help the SIEM to identify and block APT attacks.
ThreatNG can integrate with a TIP to provide the TIP with information on the organization's external attack surface, which can help the TIP to prioritize and respond to threats.
ThreatNG can integrate with an EDR solution to provide the EDR with information on the organization's dark web presence, which can help the EDR to identify and quarantine infected devices.
ThreatNG is a valuable solution for organizations looking to protect themselves from APTs. By providing a comprehensive solution for external attack surface management, digital risk protection, and security ratings, ThreatNG can help organizations detect and respond to APT attacks effectively.
