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Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) represent a particularly dangerous form of cyberattack, where adversaries gain unauthorized access to a network and remain undetected for extended periods, often to steal sensitive data, sabotage operations, or spy on individuals. Unlike traditional attacks that tend to be short-lived, APTs are characterized by their persistence and by their ability to avoid detection, making them difficult for organizations to defend against.
The past few years have showcased the destructive potential of APTs. In 2020, the “SolarWinds” attack involved APT actors breaching U.S. federal agencies and large corporations through compromised software updates, affecting approximately 18000 systems worldwide and causing billions of dollars’ worth of harm. The ramifications of the attack continued to be felt in the following years. Cyber assaults such as this highlight the far-reaching consequences of an APT attack, transcending industries and borders, and emphasize the importance of proactive threat detection. This article will explore why APT intelligence sharing should be considered by all cyber security teams, and will briefly examine essential qualities of successful threat intelligence sharing programs.
Why APT Intelligence Sharing is Crucial
As global networks become increasingly interlinked, the adaptability of APTs underscores the need for proactive and collaborative cybersecurity measures. One of these tactics is the sharing of APT intelligence across organizations, industries, and even governments. Intelligence sharing involves exchanging information on indicators of compromise (IOCs), hacker tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and other data that can help organizations detect and mitigate APT threats early.
The key advantage of APT intelligence sharing is that it allows organizations to stay ahead of emerging threats. By collaborating, companies can create a collective defense, reducing the time it takes to identify new threats and, in turn, mitigating the impact of the attack. For instance, if one organization experiences an attempted breach or identifies a novel APT tactic, sharing this information with peers can help others to fortify their defenses before similar attacks can occur.
Intelligence sharing also fosters a unified cybersecurity community. By understanding how APT actors operate, organizations can better allocate resources, update threat detection tools, and refine their security agenda. This is viable because APT groups often reuse techniques and exploit vulnerabilities that may not yet be widely known by host organisations. Early access to such intelligence can lead to effective security audits, making sharing critical in preventing similar attacks across industries.
Intelligence sharing goes a step further in helping organizations enhance their threat response capabilities. Rather than working in isolation, cybersecurity teams can leverage insights from others to build more effective response strategies, minimizing the operational downtime and financial losses associated with APT attacks
Effective APT Intelligence Sharing
For APT intelligence sharing to be effective, all entities must establish trust, collaboration, and most importantly, prioritize universal security over competitive interests. Intelligence sharing, when used effectively, can shield international allies against malicious threats, as hackers tend to duplicate methods to affect similar entities.
Firstly, organizations that intend to share information must operate on equal footing. All must commit wholly to continuous APT monitoring, harnessing optimal cyber security tools such as Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems to aggregate and analyse data from multiple sources.
Other strategies will be required for effective APT monitoring. Companies can also harness Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) to detect and block malicious activity on the network. Network Traffic Analysis (NTA) to monitor and detect suspicious lateral movements can be indispensable, as well as User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) to detect unusual patterns in user behavior. By leveraging these technologies, security teams across industries and even nations can continuously monitor their IT environment, detect threats early, and respond quickly to minimize fallout.
Organizations must also ensure that shared intelligence is accurate, timely, and actionable, as well as invest in secure mechanisms for communication. Entities such as Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) and platforms like the MITRE ATT&CK framework provide excellent opportunities for collaboration, helping companies to gain real-time insights into the evolving threat landscape, and facilitating early threat detection and prevention.
Few organizations can claim to have complete visibility into all cyber threats. A collective defense through intelligence sharing strengthens the entire network of participants by broadening knowledge and extending the ability to counter sophisticated attackers. APT Intelligence sharing is a significant opportunity for organizations to strengthen their cybersecurity posture by unifying their tools and knowledge against sophisticated threats. By collaborating with peers and experts, businesses can mitigate risks and stay one step ahead of adversaries.
The right cyber security partner can help companies maximize their network and endpoint security, ensuring they are well-prepared to repel even the most persistent threats.
To learn more about how your organization can leverage intelligence sharing and protect against APTs, contact a Rewterz expert today.