BACKGROUND:
Technological advances continue to change the cyber threat rules, as organizations fear that data vulnerability will become the established norm. The risk is that military and corporate organizations will become complacent and won’t feel the urgency in determining and preventing cyber threats. Therefore, cyber threats become more accepted; a complacency that becomes a mere budget line request. Imagine you are a future Cyber Threat Intelligence officer and avoiding complacency is your primary function, because complacency increases the threat of cyber vulnerability.
ASSIGNMENT:
For this assignment, answer the following:
1) How do you, as a Cyber Threat Intelligence officer, maintain a sense of urgency?
2)Explain the effects of technological advances on vulnerability.
Technology and Cyber Threat Intelligence
Introduction
In recent years, advancement in technology has led to more accessible ways of doing tasks than several decades ago. Most organizations can now store data in a simplified manner, transact businesses and offer services in an instance. However, these technological advances have led to cybercrimes because of the vulnerability of the data. Some of these vulnerabilities are associated with leadership misinformation, limited cybersecurity training, malicious insiders, among other human vulnerabilities (Adams & Makramalla, 2015). Therefore, cyber intelligence organizations have come up with cyber intelligence rules that minimize data exposure within organizations across the world. To avoid these human vulnerabilities, organizations have employed some cybersecurity training approaches such as gamification to a different level of employees (Oltsik, 2014). Furthermore, there are several ways to maintain a sense of urgency while reducing the effects of technological advances on vulnerability.
How Cyber Intelligence officer can maintain the sense of urgency
Cyber threat intelligence involves analyzing strategic, tactical, and operational intelligence that uses structured techniques to ensure that mindsets, mindsets, and uncertainties are identified and managed. The process of cybersecurity intelligence is a cycle that involves the identification of intelligence gaps, new collection requirements, and unanswered questions (Pomerleau, 2015). Cyber threat intelligence is beneficial to various cybersecurity officials such as Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), government officials, and police officers. Therefore, cybersecurity intelligence can provide more significant and faster responses that influence rapid decision-making (Claus et al., 2015). As a cyber intelligence officer, there are some ways that I can use to maintain a sense of urgency.
- Real value intelligence management.
Many cyber intelligence officers are concerned with solutions that provide data feeds. However, there is a need to use the absolute value of the threat intelligence approach to managing different data sources within an organization. Regardless of the organization’s size, there are ways to collect data in a more secure data. Therefore, as a cyber intelligence officer, I would ensure that I employ a rigid framework on how threat intelligence is produced, shared and how the solutions are applied to meet cybersecurity needs.
- Sharing Threat Intelligence with the Right People
Sharing cyber threat information is one of the critical ways a cyber intelligence officer can ensure that appropriate action is taken. Therefore, as a cyber intelligence officer, I would share threat intelligence with the team to take action. This ensures that the intelligence information is timely by providing tips to the organization to avoid an impending threat or cyberattack. Furthermore, sharing information with the right people would ensure that it is contextual (Adams & Makramalla, 2015). Therefore, it means that this intelligence information would be personalized. Additionally, it ensures that the information is only understood by the people who can act on it. I would ensure that the data is written in a hard-to-pursue language that the action team will only understand
- Applying Threat Intelligence with a Bias for Action
I would ensure that I manage threat intelligence services with a bias for action through determining the target audience from the beginning. Therefore, if my target audience is the organization’s chief financial officer, I would use free threat data feeds as a problem. Thus, the financial officer would increase the budget for the cybersecurity team since a complete intelligence solution has been employed. Furthermore, these biases enable analysts to spend more time investigating incidents and alerts using a complete intelligence solution.
Effects of technological advances on vulnerability
Due to advancements in technologies, cybersecurity has become too vulnerable worldwide because cybercriminals are using these advancements to their benefit. Thus, many organizations have become concerned while cyber attackers and hackers are also advancing their attacks. Some of the most common cyber-attacks and vulnerabilities include spear-phishing attacks, Trojan-horse malware attacks, business email compromise attacks, and ransomware attacks (Kotler, .2020). Cyber vulnerabilities impact both the public and private sectors. These attacks have a considerable risk on operational and financial departments.
Furthermore, the development of technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to the escalation of these attacks on IoT devices. These vulnerabilities have also led to increased software and information systems due to technological applications (Reed & Dunaway, 2019). The loopholes found in these applications increase the chances of fraud, such as identity theft and business email scams.
Moreover, there are other vulnerabilities that networks and information systems are prone to in the modern era. For instance, data browsing has been reported by many organizations across the world. Data browsing involves cyber-terrorist acquiring confidential information of a particular organization through browsing a sensitive file in a computer (Claus et al., 2015). The crime leads to unauthorized access to an organization’s secrets such as trade or bid. Furthermore, alteration of data can occur whereby unauthorized access can lead to the destruction of the company’s public relations or customer confidence. Additionally, illicit posing can happen where a cybercriminal makes unauthorized or false orders, defraud clients. There is also a possibility that an adversary could completely shut down a company’s online operations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, technological advancement has continued to create more problems for cybersecurity. Organizations are concerned with the level of security that their information is entitled to in the modern world. However, improved cyber threat intelligence training can minimize the threats and vulnerability to cyber information. Therefore, some measures like real value management, sharing intelligence with the right people, and applying intelligence with a bias for action can help maintain a sense of action. Furthermore, there is some common vulnerability due to increased reliance on technology. These vulnerabilities include data browsing, alteration of data, denial of service, and spoofing.
References
Adams, M., & Makramalla, M. (2015). Cyber security skills training: An attacker-centric gamified approach. Technology Innovation Management Review, 5(1), 5-14. Retrieved from ProQuest
Claus, B.; Gandhi, R.; Rawnsley, J.; and Crowe, J. (2015). “Using the oldest military force for
the newest national defense.” Journal of Strategic Security, 8(4), 1-22. Retrieved from
http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol8/iss4/1
Kotler, I. (2020, May 4). Fear and loathing in cyberspace. Forbes Technology Council, 5(4), 1-3. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/03/04/fear-and-loathing-in-cyberspace/#5b174f952fdd
Oltsik, J. (2014, October). The Internet of things: a CISCO and network security perspective. Retrieved from http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/solutions/industries/docs/energy/network-security-perspective.pdf
Pomerleau, M. (2015, Jun 10), How might the US respond to cyber-attacks? Retrieved from
https://defensesystems.com/Articles/2015/06/10/US-response-scenario-cyber-attack.aspx
Reed, J. C., & Dunaway, N. (2019). Cyber biosecurity implications for the laboratory of the future. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 7, 182. Retrieved from the (Directory of Open Access Journals
