Threat Hunting 101: A Beginner’s Guide for Cybersecurity Student

Have you ever wondered how organizations stay a step ahead of cybercriminals? The secret lies in a proactive approach called threat hunting. But don’t let the term intimidate you — threat hunting isn’t just for cybersecurity experts tucked away in dark rooms full of monitors. Anyone in IT can get involved, and it can be an exciting way to contribute to your organization’s security.

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So, What Exactly Is Threat Hunting?

At its core, threat hunting is about actively seeking out cyber threats within your network before they cause harm. Think of it like being a detective — you’re not waiting for alarms to ring; you’re out there looking for clues that something might be amiss.

Robert M. Lee from SANS puts it nicely: “Threat hunting is a focused and interactive approach to searching out, identifying, and understanding adversaries internal to the defender’s network.” In other words, it’s a hands-on, purposeful activity aimed at catching the bad guys lurking in your digital backyard.

It’s Not Just for SOC Analysts

You might think, “Isn’t this something for the Security Operations Center (SOC) folks?” While SOC analysts often lead the charge, threat hunting is a team sport. Whether you’re a network admin, a systems engineer, or even in helpdesk support, you can play a part. Your unique access to different system parts can provide valuable insights others might miss.

Why Should You Care About Threat Hunting?

Cyber threats are getting sneakier every day. Relying solely on automated tools might not cut it anymore. By learning threat-hunting skills, you can help spot threats early, potentially saving your organization from serious breaches.

Plus, it’s pretty cool to think like a hacker! By putting yourself in their shoes, you can anticipate their moves and set up defenses accordingly.

The Role of Threat Intelligence

One of the driving forces behind threat hunting is threat intelligence. This is information about potential or current attacks that could impact your organization. It can come from:

• News Articles and Reports: Staying updated with the latest cyber incidents.
• Shared Insights: Colleagues or industry peers might share suspicious activities they’ve noticed.
• Research and Analysis: Studying hacker behaviors using frameworks like the Cyber Kill Chain or MITRE ATT&CK.

Threat intelligence helps you form hypotheses about where threats might be hiding and guides your hunting efforts.

The Pyramid of Pain: Prioritizing Your Efforts

Not all clues are equal. The Pyramid of Pain is a handy way to understand what makes life harder for attackers:

1. Hash Values: Easy for attackers to change.
2. IP Addresses: Still relatively easy to switch up.
3. Domain Names: Slightly harder but doable.
4. Network/Host Artifacts: Getting trickier for attackers.
5. Tools: Now we’re talking! Changing tools is a pain for them.
6. Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs): This is their playbook. If you disrupt this, you’re making their job difficult.

By focusing on higher levels of the pyramid, you can have a bigger impact on thwarting attackers.

The Threat Hunting Loop: A Continuous Journey

Threat hunting isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s an ongoing process that looks something like this:

1. Create a Hypothesis: Start with a question or a tip-off. Maybe you’ve read about a new type of attack, and you wonder if your network is vulnerable.
2. Launch Investigation: Roll up your sleeves and dive into the data. Use the tools at your disposal — logs, network monitors, etc. — to look for signs.
3. Uncover New Patterns and TTPs: As you sift through information, you might spot unusual patterns. Maybe there’s odd traffic at 3 AM, or a user account behaving strangely.
4. Inform and Enrich Analytics: Found something? Great! Now it’s time to act. Alert your security team, update your detection rules, and share your findings so everyone can benefit.

What’s Next? Your Path to Becoming a Threat Hunter

In the course we’re offering, we’ll guide you through the ins and outs of threat hunting. We’ll start simple and gradually tackle more complex scenarios, all while giving you hands-on practice.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Lab Setup: We’ll help you get everything ready so you can dive right in.
• Level 1 (Easy): We’ll start with straightforward hunts to build your confidence.
• Level 2 and Beyond: Each level ramps up the challenge, honing your skills further.
• Data-Driven Threat Hunting: In the next lesson, we’ll explore how to use data effectively in your hunts.

Final Thoughts

Threat hunting is an exciting and valuable skill to add to your toolkit. It’s about being proactive, thinking like an adversary, and continuously learning. Whether you’re new to cybersecurity or a seasoned pro, there’s always more to discover.

So, are you ready to embark on this journey? Let’s dive in together and make our networks safer, one hunt at a time!