Summary

In this chapter, we explored the various aspects of the complex and ever-evolving world of cyber threats. We began by discussing the different threat intelligence levels, which help organizations understand and categorize the types of information available for protecting their assets. This includes strategic, operational, tactical, and technical intelligence, each serving a unique purpose in the overall cybersecurity posture.

Next, we delved into the main types of threat actors and their motivations. By understanding their objectives and tactics, organizations can better prepare themselves to counter potential attacks.

Then, we presented some use cases that highlighted the importance of comprehending the cyber threat landscape and demonstrated how organizations can leverage this knowledge to proactively identify vulnerabilities, prioritize risks, and develop effective countermeasures.

Lastly, we outlined the process of building a cyber threat landscape, which involves defining the scope, identifying threat actors, gathering intelligence, analyzing threats and vulnerabilities, and prioritizing risks.

This systematic approach allows organizations to stay informed about the latest threats and ensure that their security measures remain effective in the face of ever-changing cyber risks of modern sophisticated attacks, especially those targeting Windows systems.

In the next chapter, we will cover various aspects of the cyber attack life cycle that align with our sophisticated attack kill chain, including gaining an initial foothold, network propagation and data exfiltration, and the impact from the threat actor’s perspective. We will also explain how to leverage operational, tactical, and technical threat intelligence in preparing for the emerging cyber threat landscape and developing the most productive and sustainable incident response process.