CTI FUNDAMENTALS

Introduction to CTI

Discover the fundamentals of Cyber Threat Intelligence, its lifecycle, its concrete benefits and how it transforms modern cybersecurity.

CollectionAnalysisDistributionAction

Types of CTI

Understanding CTI

What is Cyber Threat Intelligence?

Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is the collection, analysis, and interpretation of information about current or potential threats targeting an organization's information systems. Its objective is to better understand adversaries, their capabilities, their motivations, their attack methods, and their potential targets, in order to prevent, detect, and effectively respond to cyberattacks.

The objective of CTI

Its objective is to better understand adversaries, their capabilities, their motivations, their attack methods and their potential targets, in order to prevent, detect and respond effectively to cyberattacks.

Identify threats before they strike

Understand attacker tactics

Prioritize defenses based on context

Make data-driven decisions

CTI vs Traditional Security

Traditional Security

Reactive • Isolated • Generic

With CTI

Proactive • Collaborative • Contextualized

Key benefits

Why adopt Threat Intelligence?

CTI transforms security posture with measurable and concrete benefits.

Enhanced Detection

Earlier and more accurate threat detection through enriched and contextualized IOCs

Key metrics

40% reduction in detection time

60% increase in precision

False Positive Reduction

Enriched context for better alert prioritization and filtering

Key metrics

50% fewer false positives

Significant analyst time savings

Proactive Response

Anticipate threats before they materialize through predictive intelligence

Key metrics

70% attack prevention

45% MTTR reduction

Informed Decisions

Factual data for strategic security and budget decisions

Key metrics

35% increase in security ROI

Simplified budget justification

Improved Collaboration

Intelligence sharing between teams and organizations for collective defense

Key metrics

Breaking down silos

Knowledge sharing

Enhanced Compliance

Better threat traceability and documentation for audits and regulations

Key metrics

GDPR/NIS2 compliance

Documented evidence

The CTI cycle

The 4 phases of intelligence

A structured process to transform raw data into actionable intelligence.

Phase 1

Data Collection

Gathering threat information from various sources

Collection is the initial phase where raw data is gathered from internal sources (logs, SIEM) and external sources (commercial feeds, OSINT, community sharing).

Activités principales

External data feeds

IOCs and TTPs

Security reports

Honeypots and sandboxes

Phase 2

Analysis and Correlation

Processing and analyzing data to identify patterns

Analysis transforms raw data into actionable intelligence through correlation techniques, contextual enrichment and pattern identification.

Activités principales

Behavioral analysis

Event correlation

Attack attribution

Risk assessment

Phase 3

Distribution

Sharing actionable intelligence with stakeholders

Distribution ensures that the right information reaches the right people at the right time, in a format adapted to their level of responsibility.

Activités principales

Intelligence reports

Real-time alerts

Executive briefings

Automated IOCs

Phase 4

Action

Implementing defensive measures based on intelligence

Action translates intelligence into concrete security measures: automated blocking, configuration adjustments, training and continuous defense improvement.

Activités principales

IOC blocking

Signature updates

Control hardening

Team training

Essential terminology

Key CTI Concepts

Master the fundamental vocabulary of cyber threat intelligence.

Indicators of Compromise (IOCs)

Forensic evidence of potential intrusion on a system, such as file hashes, IP addresses, or malicious domains.

Examples

MD5/SHA256 hashes of malware

C&C IP addresses

Malicious domains

Windows registry artifacts

💡 Foundation of automated technical detection

Tactics, Techniques, Procedures (TTPs)

Behaviors and methods used by attackers, often referenced in the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

Examples

Spear phishing (T1566)

Credential dumping (T1003)

Lateral movement (TA0008)

Data exfiltration (TA0010)

💡 Understanding adversary operational modes

Threat Actors

Individuals or groups responsible for malicious activities, categorized by motivation, capability and origin.

Examples

APT28 (Fancy Bear)

Lazarus Group

Ransomware gangs

Hacktivists

💡 Attribution and anticipation of targeted threats

Attribution

Process of identifying the origin of an attack, based on TTP analysis and other evidence.

Examples

Linguistic analysis

Infrastructure TTPs

Malware tools

Geolocation

💡 Strategic decisions and proportionate response

Diamond Model

Analysis model linking adversary, infrastructure, victim and capabilities to understand intrusions.

Examples

Adversary (who)

Victim (target)

Infrastructure (how)

Capability (what)

💡 Structured analysis framework

Kill Chain

7-phase model describing the stages of a cyberattack from reconnaissance to exfiltration.

Examples

Reconnaissance

Weaponization

Delivery

Exploitation

Installation

Actions

💡 Identifying defensive intervention points

Information sources

Where does CTI data come from?

A combination of internal and external sources for complete intelligence.

Internal Sources

Security logs and SIEM events

Historical and real-time data

Security incident reports

Post-mortems and forensics

Vulnerability analysis

Regular scans and audits

Network monitoring data

Traffic and behaviors

External Sources

Commercial threat feeds

Recorded Future, ThreatConnect

Sharing communities (ISACs)

Sectoral and regional

Public security reports

Vendors, CERTs, researchers

Open sources (OSINT)

Dark web, forums, social media

Getting started with CTI

Launch your Threat Intelligence program by following these key steps.

Recommended steps

1
Define your intelligence needs
What threats? What objectives?
2
Identify data sources
Internal and external
3
Choose tools and platforms
MISP, OpenCTI, commercial solutions
4
Train your team
Analysts, SOC, decision-makers
5
Establish processes
Collection, analysis, distribution, action

Recommended resources

MITRE ATT&CK Framework

TTP knowledge base

CTI Platforms

MISP, OpenCTI, TheHive

Data feeds

AlienVault OTX, Abuse.ch

Communities

ISACs, specialized forums

Training

SANS, OffSec, certifications

Ready to dive deeper?

Continue your CTI learning

Explore the different types of CTI and discover how to apply them practically.

Discover types of CTI See practical cases