What is threat intelligence? Your guide to keeping your business safe
February 19, 2025 | By Christine Gibson
Cybercrime is becoming an unfortunate fact of life. In 2023, data breaches in the U.S. affected more than 353 million people, and ransomware attacks hit 73% of organizations worldwide. The global cost of cybercrime is now expected to top $15.6 trillion by 2029.
For businesses, the effects can be devastating. Last year, data breaches cost organizations an average of $4.88 million, a 10% increase over 2023. Harder to quantify, but potentially even more harmful, is the reputational damage. Businesses impacted by cyberattacks report considerable challenges in attracting new customers, according to a 2024 survey by Hiscox. In all, 43% of those businesses said they lost customers and 21% said they lost business partners.
1. the ability to learn or understand or to deal with new or trying situations
2. information concerning an enemy or possible enemy or an area
3. the act of understanding
As hackers’ methods grow increasingly sophisticated, even today’s advanced security measures may not be enough. Although cybercrime is as old as the internet, the post-pandemic e-commerce boom supercharged its development, and the growing accessibility of AI tools has made it easy to automate mass attacks.
Fortunately, a relatively new branch of cybersecurity, called threat intelligence, is evolving to counter emerging dangers before they cause damage. Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is threat intelligence?
Threat intelligence is the process of gathering and analyzing information online to predict and assess potential risks posed by people and groups hostile to an organization or its members. Threat intelligence professionals use these insights to help prevent potential attacks, such as data breaches, phishing scams and ransomware attacks. As they continuously review online activity, threat intelligence teams integrate evidence and context for a wide-angle view of an organization’s digital risks.
This process helps organizations make informed decisions about bolstering their security.
For example, to deter cyberattacks, threat intelligence teams continuously monitor underground forums and hacker chatter for signs of impending threats against a business. By analyzing patterns in discussions, malware developments and leaked credentials, experts can identify potential points of attack before they are exploited. If intelligence indicates that a ransomware group is targeting organizations in a specific industry, security teams can proactively strengthen defenses, patch vulnerabilities and implement threat-hunting measures to mitigate the risk before an attack occurs.
Why is threat intelligence important?
As digitization reshapes industries, criminal tactics are always evolving. But by searching for and identifying potential threats online before they materialize, threat intelligence teams help businesses proactively strengthen their defenses.
What sort of data is used in threat intelligence?
Threat intelligence uses a variety of data sources, ranging from signals that are publicly available on the internet to data from places that are more difficult to reach and often used by cyber threat actors. Threat intelligence experts can use that information to determine if a threat is valid and, if so, then figure out the best way to mitigate it.
What are the main types of threat intelligence?
The four primary types of threat intelligence are strategic, tactical, technical and operational. Each serves a distinct purpose and caters to different decision-making levels within an organization.
Operational threat intelligence focuses on the mechanics of specific campaigns, providing insight into an attacker’s motivation and capabilities.
Strategic threat intelligence teams take a broader view, offering a holistic understanding of the larger landscape through long-term trend analysis and ongoing observation of macro-level dynamics, including geopolitical conditions and industry shifts, that could contribute to future strikes.
Technical threat intelligence zeroes in on the inner workings of an intrusion, such as the hackers’ access routes, malware signatures and IP addresses, to forecast the potential impacts on systems.
And tactical threat intelligence teams keep tabs on criminals’ shifting techniques and procedures, helping organizations stay a step ahead.
How are AI and machine learning used in threat intelligence?
Artificial intelligence and machine learning systems are increasingly used in threat intelligence to automate the collection and analysis of massive volumes of information online, speeding response times and reducing cost.
Machine learning models can categorize data, translate foreign-language text and discern subtle patterns in historical information to anticipate future attacks. To help human analysts prioritize threats, AI systems analyze incoming evidence, reducing the time analysts spend on false positives.
What are threat intelligence platforms?
Threat intelligence platforms house the analysis, trend research and findings that were developed after reviewing and analyzing information from that variety of online data sources. Customers then use these software systems to receive relevant alerts and assess potential threats in real-time across the internet and in the real world.
In addition to creating prioritized and contextual alerts for human analysts, threat intelligence platforms funnel intelligence to security tools such as firewalls and intrusion detection and prevention systems, enhancing their ability to block malicious activity.
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