Intelligence and Security Challenges
In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, the revelation of leaked credentials on criminal marketplaces or newly disclosed vulnerabilities often precedes effective defensive measures by security teams. Cyber attackers are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to expedite the transition from exposure to breach, outpacing conventional security protocols.
While threat intelligence remains the primary alert for defenders, the real challenge arises post-alert. The initial signal, such as a credential appearing in a feed, underscores the importance of intelligence. However, the real concern is the subsequent response to these alerts.
The Accumulation of Risks
Within numerous organizations, valuable threat indicators often linger in queues, awaiting evaluation by personnel with the necessary offensive skills to assess their exploitability. This delay, rather than a lack of intelligence, results in an accumulation of risk.
Both security teams and threat intelligence providers like Recorded Future acknowledge this predicament. Despite a wealth of threat data, the capacity to test these indicators in real-time environments remains constrained by time and specialized expertise, highlighting a significant backlog issue.
From Possibility to Verification
This scenario underscores the importance of threat-led penetration testing (TLPT) beyond regulated sectors. TLPT prioritizes testing current intelligence, such as a specific leaked credential or vulnerability, over static backlogs. By focusing directly on actionable intelligence, TLPT provides concrete evidence regarding the exploitability of credentials in specific environments.
This approach aligns with the priorities of many security teams, who seek to maximize their testing capabilities by focusing on verifiable threats rather than hypothetical scenarios.
Implementing Practical Solutions
Pentera’s collaboration with Recorded Future exemplifies this strategic shift. Their integration allows threat signals, whether from Recorded Future, Pentera, or other sources, to trigger automated validation against an organization’s attack surface. The system prioritizes actionable threats, distinguishing which credentials are exploit-ready rather than treating all as equally critical.
Joseph Gothelf, Vice President of Cybersecurity at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, highlights the significance of this strategy: ‘Combining threat intelligence with security validation marks a pivotal shift in our security approach. Beyond knowing potential threats, testing them in real-time within our environment is crucial for resilience in the AI era.’
Despite Recorded Future’s comprehensive feed of leaked credentials, determining their current applicability to specific environments remains a challenge for many security programs. Addressing this verification gap should be a priority over acquiring additional intelligence feeds. Join the ‘Threat Intel’ Just Got Teeth, TLPT Goes Live’ webinar on September 29 to delve deeper into this topic.
This article has been expertly contributed by Doron Naim, VP Strategic Alliances at Pentera. Follow us on Google News, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more exclusive content.
