A cybersecurity team using threat intelligence, analytical tools, and experience to search for a potential breach or attack, even before any clear signs of the attack are evident.
What is threat hunting?
Threat hunting is an important aspect of cybersecurity that involves searching for and identifying potential security threats within an organization’s network.
This process is critical for identifying and mitigating security breaches before they can cause significant damage to an organization.
Understanding threat hunting
It’s important to understand that threat hunting is not the same as traditional security monitoring. Security monitoring typically involves using automated tools to detect known threats and respond to them.
Threat hunting involves actively searching for unknown or previously undetected threats. This proactive approach is critical for identifying new and emerging threats that may not have been seen before, and for mitigating them before they can cause significant damage.
The components of API threat hunting:
Data analysis - One of the key techniques used in threat hunting is data analysis. Analyzing large amounts of data from various sources can help security teams identify patterns that may indicate a potential threat. This includes analyzing network traffic to detect unusual patterns of communication, or analyzing log files to identify suspicious activity.
Behavioral analysis - Another important technique used in threat hunting is behavioral analysis. This involves analyzing the behavior of users and devices on a network to identify any suspicious or anomalous activity. For example, if a user’s behavior suddenly changes, it may indicate that the user’s account has been compromised.
SIEM - One of the most important tools used in threat hunting is a security information and event management (SIEM) system. A SIEM system is a centralized platform that collects, analyzes, and correlates security-related data from different sources.
A SIEM system can be used to identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a potential threat, and to generate alerts that can be used to respond to the threat.
Threat intelligence - Another important tool used in threat hunting is threat intelligence. Threat intelligence is information that is used to identify and understand potential security threats. This includes information about known malware and known attack methods that can be used to identify and prevent potential threats.
Staying up to date with threats - It is important to stay up to date with the latest threats and attacks. Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, and organizations need to be able to adapt and respond to new and emerging threats. This requires regular monitoring of threat intelligence feeds, participating in threat hunting communities, and staying informed of the latest developments in cybersecurity.
Threat hunting is a critical aspect of cybersecurity that involves proactively searching for and identifying potential security threats within an organization’s network. Using data analysis, behavioral analysis, and other tools, organizations can effectively stop threats.
Specialized API security tools
There are specialized tools and platforms that are specifically designed for threat hunting. These include endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools, which detect and respond to threats on individual devices, and network detection and response (NDR) tools, which are used for network threats.
In addition to the tools and techniques mentioned, there are a number of best practices that should be used to improve the effectiveness of threat hunting. These include:
- Regularly reviewing and updating security protocols and procedures
- Conducting regular security assessments and penetration testing
- Providing security awareness training for all employees
- Establishing incident response protocols and procedures
Threat hunting is a critical part of cybersecurity that helps identify potential security breaches before they cause an issue.
Threat hunting resource requirements
Threat hunting is not easy and requires skill and experience. You must have a good understanding of the organization’s systems and networks to be able to identify potential threats. It is important to invest in tools, tech, and resources to support a threat hunting program.
Collaboration and communication
Threat hunting requires coordination across different teams and departments in an organization. The security team will need to work closely with IT, network, and system teams to identify potential threats.
It is important to have a clear incident response plan. In the event of a security breach, it is essential to be able to respond quickly and effectively to contain any damage. This requires a clear understanding of the organization’s incident response protocols, as well as the responsibilities of different teams.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Mitigating API risk involves the implementation of security measures, like strong authentication and authorization, input validation, encryption for data in transit and at rest, rate limiting, and vulnerability assessments.
API security involves measures to protect APIs against attacks. This includes the use of SSL/TLS for data encryption during transit, the use of API keys or tokens for authentication, and input validation to prevent attacks like SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS).
API testing is a process that involves checking the functionality, reliability, performance, and security of APIs. This includes ensuring that the API behaves correctly under different conditions.
API risk and API threat are closely related, but refer to different concepts. API risk is the potential harm that could occur due to vulnerabilities or flaws in the API. API threat refers to malicious activities that could exploit these vulnerabilities.
Common API threats include unauthorized access, data leakage, injection attacks, and denial-of-service attacks. These threats often exploit vulnerabilities in API security, like weak authentication, inadequate input validation, or poor encryption.
API vulnerability refers to weaknesses or flaws in an API that could be exploited by a threat actor. Vulnerabilities can arise from various factors, including poor coding, poor security measures, or mistakes in the design of the API.
Threat hunting involves collection and analysis of data from various sources to identify potential threats. This is followed by the creation of a hypothesis based on identified indicators of a potential threat. Next, the hypothesis is tested using analytical tools. Any threats found are corrected, and the findings are used to improve existing security measures.
API security provides numerous benefits, including protection against data breaches and unauthorized access, maintaining the integrity and reliability of APIs, and ensuring regulatory compliance. It also enables businesses to provide secure, high-performing services to their clients.
API security is important because APIs have access to sensitive data and therefore are often targeted by cybercriminals. Poor API security can lead to significant data breaches, which can have devastating financial consequences.
To protect an API from being hacked, implement strong authentication protocols, use robust encryption methods, and regularly scan and audit APIs for vulnerabilities.
API security best practices include regular auditing and scanning of APIs, employing strong authentication and authorization controls, using robust encryption for data transmission, limiting data exposure, and an incident response strategy.
Common vulnerabilities in API security are insufficient authentication and authorization, poor encryption, overexposed endpoints that leak sensitive information, broken access controls, and inadequate rate limiting, which could lead to a denial-of-service attack.
Top API security issues include unauthorized access, data breaches due to insufficient encryption, misuse of APIs leading to denial-of-service attacks, and vulnerabilities.
Why customers choose Akamai
Akamai powers and protects life online. Leading companies worldwide choose Akamai to build, deliver, and secure their digital experiences — helping billions of people live, work, and play every day. Akamai Connected Cloud, a massively distributed edge and cloud platform, puts apps and experiences closer to users and keeps threats farther away.