Emerging threats
The risk trade-offs of automated threat intelligence
Considering investing in an automated threat intelligence service? Here's everything you need to consider.
If you’re considering an automated threat intelligence service, it’s important to first weigh up the benefits and limitations against the level of security your business needs.
Automated services are fast and convenient, providing continuous live monitoring and flagging of known vulnerabilities, which is a great starting point to understand your baseline security posture.
Of course, any automation of human analysis comes with limitations, and the short answer is that automated testing can’t capture the full landscape of risks that could realistically impact your business. Ultimately, automated tools can’t anticipate attacks or interpret complex or emerging threats, which limits its overall use for effective risk management.
Human-led threat intelligence supports strategic risk management by providing a contextual understanding of your unique threat landscape. Unlike automated tools that are only able to surface raw data, human-led analysis examines content, behaviours and infrastructure, capturing not only what is exposed, but also how threat trends are connected and evolving. This approach adds true value by translating threat actor behaviours into actionable insights, allowing you to make informed risk-based decisions.
While some suppliers of automated solutions market their offerings with a ‘human element’, it’s often limited to validating scan results or providing basic guidance, rather than a comprehensive assessment.
The distinctions in cost and value become clearer when you look at the specific capabilities each approach offers – so we’ve summarised it for you in this handy comparison table:
Automated vs human-led threat intelligence comparison
|
Automated Threat Intelligence | Human-led (tech-enhanced) Threat Intelligence |
Detects known vulnerabilities | ✓ | ✓ |
Detects exposed or leaked credentials | ✓ | ✓ |
Detects network ports & SSL certificates to identify potential phishing attempts | ✓ | ✓ |
Continuous, real-time monitoring of known threats using automation tools | ✓ | ✓ |
Data gathering at scale using automation tools | ✓ | ✓ |
Proactive threat monitoring | ✗ | ✓ |
Identifies complex and emerging threats | ✗ | ✓ |
Simulation of real-world attack scenarios | ✗ | ✓ |
Social engineering testing | ✗ | ✓ |
Contextual analysis of identified behaviours and risks | ✗ | ✓ |
Advanced, in-depth reporting | ✗ | ✓ |
Actionable and prioritised remediation advice | ✗ | ✓ |
While automated threat intelligence can provide a solid baseline through continuous monitoring and rapid data collection, it has inherent limitations in providing insight into your organisation’s full threat landscape and anticipating complex or emerging risks. You might risk cutting corners in your security strategy.
At PGI, we specialise in human-led, tech-enhanced threat intelligence that supports an informed risk management strategy. Get in touch with us today to find out how we can help your organisation.
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