Cybercrime is on the rise and becoming ever more sophisticated. Organisations need to stay ahead of potential threats by investing smartly in cyber security, or risk becoming victims of unexpected attacks from clever criminals. 

Outcomex and Cisco are at the forefront of digital security, always innovating to protect against the latest dangers in cyber threats. As technology evolves, so do methods for safeguarding organisations from malicious attacks.

Threat hunting

Cisco’s method of threat hunting was created to enhance cyber security and become more proactive rather than reactive. A process where “security experts actively look for and root out cyber threats that have secretly penetrated their computer network”. 

Threat hunting is an effective tool to reduce the time from intrusion to discovery and reduce the amount of damage done by attackers. Cyber threat hunters are typically highly skilled and experienced professionals who help companies identify threats through regular monitoring, and resolve them before they develop into larger issues. 

There are, however, some limitations to threat hunting as some organisations hesitate to adopt such a process. Some of these reasons are lack of resources and capabilities, or even the lack of adequate threat intelligence, which is the absolute key to proper threat hunting. While organisations may be apprehensive towards a new model due to its complexity and unfamiliarity, threat hunting has been designed to help combat newer and more complex forms of emerging cyber threats.

The modern hacker

The cyber-security landscape has changed drastically over the years. As technologies evolved, so have cyberattack methods. Some of the most common types of attacks in the recent years are malware attacks, DDoS, phishing, identity-based attacks, and even IoT-based attacks. However, one of the most interesting types of modern cyber threats is the use of AI and ML.

AI has shown to have a monumental impact on all industries and alleviated the work of many organisations, including finance, healthcare, criminal justice, transportation, and so much more. Despite having its many benefits, it can be used for malicious intent. Such facilities have made it easier for hackers to infiltrate systems in a subtle manner and detect any vulnerabilities.

A recent case of AI being used in a cyberattack involves hackers utilising ChatGPT.  It is an AI tool that automates tasks done by humans, such as writing essays, emails, or even poems. Hackers, however, have different uses for ChatGPT, like using it for fraud, social engineering and disinformation. It has been used for phishing emails that look incredibly realistic, leaving users unable to differentiate between genuine and phishing. According to the Financial Review, phishing attacks have a large success rate and approximately 90% of cyber attacks stem from them. There are concerns that ChatGPT has also been utilised to develop malware. The program, however, is limited to its ability to mimic natural human language, and also for coding.  

Although threat hunting has been designed to tackle more modern cyber security issues, such as AI driven attacks, the effectiveness of it is still uncertain due to the level of complexity and the sophisticated nature of these attacks. Ideally, organisations should take a hybrid/multi-level approach to counteracting AI driven cyberattacks as they are less detectable and an easy way to infiltrate systems, whether it be through phishing emails or well-developed malware. 

“With the continued rise and innovation in attack methods, threat hunting and the use of automation within an organisation’s environment is imperative to maintain the upper hand” says Mark Spencer, National Security Business Manager at Outcomex.

Threat hunting is one of the latest and most innovative methods of detecting cyber attacks as it enables users to catch a threat before it gains control over a system. However, there are some less complex methods that organisations can implement to ensure their systems remain secure at all times. 

Planet Compliance states that some of the most simple yet effective ways to keep your organisation secure in this new era of cyber threats are maintaining and updating software, performing regular backups, regular security audits, investing in a good quality domain hosting provider for guidance, and also educating employees on simply cyber-security practices, such as detecting phishing emails or using strong passwords.

Cyber attacks have become much more sophisticated and harder to detect. It is has become inevitably and increasingly difficult for organisations to combat cyber threats as they continue to develop and become more complex. 

Outcomex can help strengthen your security posture by providing a full-scale evaluation of your security processes, systems and infrastructure, and identify possibly vulnerabilities and areas of weakness. Contact our team about our end-to-end security assessment service.