Threat Library

What Is a Threat Library?

A threat library is a central repository for threat intelligence, including information about known threats, vulnerabilities, and attack methods, as well as predefined security patterns and templates for creating threat models. A well-built threat library serves as a knowledge base for security teams, providing the essential data and context to respond to security threats quickly and effectively. As an organization’s single source of truth for threat information, threat libraries help security teams collaborate and align quickly on threat mitigation and management. 

Most threat libraries typically contain: 

• Threat actor profiles: Detailed information about known threat actors, including their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). Can include profiles of malware families and identifiers.
• Vulnerability information: Information on known software vulnerabilities, often referred to with CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifiers. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) maintains the authoritative catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities.
• Indicators of Compromise (IOCs): Compilation of identifiers associated with malicious activity, such as IP addresses, domain names, URLs, email addresses, file hashes of known malware, and command and control (C2) servers.  
• Attack techniques: Descriptions of tactics and methods, such as injection attacks or social engineering. Often mapped to a cybersecurity intelligence framework such as NIST CSF or MITRE ATT&CK. 
• Other threat intelligence: Can include an organization’s historical data, contextual intelligence such as business- or industry-specific information, and trends in cyber threats and emerging risks (often via commercial threat intelligence feeds) to summarize a threat landscape.

Why Is It Important?

A threat library is an indispensable resource for security teams and their stakeholders. In the general context of cybersecurity, a threat library helps strengthen an organization’s security posture by expediting access to critical information on threats and attackers. In keeping a wide variety of critical information accessible and up to date, a threat library enables security teams to make more informed decisions about risk prioritization, resource allocation, and compliance.

The lack of a robust threat library can expose organizations to severe first- and second-order consequences, with a compromised security posture leading to higher remediation costs and a loss of trust among customers. Inadequate threat intelligence impedes compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards. 

What Are Some Key Considerations?

A well-managed threat library is invaluable, offering many benefits for security teams and practitioners beyond a centralized knowledge base.

• Improved threat detection: Cataloging threats and their characteristics enables security teams to find and identify threats more quickly. 
• Enhanced incident response: Security stakeholders can use threat libraries to prioritize alerts based on the severity and relevance of threats. Access to a catalog of predetermined security patterns expedites incident responses and mitigation.
• Proactive security posture and threat hunting: Up-to-date threat intelligence helps security teams actively seek out threats, anticipate attacks, and pre-empt vulnerabilities.
• Compliance and auditing support: Threat libraries facilitate compliance with detailed records of threat management practices and changes to security policies.
• Integration with security tools: When combined with tools such as firewalls and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, threat libraries can help enable automated threat detection and response workflows. 
• Continuous updates: Threat libraries regularly update their records to reflect new information and changes in compliance requirements, ensuring the latest threat intelligence is always accessible. 

How Are Threat Libraries Related to Threat Modeling?

Threat libraries serve as a knowledge base for threat modeling, enabling organizations to check for known risks and threats in their current or future apps and proactively prevent security risks from being introduced during development. Because threat libraries are routinely updated, threat modeling practices can better keep up with continuously changing threat landscapes. 

Closing

The ThreatModeler Intelligence Platform includes expansive threat libraries that are routinely updated with the latest known threats. New threat model templates are also added based on frequently used application and system components. With these built-in features, organizations can continuously assess their apps against new and evolving risks.