How Federal Agencies Can Dismantle Threat Actors Through Actionable Intelligence

To be used effectively for cybersecurity, intelligence data must be reliable, complete, up-to-date and transparent. With a constantly evolving cyber landscape, federal agencies face challenges with piecing together this data, which is compounded by the sheer volume of it coming from various disparate sources. Yet, a combination of urgent and time-sensitive, manual processes and disconnected data sources often result in fragmented and incomplete intelligence, hindering agencies' ability to detect and respond to emerging threats. 

The White House recently released the National Cybersecurity Strategy Implementation Plan (NCSIP) as a comprehensive approach to improving cyber readiness in the U.S. It calls for a fundamental shift in how resources and responsibilities are allocated, emphasizing the importance of increased collaboration between the public and private sectors.

NCSIP provides a robust blueprint for successful cybersecurity programs. In particular, Pillar 2 establishes a proactive stance toward identifying, disrupting and deterring cyber adversaries.

Neutralizing threat actors

Pillar 2 outlines a strategic defensive approach to cybersecurity, targeting malicious actors before they can cause significant damage. It highlights a proactive security strategy, emphasizing the need to disrupt and dismantle the networks of cybercriminals, nation-state actors and other malicious entities. 

It also accentuates the critical role of collaboration among different sectors and international partners. With a culture of cooperation, shared knowledge and collective action, a united front can be formed against cyber threats. However, this requires eliminating bureaucratic and technical hurdles to help reduce the barriers to intelligence sharing. With streamlined data sharing and utilization, it is easier to understand, anticipate and counteract threat actors.

A comprehensive approach to cyber readiness requires coordination between intelligence, law enforcement, diplomacy and the various elements of national power. The goal is clear: working together will create a hostile environment for cyber adversaries, curtailing their operations and mitigating the risks they pose.

The Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DoJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are critical in this initiative. Under Pillar 2, they share key objectives such as developing new technologies and tools to detect and mitigate cyber threats, accelerating intelligence sharing, revamping cyber strategies and drafting supportive legislation.

Challenges to implementation

NCSIP Pillar 2 stresses the importance and the strategic foresight that federal agencies need to transition from a reactive to a proactive cybersecurity stance. At the same time, agencies may find their implementation efforts made more difficult while dealing with challenges such as: 

• Information silos: Overcoming the hurdles posed by information silos that impede the seamless flow and sharing of critical intelligence vital for the timely neutralization of threats.

• Evolving threat tactics: Staying ahead of the constantly evolving tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) employed by cyber adversaries necessitates a dynamic and adaptive approach.

• Resource allocation: Ensuring resources are available and distributed optimally for the technological, operational and legal fronts to achieve the objectives of this pillar efficiently.

Cybersixgill: Bridging the intelligence gap and breaking down information silos

With a proactive approach to cyber challenges, Cybersixgill goes beyond traditional reactive measures for federal agencies by providing actionable intelligence the moment it surfaces, particularly from the underbelly of the cyber realm—the deep and dark web. Cybersixgill’s proactive approach includes: 

Early detection and deterrence:

• Real-time, comprehensive and context-rich Threat Intelligence analysis from Cybersixgill makes it easier for people and teams to access important data exclusively available in shrouded areas of the web.

• Detection of anomalies, suspicious activities and Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) that could signal a potential attack.

• Detailed information on the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) utilized by threat actors.

Threat actor profiling:

• Over 7 million detailed threat actor profiles across the dark web to help understand how cybercriminals work.

• Advanced threat hunting capabilities, maintaining a covert presence in cybercriminal hubs of activity, including encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram.

Integrations and API features:

• Cybersixgill offers API & feeds for direct programmatic machine-to-machine access to threat intelligence data

• Cybersixgill helps break down traditional information silos by improving visibility across teams with out-of-the-box integrations. For example, a fraud team looking into leaked credit cards and IT staff looking for other threat data can all get the specific information they need from the collected data and intelligence.

• The wide range of data collection and organization makes Cybersixgill valuable in many areas—whether it’s Security Operations Centers (SOC), Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), Vulnerability Management (VM), Incident Response (IR), fraud, investigations, malware analysis, or threat hunting. This shows the flexibility and the broad visibility Cybersixgill provides into the hidden parts of the deep and dark web.

Cybersixgill continuously collects and exposes potential threats across the deep and dark web at the earliest indication of risk, offering a proactive solution in a predominantly reactive industry. By doing so, it amplifies the goals outlined in Pillar 2 of the NCSIP, aiding federal agencies in neutralizing threat actors effectively and efficiently.

The road ahead

The NCSIP is the latest guidance for federal agencies seeking to disrupt and dismantle threat actors. Cybersixgill can help agencies navigate these efforts with an extensive body of threat intelligence data that can be extracted, processed, analyzed and consumed in real time. This type of collaboration between private sector partners and federal agencies will be essential to helping agencies succeed in combatting ransomware and cybercrime while reducing risk from attacks. 

Cybersixgill can empower agencies like yours, ensuring a fortified, resilient digital future. Discover the transformative potential of Cybersixgill for your agency. Explore more at www.cybersixgill.com.