Technology is growing so fast, and so are the threats present in the cybersecurity realm. Cybersecurity attacks are sophisticated and malicious; spotting the ones that qualify as threats can be a great challenge. Hence the need for a threat intelligence platform. It offers a firm a comprehensive and well-analyzed data about recent, current and possible attacks that could pose a security threat. All this data is based on verified evidence, and for it to have any value to the firm, it has to be presented in an understandable format and transformed into a positive action. Such an action is going to minimize the risk as well as prevent such an occurrence from happening. It is highly advised that an organization adopts the latest technology in security practices to protect their information from being compromised, stolen or hijacked. How do you know the right resource to turn to? Businesses have two options: feeds or APIs.

Threat Intelligence Feeds

These are continuous streams of threat information based on an organization’s feed requirements. They come from the latest and potential cybersecurity threats that take place globally. It can be easily termed as a collection of intelligence that has been gathered from a threat intelligence source. Mostly, feeds are free and depend on open source intelligence. If you chose one appropriately, it can offer great insight into the security threats. Before going for a threat intelligence feed, an organization must be aware of its feed requirements. Will such data aid the firm with vital knowledge to create a long-term knowledge base? Receiving feeds and lacking the capability of managing the feeds is wastage of resources. That is why a firm needs to consider this when they are going for a threat intelligence feed.

Application Programming Interface (API) for Threat Intelligence

APIs have an assumption that there is a threat detection system somewhere. They make an inquiry on a cloud-hosted service to check out the threat intelligence present. For instance, when you are browsing on the internet, the threat intelligence API can check if an internet site has some malicious data or any other cyber threat. It does this via analyzing the data that it already possesses, and this is of the recently updated data.

What to Look For in a Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform

Well, you get all the data in real time, which presents a clear and concise picture of the active and ongoing security threats. Latest threat intelligence platforms can accumulate data from a variety of sources. Also, with the advancement in technology and the emergence of new algorithms and analytical techniques, they can sift through data and present findings fast and accurately. How detailed is the threat analysis? Are they updated on a regular basis? It would be best if you asked yourself such inquiries before settling on one.

Before you settle on a platform, other than the factors discussed above, you need to consider the volume and privacy needs. When you use an API, your expenses vary according to use, but with a threat intelligence feed, you incur a monthly fixed cost. The ultimate choice depends on the urgency and security needs of your firm.