Who Does a Threat Intelligence Platform Protect?

When we think of an enterprise cyber-security system, often the discussion leans towards protecting firewalls, administrator access and the like. Insufficiently protected networks are <a href="https://www.anomali.com/blog/what-happens-to-your-data-without-cybersecurity">vulnerable to exploitation and abuse</a>. These discussions inevitably are often quite technical. Let’s not forget the reason for all of these measures - the people who use the network and rely on it.Small business owners may not be the target of a large scale targeted attack, although that is not unheard of. SMEs definitely all are at a great risk of being infected by bots and other garden variety viruses used for adware and to perpetuate a DDoS attack. At the very least businesses need assurance against expensive hacking incidents. Direct sums are lost via ransomware and productivity is halted when there is malware bogging down your system. There is also a <a href="http://smallbiztrends.com/2016/07/website-hacked-customer-data-exposed-liable.html" target="_blank">possibility of legal liability</a> if your network is used as a stepping stone to hack a vendor or customer.Bigger companies need protection from random malware infections as well as directed attacks like DDoS and web domain threats. Website outages can result in loss of income during the outage and contribute to losing repeat customers to the competition. Resolving a data breach requires both network security professionals, crisis communicators and possibly a legal team. These costs are estimated to be upwards of tens of thousands of dollars an hour depending on the size of the enterprise.Great historic publishing houses and indie musicians both have one thing in common, they cannot be successful if their works are leaked or pirated. Creators of intellectual property – creatives, their publishers, and even healthcare innovators have a large stake in keeping their work private. It is possible to investigate and litigate the theft of ideas, but it is preferable to stop others from copying your ideas, research, and creative works.Patients, students, and organizations which serve other vulnerable stakeholders rely on cyber-security. Patient privacy is important to protect both for the principle of privacy and the liability associated with addressing identity thefts following a personal data breach. In other situations, the stakes are higher such <a href="http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20160425/NEWS08/160429899/lawsuit-claims-workers-comp-insurers-hacked-into-injured-workers" target="_blank">as legal cases affected by hacking patient files</a>. Even high profile celebrity hacks make us private citizens feel less secure.We think of finance as the hottest target for data theft, but we must acknowledge there are other often-attacked markets. Retail, hospitality, e-commerce and other industries which collect data about individuals are tasked with protecting that data. Employees who work for these companies rely on consumer confidence for their livelihoods. Adoption of a threat intelligence platform is gaining popularity in these industries.The military needs threat intelligence to fight on the digital front. State sponsored hacking is running rampant in countries hostile to the West. Military secrets are at great risk of being compromised by enemy combatants, putting security in jeopardy. Leaking secrets, such as the recent DNC hack, is an example of an unwelcome outsider influence as well as an embarrassment to those responsible. The US government is leading a charge to encourage and standardize <a href="{page_2094}">sharing of salient details about suspicious or malicious traffic</a>.Individuals can adopt cyber-threat intelligence too. As people introduce more technology into our lives, the need for personal threat intelligence grows. More and more devices are relying on smart technologies. The Internet of Things is a catchall term for the traffic between devices, i.e. our home security systems, fitness-trackers, smart thermostats, etc. As these relatively new challenges are in flux, hackers are having a field day cracking locations and sabotaging devices.In summary, a threat intelligence platform can be useful to anyone who goes online. If you want answers to questions about who is threatening the sanctity of your network, what means are they using, and what are they after, intelligent cyber-security is in your best interest. If you’re still considering using a threat intelligence platform we must ask, “why not?” <a class="cta_button" cta_dest_link="{page_3457}" href="https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/ctas/v2/public/cs/c/?cta_guid=bfe9d714-b9a1-4733-8b89-44b169eb6a53&placement_guid=bd3e320b-6f5f-47ad-ae30-589597d266a4&portal_id=458120&redirect_url=APefjpHrstW6qJ1l5QYiZmA04nJCHWuiHL4sr4AnI5OW599xSB4SArZW2ZRWcseiMJE2bR1mzcJkKUrA_SjPokR56TaaSjjdRKbGvnbcYXT1fEHMzCMxYkQJNPRkx18RiB_ucerj8PLjo5NM1O67-yd47gGFrAZJqR1nyUwOQbdVIX1ydZAg5WelPvxfltmrWpQDiUcrQF2dEgxa3TrHadHDtojD_Iw6WzgAyuowFCEbOPlT4Q47ILK1-XqeSCT7dNE-Yi14BsNOx_WRVU80LHBmD6xtrubFtQH3w3XPpXA8-9vTdAqZgfcrF8bRCHaS1LLiSdJP2HWCKINvm1xnHiKXzwVFjZgi4A&hsutk=2767d93d6471d657e0c9f660e4b58ef8&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.anomali.com%2Fwho-does-a-threat-intelligence-platform-protect&canon=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.anomali.com%2Fwho-does-a-threat-intelligence-platform-protect&pageId=4344157176&__hstc=41179005.2767d93d6471d657e0c9f660e4b58ef8.1456736058655.1478822660171.1478831861868.179&__hssc=41179005.12.1478831861868&__hsfp=1335165674" id="cta_button_458120_bfe9d714-b9a1-4733-8b89-44b169eb6a53" style="margin: 20px auto;" target="_blank" title="Download Here"> Download Here </a> <script charset="utf-8" src="https://js.hscta.net/cta/current.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript">hbspt.cta.load(458120, 'bd3e320b-6f5f-47ad-ae30-589597d266a4', {});</script>