A reactive approach to cybersecurity is no longer sufficient these days. Businesses that fail to prioritise proactive measures often find themselves in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – suffering from ransomware attacks or large-scale data breaches that leave devastating consequences in their wake.

This is where cyber threat hunting comes into play. Unlike traditional cybersecurity services that wait for alerts or signs of compromise, threat hunting is a proactive strategy. It involves continuously scouring an organisation’s environment to uncover potential threats that automated defences may have missed and identify vulnerabilities or attackers lying undetected within the network.

In this article, we’ll explore the core principles of threat hunting, examine commonly used methodologies, and discuss the different types of threat hunting that organisations can leverage to stay ahead of potential attackers.

Cyber threat hunting: What it is and why it matters

At its core, cyber threat hunting is the process of proactively seeking out threats that evade conventional security measures. It’s about uncovering malicious activity that has already infiltrated a network – whether through sophisticated malware, insider threats, or advanced persistent threats (APTs). The goal is to dig deeper than automated tools can reach, exposing hidden dangers before they escalate into full-blown incidents.

Consider this alarming statistic: according to the Cost of a Data Breach Report published by IBM, it takes 194 days on average before a data breach is detected. During that time, attackers have ample opportunity to steal sensitive data, compromise credentials, and entrench themselves further into an organisation’s systems. Once inside, many companies lack the advanced detection capabilities necessary to root out these persistent threats.

That’s why threat hunting is a vital part of any modern cybersecurity strategy. While security tools and vigilant analysts in a Security Operations Center can catch most threats, some sophisticated adversaries are skilled enough to slip through them undetected. Threat hunting bridges this gap by enabling security teams to actively search for and neutralise these hidden dangers.

By adopting a threat-hunting mindset, organisations can:

• Strengthen their defences against ransomware, insider threats, and other cyberattacks.

• Identify and respond to intrusions more rapidly, minimising potential damage. 

• Reduce dwell time (the period attackers remain undetected within the network), which is critical for mitigating the impact of a breach. 

Threat hunting not only bolsters a company’s overall security posture but also provides a powerful layer of resilience against the ever-evolving tactics of cybercriminals.

How threat hunting works

Threat hunting begins with a hypothesis – a well-informed assumption about the potential threats that could exist within an organisation’s environment and how to uncover them. These hypotheses guide the hunt, enabling cybersecurity professionals to search strategically for hidden dangers that may have bypassed automated defences.

The people behind this process, known as threat hunters, are highly skilled security analysts who are either in-house professionals familiar with the organisation’s operations or external experts. They leverage a combination of tools, threat intelligence, and creativity to connect the dots and detect elusive threats. Security automation plays a key role in their work, helping sift through large datasets while hunters leverage their intuition and deep understanding of cyberattack patterns to identify anomalies.

Threat hunting programmes are rooted in data, specifically the information collected by an organisation’s threat detection systems, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing tools or VAPT in Singapore. During the hunt, analysts meticulously analyse this data, searching for malware, stealth attackers, or any signs of suspicious activity that automated systems might have overlooked.

When a threat is identified, a swift response then follows and involves eradicating the threat, investigating its origins, and fortifying defences to prevent a recurrence. This iterative process strengthens an organisation’s overall resilience, turning threat hunting into a critical pillar of proactive cybersecurity.

Main types of threat hunting

Threat hunting typically falls into three main categories:

• Situational/entity-driven hunting

A situational hunt is a response to a business’s specific circumstances, often guided by internal risk assessments or vulnerability analyses. It focuses on identifying threats unique to their environment.

Meanwhile, an entity-driven hunt focuses on vital assets or systems within the network. Hunters search for potential threats that could jeopardise these high-value entities and look for indications of ongoing compromise.

• Structured hunting

Structured hunts follow formal methodologies, such as the MITRE ATT&CK framework, which maps adversary tactics and techniques. This method systematically identifies indicators of attack (IoA) and uses known threat patterns to guide investigations.

• Unstructured hunting

Unstructured hunting is more reactive, often triggered by the discovery of an indicator of compromise (IoC) in the network. Hunters investigate the cause of the IoC, determine its impact, and assess whether the threat remains active in the environment.

An overview of established threat hunting methodologies

Threat hunting methodologies can be grouped into three main approaches:

1. Investigation-based hunting

This method involves manually combing through data to uncover hidden malicious activity missed by automated systems. It heavily relies on the threat hunters’ expertise to anticipate possible threats.

Hunters use tools like endpoint management and security monitoring to analyse real-time and historical data to search for any irregularities. These investigations can be proactive, identifying potential threats, or reactive, triggered by alerts from automated systems.

2. Hypothesis-based hunting

This approach begins with a hypothesis formed from trends, data, or security events, such as IoA or adversary TTPs. The hypothesis then directs the hunt for unusual patterns or behaviours.

Threat hunters may study global threat intelligence, behavioural analytics, and open-source libraries to predict the most likely attacks. By forming hypotheses, they determine how best to defend against potential threats specific to an organisation.

3. Intelligence-based hunting

Also known as intel-driven hunting, this method relies on threat intelligence to identify potential risks. It provides insights into current and emerging threats, including IoAs and IoCs, which hunters use to focus their efforts.

Intelligence-based hunting is mostly proactive, enabling organisations to anticipate and mitigate threats before they occur by addressing vulnerabilities and known attack vectors. However, it can also involve reacting to threats that have already materialised.

Conclusion

Cyber threats are inevitable, but waiting for them to surface is no longer a viable option. Threat hunting takes cybersecurity to the next level by proactively uncovering hidden dangers using a blend of human expertise, data-driven insights, and advanced tools. Whether it's through structured methodologies, reactive hunts, or intelligence-driven approaches, this process strengthens an organisation’s defences and minimises the damage attackers can cause.

Don’t wait for a breach to act – fortify your business against digital threats with Group8. Our team of experts delivers tailored cybersecurity solutions to protect your operations, clients, and reputation from ransomware, malware, and more. Contact us at hello@group8.co today for more information about our expertise.