Roles and Responsibilities in a CTI Team
A well-structured CTI team consists of professionals with diverse skills and expertise, working together to collect, analyze, and disseminate threat intelligence effectively. Here are the key roles and responsibilities commonly found in a CTI team:
CTI Manager or Lead:
Oversees the overall CTI program and provides strategic direction.
Defines CTI objectives, priorities, and performance metrics.
Manages team resources, budgets, and stakeholder relationships.
Ensures alignment of CTI efforts with the organization's cybersecurity strategy.
Threat Intelligence Analyst:
Collects and analyzes threat data from various sources, such as open-source intelligence (OSINT), dark web, and security tools.
Identifies and monitors emerging threats, threat actors, and their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
Produces threat intelligence reports, advisories, and briefings for different audiences.
Collaborates with other security teams to provide actionable intelligence and support incident response.
Malware Analyst:
Analyzes malware samples to understand their behavior, functionality, and potential impact.
Reverse engineers malware code to identify indicators of compromise (IOCs) and attribution clues.
Develops signatures, detection rules, and mitigation strategies for malware threats.
Collaborates with threat intelligence analysts to enrich malware-related intelligence.
Threat Hunter:
Proactively searches for hidden threats and anomalies within the organization's network and systems.
Utilizes threat intelligence, data analytics, and machine learning techniques to identify suspicious activities.
Investigates and validates potential threats, escalating confirmed incidents to incident response teams.
Provides feedback to improve threat detection and hunting capabilities.
CTI Developer or Engineer:
Designs, develops, and maintains CTI tools, platforms, and integrations.
Implements automation and orchestration workflows to streamline CTI processes.
Ensures the security, scalability, and performance of CTI infrastructure.
Supports the integration of CTI with other security tools and systems, such as SIEM, EDR, and firewalls.
CTI Researcher or Subject Matter Expert (SME):
Conducts in-depth research on specific threat actors, attack vectors, or emerging technologies.
Provides expert insights and strategic guidance to inform CTI efforts and decision-making.
Collaborates with industry peers, academic institutions, and research organizations to advance CTI knowledge and best practices.
Presents findings at conferences, workshops, and internal training sessions.
CTI Liaison or Outreach Coordinator:
Manages relationships with external CTI partners, such as information sharing communities, vendors, and government agencies.
Facilitates the sharing of threat intelligence and collaboration on joint investigations or research projects.
Represents the organization in CTI forums, working groups, and industry events.
Ensures compliance with information sharing agreements and protocols.
CTI Quality Assurance Analyst:
Implements and maintains quality control processes for CTI data and deliverables.
Verifies the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of threat intelligence reports and indicators.
Provides feedback and recommendations for improving CTI data quality and analysis processes.
Conducts periodic audits and assessments of CTI program effectiveness.
It's important to note that the specific roles and responsibilities within a CTI team may vary depending on the organization's size, maturity, and CTI program objectives. Some roles may be combined or further specialized based on the team's needs and resources.
Effective collaboration, communication, and continuous skill development are crucial for a CTI team to deliver actionable and relevant threat intelligence that supports the organization's cybersecurity efforts.
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