A Threat Intelligence Approach to APTs via MISP and MITRE

Abstract

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) can be characterized as one of the most sophisticated and dangerous forms of cyberattacks in the modern world. Such cyberattacks might remain undetected by an established defense system and cause enormous harm to the critical infrastructure. It implies that the indicators of malign activity should not be observed in isolation, but rather the broader global perspective of the activity, including techniques, methods, and objectives, should also be provided. Nevertheless, the current system of mapping Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) to adversary practices defined in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, as facilitated by the Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP), is largely manual, time-consuming, and error-prone, resulting in a high reaction time and insufficient remediation. The coverage of this exigency in the proposed study incorporates an automated framework that integrates MISP and MITRE ATT&CK to form a threat detection pipeline based on intelligence. The proposed framework connects the IoCs to the associated Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), provides contextual data, and also significantly reduces the time required to recognize and fully analyze APT campaigns. Such automation can be evaluated with the help of scenario-based testing and case studies that demonstrate a considerable reduction in analysis time, growth in mapping accuracy, and situational awareness. Tags being tracked in the Automation Army claim that an organization can no longer use reactive handling but can utilize situational awareness and participate in proactive hunting. The given article overcomes one of the most urgent problems of the contemporary security of cyberspace, establishing a pattern of normatively faster, smarter, and more dynamic protection. The implementation of paradigm shifts transforms the entire process of recognition, analysis, and response to APT attacks, making them easier to establish.