To assess compliance with A.5.7 "Threat Intelligence," an information security auditor would need to evaluate how an organization collects, analyzes, and applies threat intelligence to enhance its information security posture. Here's a breakdown of the evidence and areas an auditor might review:
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Threat Intelligence Sources: Verify whether the organization identifies and subscribes to reputable threat intelligence sources, such as commercial threat feeds, security vendors, government agencies, industry groups, and open-source threat intelligence platforms.
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Data Collection and Analysis: Assess how the organization collects, aggregates, and analyzes threat intelligence data to identify emerging threats, attack trends, and vulnerabilities relevant to its industry and technology landscape.
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Relevance and Applicability: Review how the organization assesses the relevance and applicability of threat intelligence to its specific environment, systems, and business operations.
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Actionable Intelligence: Evaluate whether the threat intelligence collected is converted into actionable intelligence that can guide security measures, risk assessments, and incident response activities.
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Threat Indicator Sharing: Assess whether the organization shares threat indicators (such as IP addresses, domains, hashes) with relevant stakeholders, industry peers, and information sharing platforms to prevent and mitigate potential attacks.
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Incident Response Enhancement: Verify if threat intelligence is used to enhance incident response plans, enabling faster detection, containment, eradication, and recovery from security incidents.
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Vulnerability Management: Evaluate whether the organization uses threat intelligence to identify and prioritize vulnerabilities, ensuring timely patching and mitigation to prevent potential exploits.
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Security Controls Enhancement: Review if threat intelligence is used to improve security controls, configurations, and policies based on evolving threat landscapes.
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Threat Hunting: Examine if the organization proactively hunts for signs of compromise or potential threats using the insights gained from threat intelligence.
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Internal Collaboration: Verify if the organization collaborates across departments (such as IT, security, compliance) to share threat intelligence insights and take coordinated actions.
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Integration with Security Tools: Assess whether threat intelligence feeds are integrated with security tools, such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), security information and event management (SIEM) systems, and firewall rules.
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Continuous Monitoring: Evaluate how the organization ensures continuous monitoring of threat intelligence to stay informed about changes in threat landscapes.
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Information Dissemination: Verify if threat intelligence is shared with stakeholders at different levels of the organization, including executives, management, and technical teams.
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Documentation and Reporting: Examine records, reports, or logs that demonstrate the organization's use of threat intelligence for decision-making, incident response, and security improvement.
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Measuring Effectiveness: Assess how the organization measures the effectiveness of its threat intelligence program in terms of improved threat detection, response time, and risk reduction.
By assessing these aspects, an auditor can determine whether the organization effectively leverages threat intelligence to proactively identify, mitigate, and respond to potential cybersecurity threats, ultimately enhancing its overall information security posture.
