Intel 471, a global provider of cyber intelligence-driven solutions, has introduced Guided Threat Hunts, a new tool within its HUNTER solution’s Hunt Management Module, designed to assist organizations in more efficiently identifying sophisticated threat behaviors.The introduction of Guided Threat Hunts addresses the increasing complexity, time demands, and resource intensity associated with threat hunting for advanced adversaries. The tool aims to empower threat hunters with capabilities to craft specific queries and filters, enabling them to detect advanced threats that often bypass traditional security measures.Jason Passwaters, CEO of Intel 471, stated, “Threat hunt teams are constantly tasked with sifting through large datasets or collecting data to support a hypothesis on a specific threat. This presents a challenge for organizations experiencing persistent shortages of seasoned threat hunters or skills gaps among available analysts. Effective threat hunting is a priority in today’s cyber threat landscape, and Intel 471 is dedicated to providing threat hunt teams with the tools they need to grow their skills and expand their threat hunting programs to better defend their organizations.”Guided Threat Hunts incorporates Pivot Queries, allowing analysts to ask intelligent follow-up questions on initial threat hunt searches within their security platforms. Filter Queries are designed to refine query results and reduce noise. While Intel 471’s existing library of intelligence-driven threat hunt packages addresses over 80% of advanced threats, this new enhancement leverages the company’s cyber intelligence platform to help hunt teams cover the remaining 20% of their organization’s unique risks. This functionality equips hunters with relevant information and context for capturing critical data inputs, such as hostnames, process names, and process IDs, to facilitate rapid identification, neutralization, and reporting of undetected threats.Key features of Pivot Queries include enabling users to explore multiple paths, ask additional questions related to initial queries, and provide expert guidance on how to proceed after executing an initial threat hunt query by focusing on notable artifacts. Key features of Filter Queries assist users in modifying initial queries to fit their unique environments with exclusions that reduce noise from results and large datasets, thereby enhancing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a team’s threat hunting methodology.As part of the HUNTER solution, Guided Threat Hunts can be implemented across major security XDR platforms. By enabling threat hunt teams to apply SOPs that align with their methodology for structured threat hunts, the tool promotes more accurate and effective hunts while potentially lowering the costs associated with onboarding new threat hunters.Mike Mitchell, vice president of threat hunt intelligence at Intel 471, commented, “Intel 471’s Guided Threat Hunts is designed by threat hunters for threat hunters, so the heavy lifting is already addressed. Our goal is to provide guidance tailored to the specific needs of teams of all sizes, empowering them to overcome uncertainties and confidently progress their hunts against the advanced behaviors and techniques of adversaries.”Intel 471 will showcase its HUNTER solution, including Guided Threat Hunts, at Black Hat, booth #5742, next month.Intel 471 provides cyber intelligence-driven solutions to enterprises, government agencies, and other organizations. Its platform collects, interprets, structures, and validates human-led, automation-enhanced intelligence to support external attack surface and advanced behavioral threat hunting solutions. The company’s operationalized intelligence aids customers in proactive threat response and risk mitigation.