Threat intelligence’s key role in mitigating malware threats
Malware, being one of the most prevalent and pervasive initial threat vectors, continues to adapt and become more sophisticated, according to OPSWAT.
Crucial role of threat intelligence
Threat actors leverage malware as an initial foothold to infiltrate targeted infrastructures and move laterally to gain long-term access, cause damage, or exfiltrate data and trade secrets. To combat these threats effectively, organizations rely on actionable threat intelligence gathered through sandboxes and advanced malware analysis technologies and processes.
This proactive approach enables organizations to fortify their infrastructure defenses, enhance incident response capabilities, and tailor security strategies based on specific threats they are likely to encounter.
“Threat intelligence plays a crucial role in safeguarding critical assets,” said Jan Miller, CTO of Threat Analysis at OPSWAT. “Understanding the evolving threat landscape empowers organizations to stay one step ahead of malicious actors, and in this rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape, it becomes the critical strategic advantage.”
AI optimism outpaces skepticism and usage
62% of organizations recognize the need for additional investments in tools and processes to enhance their threat intelligence capabilities. Only 22% have fully matured threat intelligence programs in place, with most indicating that they are only in the early stages or need to make additional investments in tools and processes.
The survey reveals that organizations face common challenges, including detecting both known and unknown malware (68%), grappling with inadequate signature-based solutions (67%), and dealing with fragmented tools (54%).
While only 11% of respondents currently use AI for threat detection, 56% of security professionals indicated they are optimistic about the use of it in the future, and 27% are skeptical.
Additionally, approximately half of all participants noted that phishing URLs and email were among the top concerns for file type and delivery methods – emphasizing the importance of advanced security measures such as Deep Content Disarm and Reconstruction (CDR), sandboxing, and link reputation checks.