Threat hunting is a proactive approach to cybersecurity that involves actively seeking out and identifying threats that may have evaded traditional security measures. The following are the fundamental aspects of threat hunting:

• Contextual Understanding: Threat hunting requires a deep understanding of the organization's network and systems, the types of threats that are most likely to target them, and the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) that attackers commonly use. Without this contextual understanding, it can be difficult to know what to look for when hunting for threats.
• Continuous Monitoring: Threat hunting is not a one-time event, but rather a continuous process. Threat hunters must monitor the network and systems on an ongoing basis, looking for signs of unusual activity that may indicate a threat.
• Data Collection and Analysis: Threat hunting relies heavily on data collection and analysis. Threat hunters must have access to logs, network traffic, and other sources of data that can help them identify indicators of compromise (IOCs) and potential threats. They must also be able to analyze this data to identify patterns and anomalies that may indicate a threat.
• Proactive and Reactive Techniques: Threat hunting involves both proactive and reactive techniques. Proactive techniques involve actively seeking out threats before they can do any harm, while reactive techniques involve responding to threats that have already been identified.
• Collaboration: Threat hunting is a collaborative process that involves multiple stakeholders, including security analysts, IT professionals, and business leaders. Collaboration helps ensure that all relevant data is collected and analyzed, and that the right decisions are made to protect the organization from threats.

Threat hunting is a crucial part of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as it helps organizations identify and mitigate threats that may have otherwise gone undetected.

Carrying out a Threat Hunt

In a threat hunt, potential threats can be found by following a structured process that includes the following steps:

1. Define scope: Define the scope of the threat hunt, including the assets and data to be monitored.
2. Develop hypotheses: Develop hypotheses about potential threats and attacks that may have evaded existing security controls.
3. Collect and analyze data: Collect and analyze relevant data from different sources, including logs, network traffic, and endpoints.
4. Identify anomalies: Look for anomalies in the data that may indicate a potential threat, such as unusual network traffic patterns, unexpected process behavior, or abnormal user activity.
5. Investigate: Investigate the anomalies to determine whether they are legitimate threats or false positives. This may involve looking at additional data sources or conducting interviews with system administrators or users.
6. Confirm or deny: Confirm or deny the presence of a threat based on the investigation. If a threat is confirmed, take appropriate actions to contain and mitigate the threat.
7. Document: Document the findings and lessons learned from the threat hunt to improve future hunts and overall security posture.