Security threat intelligence services: A buyer's guide

Editor's note

A security threat intelligence service collects, analyzes and filters data about emerging threats to produce actionable information for organizations in the form of management reports and data feeds for automated security control systems. Its main purpose is to assist in the understanding of the risks of (and better protect against) today's ever-evolving security threats.

These include threats such as advanced persistent threats (APTs), exploits and zero-day vulnerabilities, as well as traditional malware (viruses, worms, Trojan horses, rootkits, etc.), botnets and much more. Privilege escalation, spear-phishing and hacktivism are on the rise as well.

That's why it is so important that organizations know what threats exist and how they could affect their IT infrastructures -- particularly if intellectual property and confidential information could be at risk of being exposed or its financial well-being and reputation endangered. Since the threat intelligence services market is relatively new, however, it's often a challenge to compare service details side by side to get an accurate picture of which offers what features and which threat intelligence feed is the right one for a particular organization.

In this buyer's guide, readers will learn how security threat intelligence works, as well as how and why these services can benefit organizations. It also lays out what you need to know before making an investment in a threat intelligence, presents direct comparisons between the leading threat intelligence services, and provides a series of product overviews of some of the top threat intelligence services on the market today.