Neil Wyler started his job amid an ongoing cyberattack. As a threat hunter, he helped his client discover that millions of records had been stolen over four months. Even though his client used sophisticated tools, its threat-hunting technology did not detect the attack because the transactions looked normal. But with Wyler’s expertise, he was able to realize that data was leaving the environment as well as entering the system. His efforts saved the company from suffering even more damage and disruption.

Wyler shows that threat hunters can help prevent a cybersecurity catastrophe. But what is a threat hunter, and how can they improve an organization’s security posture?

What is threat hunting?

While enterprise security systems are a key part of cybersecurity, threat hunters provide organizations extra protection. A threat hunter reviews all the security data and systems to look for abnormalities and potential malware issues. Threat hunting complements automated security tools and is best used in conjunction with that technology. By combining the strengths of both human expertise and artificial intelligence (AI) tools, companies can find cyber threats faster and reduce damage.

Responsibilities of a threat hunter

Threat hunters search, log, monitor and neutralize threats to find issues before they become serious problems. In some companies, threat hunters design the threat-hunting program, which starts by building the hypothesis the program is looking to answer, such as searching for malware with specific criteria. Threat hunting typically involves looking for malware threats incorporated into commercial technology but not yet known.

Threat hunters use three approaches: structured, unstructured and situational.

During structured tests, the threat hunter leverages indicators of attack (IoAs) and the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) of an attacker. Unstructured hunts occur when a trigger indicates a compromise, and the hunter looks at patterns before and after the detection. Situational hunts commence when a risk assessment is warranted, such as knowing attacks are happening at similar companies.

What makes threat hunting different from other cybersecurity tasks is that they don’t just use security information and event management (SIEM), endpoint detection and response (EDR) and other typical processes. Instead, threat hunters search through security data to look for patterns that indicate malware or attackers. Once they discover a cyber criminal’s potential entry method, they work to patch the issue to prevent future incidents.

Pursuing a career as a threat hunter

Threat hunting is often one of the responsibilities of a cybersecurity analyst. However, some managed service professionals (MSPs) hire threat hunters whose primary responsibility is threat hunting for clients. Cybersecurity firms also hire threat hunters to provide the service to their clients. Additionally, threat hunters can work freelance for companies that need threat-hunting expertise but don’t want to hire an MSP.

Companies often look for certifications or bachelor’s degrees when hiring for analyst and threat-hunting positions. Candidates can also go into threat hunting with digital badges or certifications. However, cybersecurity analysts can learn threat-hunting skills on the job and then move into a threat-hunting role.

Threat hunters need strong technical skills and expertise with cybersecurity tools. However, the most important skills are problem-solving and analysis because the role requires manually reviewing data. Threat hunters must also have a strong interest in cybersecurity and a willingness to continually stay updated on cyber criminals’ latest TTPs. Additionally, threat hunters need good written skills to communicate findings to IT leaders. Because threat hunters often work on a team with other cybersecurity professionals, they also need the ability to collaborate and verbally communicate with others.

As cybersecurity risks and threats continue to increase, threat hunting is apt to become an even more crucial facet of cybersecurity. Organizations need the human touch to catch sophisticated threats, even using sophisticated tools. Cybersecurity professionals specializing in threat hunting or adding it to their skill set will likely have solid employment opportunities.