ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.7 – Threat Intelligence

• See ISO 27002:2022 Control 5.7 for more information.

An Overview of ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.7 – Threat Intelligence

As part of ISO 27001:2022 revision, Annex A Control 5.7: Threat Intelligence requires organisations to collect, analyse, and produce threat intelligence regarding information security threats.

What Threat Intelligence Is and How It Works

The goal of threat intelligence is to provide organisations with a deeper understanding of cyber threats by collecting, analysing, and contextualising data about current and future cyber attacks.

An example of threat intelligence would be identifying the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) attackers use to gain entry into networks or compromise their targets. Defending against those specific attacks becomes more manageable as a result.

In addition to helping organisations understand how hackers might attack them, threat intelligence can also inform companies about what types of data attackers seek. This will help them understand what they can do with it once they’ve stolen it.

An Overview of Information Security Threats

In an organisation, information security threats relate to information confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

They are potential danger points for a firm’s information or information system. These danger points could lead to unauthorised access, the change or destruction of sensitive data, or disruptions to business processes.

Threats to information security can originate either internally or externally. Internal threats originate within an organisation, while external threats arise outside.

How Does ISO 27001:2022 Annex A 5.7 Work?

Annex A control 5.7 is designed to help organisations understand their threat environment. This is so they can determine the proper actions to maintain information security based on the threats they identify.

A Brief Explanation of Annex A Control 5.7

Having a clear understanding of the threat environment allows an organisation to ensure it has appropriate Annex A controls in place, that it can respond and recover appropriately in the event of an adverse event, and that its security posture (Annex A controls, policies, etc.) is appropriate.

ISO 27001 Annex A Control 5.7 is essential to managing information security. Essentially, ISO 27001 provides organisations with a roadmap for limiting the effects of these threats by providing an understanding of their threat landscape.

How to Meet the Requirements and What’s Involved

ISO 27001:2022 Annex A Control 5.7 focuses on providing organisations with information about existing and emerging threats to identify which ones apply to them. In this regard, they will develop appropriate defences.

To comply with ISO 27001 Annex A control 5.7, organisations must do the following:

• Examine your threat environment periodically (by reviewing reports from government agencies and other organisations).
• Sources of threat (i.e., insiders, competitors, criminals, terrorist groups) should be identified.
• Determine possible novel attack vectors and trends based on current events and past incidents.
• The most important thing is to build defences that will help mitigate security threats to the organisation.

It is recommended by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) that businesses take into account all three levels of intelligence, namely strategic, tactical, and operational, so that they can leverage threat intelligence effectively:

• Strategic threat intelligence aims to exchange high-level information about the evolving threat landscape, such as the types of attackers and attacks.
• Threat intelligence refers to knowledge of the tactics, tools, and technology used by attackers.
• A tactical threat intelligence report provides detailed information on specific assaults, including technical indicators.

To be effective, threat information should also be relevant, perceptive, contextual, and actionable.

Establishing and maintaining an information security management system (ISMS) is necessary in accordance with ISO/IEC 27000 standards. 5.7 in Annex A plays a crucial role in this process. Threat analysis is essential even if the organisation is not planning for ISO 27001 certification or another standard.

Table of All ISO 27001:2022 Annex A Controls

In the table below you’ll find more information on each individual ISO 27001:2022 Annex A Control.

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