Threat Hunting: How Leaders Can Support Their Teams

Threat hunting is a critical aspect of cybersecurity, involving the proactive investigation of threats and vulnerabilities within an organization's network. For threat hunters to be effective, they require strong support from their managers and teams. This post will explore three ways that leaders—such as CISOs—can best support their threat hunting teams:

• Overcome workplace challenges.
• Facilitate open communication and continuous learning.
• Create a positive, supportive environment.

This discussion is part of our ongoing "Rise of the Threat Hunter" series. For more information about the series, check out the introduction here or read last week's post titled "How Threat Hunters Stay Informed and Collaborate."

Overcoming Workplace Challenges

In a previous post, we highlighted common challenges for threat hunters. As a manager, you have direct influence over two of these challenges: tools and collaboration.

Team

Resources often seem limited. To make the most of your budget, ensure that your threat hunting team has access to the latest and most effective tools. Advanced threat detection software, digital forensics tools, and analysis platforms are all highly important.

Investing in high-quality tools makes a significant difference when it comes to identifying and mitigating threats. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are a great example of this. We've already seen how they help automate routine tasks, identify patterns, and predict potential threats before they escalate.

AI-supported tools provide actionable insights by quickly analyzing large volumes of data, allowing threat hunters to focus on more complex threats. AI can also help create dynamic defense strategies by learning from past events and adapting to new threat environments.

When you have the right toolset, be careful to keep all software and tools up to date. This protects them from new vulnerabilities and enhances their functionality.

Also, remember that off-the-shelf tools may not meet all of your threat hunters' needs. Allow your team to develop or customize solutions that better fit their unique requirements.

Collaboration

However, a team can't survive on tools alone. A threat hunting team needs support not just from you but also from a larger organization.

Encourage collaboration between the threat hunting team and other departments such as IT, incident response, and legal. This not only builds relationships between teams but also deepens your organization's investment in cybersecurity.

You can facilitate collaboration by establishing open and efficient communication channels. Collaborative platforms like Slack, Teams, or other project management tools help ensure the flow of information and collaboration.

Distractions

You should act as a buffer to protect threat hunters from distractions. To achieve this, consider the following techniques:

• Reduce meeting load: Limit the number of mandatory meetings and ensure they're goal-oriented. Use asynchronous communication for updates that don't require real-time interaction.
• Plan focus time: Set aside "focus time" to allow team members to work uninterrupted. Ensure other departments respect these blocks.
• Prioritize tasks: Prevent team burnout by prioritizing tasks. Whenever possible, route non-essential tasks and external requests to other teams.
• Gatekeeper requests: Act as the first point of contact for external requests, filter out non-critical issues, and only pass on what the team genuinely needs to address.

Facilitate Open Communication and Continuous Learning

Providing threat hunters with the right information at the right time regarding their work and continuous learning is a long journey. Here are some ideas that can help:

Flexible Schedules

With teams spread across the globe, it's important to consider different time zones. Implement flexible working hours to facilitate real-time collaboration. Additionally, ensure there are good, open, and simple handover procedures between team members. This helps maintain continuity and reduces the risk of miscommunication or delays in critical tasks.

Contact List

It's crucial for team members to know who manages what and the process to follow when reporting an issue.

For internal threat hunting teams, this usually involves understanding the hierarchy and roles within the organization, knowing which departments handle specific issues, and having direct communication channels with key stakeholders.

For external teams, they should understand the customer's organizational structure, know the communication points, and follow established protocols for reporting and escalation. Clear documentation and regular updates on communication details and procedures help ensure quick and effective communication during active threat management.

Education and Training

Online courses, certifications, and training workshops are excellent ways to invest in your team's development. Keeping up with the latest threats and technologies is essential to staying one step ahead.

A great way to stay current is by encouraging participation in relevant cybersecurity conferences and becoming a sponsor. These events are valuable for networking, gaining insights into the latest trends, and acquiring expertise from industry experts.

Additionally, you can establish mentorship programs where experienced threat hunters guide and support junior team members—this is a great option for knowledge transfer and skill development.

Create a Positive, Supportive Environment

If you've followed this series or are familiar with threat hunting, you know it can be a stressful and high-risk job. The better your team's morale and mental health, the more likely they are to perform effectively.

Mental Health and Well-being

Encourage a healthy work-life balance by promoting regular breaks, encouraging leave, and providing mental health support. Ensure your team is aware of resources such as counseling services or wellness programs offered by your organization for stress management.

Recognition and Growth

Regularly acknowledge and celebrate your threat hunting team's successes and hard work. Recognition can be a powerful motivator and morale booster.

Open career development paths and opportunities for advancement are also significant sources of motivation. Support your team members' professional growth by offering promotions, new responsibilities, and leadership roles.

Positive Environment

Encourage a supportive culture where each team member feels valued and respected. This fosters collaboration and innovation. A feedback mechanism is a great way to support such an environment and culture. This allows team members to voice their concerns, suggestions, and feedback. Act on this feedback to continuously improve the work environment.

Apply These Practices to Your Team

Just as in many aspects of life and work today, there's no one-size-fits-all solution to supporting your threat hunting team. A multifaceted approach is required that addresses workplace challenges while promoting a positive, inclusive environment.

Hopefully, this post has given you some ideas on where to start. Leaders can create an environment where threat hunters succeed by providing the right tools, encouraging continuous learning, and showing care for their mental health and career development. This not only enhances the effectiveness of your cybersecurity efforts but also makes your organization a place where top talent wants to work.

Learn More About OpenText™ Cyber Security

Ready to empower your threat hunting team with products, services, and training that help protect your most valuable and sensitive information? Explore our comprehensive portfolio of modern complementary security solutions to provide threat hunters and security analysts with 360-degree visibility across endpoints and network traffic to proactively identify, prioritize, and investigate anomalies and malicious behavior. View our Cyber Security portfolio.

Source: How to Support Threat Hunters - OpenText Blogs