In today's rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, Security Operations Centers (SOCs) face the daunting task of defending against increasingly sophisticated attacks. Traditional reactive approaches, which focus on responding to incidents after they occur, are no longer sufficient. To stay ahead of adversaries, SOCs must adopt proactive measures that anticipate and neutralize threats before they materialize. This is where Augur's predictive threat intelligence becomes indispensable.

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The Shift from Reactive to Proactive Cybersecurity

Historically, cybersecurity strategies have been predominantly reactive, emphasizing post-incident responses such as containment, eradication, and recovery. While these measures are essential, they often result in significant damage before mitigation efforts can even commence. The concept of "Left of Boom" in cybersecurity underscores the importance of proactive measures taken before an attack occurs, aiming to prevent or minimize its impact. By focusing on "Left of Boom" strategies, organizations can identify vulnerabilities, detect threats early, and implement defenses that thwart attacks before they can cause harm.

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The basics: What is Predictive Threat Intelligence

Predictive threat intelligence involves forecasting potential cyber threats by analyzing patterns, behaviors, and indicators that precede attacks. Unlike traditional threat intelligence, which often relies on known indicators of compromise (IOCs) from past incidents, predictive intelligence seeks to anticipate future threats, enabling organizations to implement defenses proactively. This forward-looking approach is crucial for defending against zero-day exploits and emerging undocumented attack vectors.

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Augur's Predictive Capabilities

Augur’s patented predictive threat intelligence technology leverages advanced machine learning and behavioral profiling to identify the buildup of malicious infrastructure before attacks are launched. By continuously monitoring and analyzing terabytes amounts of data, Augur can predict attacks an average of 50 days in advance with a remarkable accuracy rate of over 97% and a false positive rate of just 0.01%. Allowing SOCs to implement preemptive measures, effectively reducing the attack surface and mitigating potential threats before they impact the organization.

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Real-World Impact: Augur in Action

The proof, as they say, is in the pudding. And Augur has been proving its worth consistently for over 5 years now. Augur's value is evident in its track record of identifying and mitigating major cyber threats. Here are a few key examples form the last few years:

• MOVEit: In 2023, the MOVEit vulnerability emerged as a critical supply chain threat, affecting multiple federal agencies. Augur predicted over 100 IPs associated with the Cl0p group exploiting this vulnerability, providing organizations with the foresight to block these malicious actors before they could inflict damage.
• ProxyNotShell Discovered in late 2022, the ProxyNotShell posed a significant risk to Microsoft Exchange users. Augur identified seven out of the 17 IPs associated with this threat, offering early warnings that enabled organizations to implement protective measures ahead of widespread exploitation.
• Log4JShell: The Log4Shell is a critical vulnerability in Apache Log4j logging library used by many of the world’s busiest websites. Augur's classifiers detected related malicious infrastructure approximately 18 months before the initial attacks, demonstrating its ability to foresee and mitigate emerging threats well in advance.
• Colonial Pipeline: In May 2021, the Colonial Pipeline hack (Darkside) disrupted critical infrastructure and resulted in a $4.4 million ransom payment. Months prior, Augur's models had flagged significant command and control infrastructure associated with the attack, providing early warnings that could have prevented the breach.
• Solar Winds: The SolarWinds Orion supply chain attack affected 1000s  companies who uploaded the Sunburst malicious code associated with this hack. Augur accurately identified C2 l infrastructure used in the Sunburst malware, providing organizations the opportunity to block malicious activity before it could infiltrate their networks.

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Quantifiable Benefits of Augur's Predictive Intelligence

But Augur’s value is much more than just its high-profile predictions. Augur's ability to predict large volumes of threat vectors translates into substantial benefits for SOCs:

• Volume of Predictions: On average, Augur produces over 400,000 predictions annually that are later confirmed as malicious by third-party sources. This extensive coverage ensures that organizations are alerted to a wide array of potential threats. Just look at last year’s record-setting highlights. 
• Advance Warning: Augur provides an average of +50 days of advance warning before third-party threat intelligence sources confirm a threat. This lead time is crucial for implementing preventive measures and avoiding the reactive scramble that often follows the discovery of a new threat.
• Longevity of Predictions: Even years after a prediction is made, it can remain relevant. Cybercriminals often reuse infrastructure, and Augur's long-term predictions help organizations maintain defenses against persistent threats.

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The Cost of Staying Reactive

Relying solely on reactive threat intelligence can be costly. The financial implications of a cyber attack extend beyond immediate losses to include long-term damage to reputation, loss of customer trust, and operational disruptions. Traditional methods that identify and respond to attacks post-occurrence leave organizations vulnerable to being "patient zero"—the first victim of a new exploit. This reactive stance is not only expensive but also perilous.

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Integrating Augur into SOC Operations

Augur seamlessly integrates into your security infrastructure, enhancing the capabilities of your SOCs without requiring an overhaul of your current stack. Its predictive intelligence feeds can be incorporated into SIEMs, firewalls, and other security appliances, providing enrichment data for analysts and threat hunters, and automates enforcement actions. This integration streamlines SOC workflows, reduces alert fatigue, and enables security teams to focus on high-priority threats.

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Can You Afford Not to Have Predictive Intelligence?

In an era where cyber threats are increasingly sophisticated and damaging, SOCs cannot afford to remain solely reactive. Augur's predictive threat intelligence offers a proactive approach, enabling organizations to

Could Augur Have Protected You? Free Assessment

The best way to truly understand the impact Augur can have on your security posture is to do a quick assessment. 

By sharing the IP addresses of recent incidents of concern (and the dates), we can demonstrate how (and when) Augur predictive intelligence could have provided you with proactive protection that would have either prevented or mitigated these threats.

If you're interested, just drop us an email at augur@seclytics.com, and we’ll set up a free, no-obligation assessment.

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