This book provides a comprehensive, practical guide to modern threat hunting techniques using Cisco’s cutting-edge security solutions. It delves into the critical components of network security analysis, emphasizing proactive threat detection rather than reactive response. Readers will gain in-depth knowledge of Cisco Secure Network Analytics (formerly Stealthwatch), exploring flow collection, entity modeling, and behavioral analytics to detect anomalies and hidden threats within network traffic.
The guide further examines DNS and email threat detection through Cisco Umbrella and Secure Email, highlighting DNS-layer security, phishing detection, and email-based threat hunting scenarios. It also covers firewall and intrusion prevention strategies with Cisco Secure Firewall (FTD) and IDS/IPS technologies, including how to analyze intrusion events and leverage Firepower Management Center for centralized threat management.
Manual threat hunting methods are thoroughly explored, teaching readers hypothesis-driven hunting, use of SIEM logs, endpoint telemetry, and advanced techniques such as pivoting and timeline analysis. The book also introduces automation fundamentals and orchestration with Cisco SecureX, demonstrating how to integrate third-party tools and build effective playbooks for incident response.
Case studies and simulated hunts illustrate real-world applications of the discussed concepts, enhancing understanding through practical examples. This book equips security professionals, analysts, and threat hunters with the tools and methodologies necessary to detect, analyze, and respond to sophisticated cyber threats effectively, thereby strengthening an organization’s security posture in an increasingly complex threat landscape.
