Threat hunting is a critical aspect of cybersecurity, involving the proactive search for threats and vulnerabilities within an organization’s network. For threat hunters to be effective, they need robust support from their managers and teams. This post will explore three ways that managers and leadership, including CISOs, can best support their threat hunting teams:
- Address workplace challenges.
- Facilitate clear communication and continuous education.
- Foster a positive, supportive environment.
This discussion is part of our ongoing “The Rise of the Threat Hunter” series. To learn more about the series, check out the introduction here or read last week’s entry on How threat hunters stay informed and collaborate.
Address workplace challenges
In a previous post, we highlighted common challenges for threat hunters. As a manager you have a direct impact of two of these challenges: tooling and collaboration.
Tooling
It seems like resources are always limited. To make the most of your budget, make sure your threat hunting team has the latest, most effective tools. Advanced threat detection software, forensic tools, and analytics platforms are all essential.
Investing in high-quality tools makes a big difference when it comes to identifying and mitigating threats. Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are a great example. We’ve already seen how they help automate routine tasks, identify patterns, and predict potential threats before they become critical.
AI-powered tools analyze vast amounts of data quickly, providing threat hunters with actionable insights and freeing them to focus on more complex threats. AI can also help create dynamic defense strategies by learning from past incidents and adapting to new threat landscapes.
Once you have the right toolset in place, be vigilant about updating all software and tools. Doing so protects them against new vulnerabilities and enhances functionality.
Also, keep in mind that off-the-shelf tools may not meet all your threat hunters’ needs. Allow the team to develop or customize solutions to better fit their unique requirements.
Collaboration
A team cannot live by tools alone, however. The threat hunting team needs support, not just from you but from the larger organization.
Encourage collaboration between the threat hunting team and other departments, such as IT, incident response, and legal. Not only does this build relationships between teams, it also deepens your security strategy by getting more teams invested in cybersecurity.
You can facilitate collaboration by establishing clear and efficient communication channels. Collaborative platforms like Slack, Teams, or other project management tools keep information and collaboration flowing.
Distractions
To protect threat hunters from distractions, you should act as a buffer. Techniques to achieve this include:
- Reducing meeting overload: Limit the number of mandatory meetings and ensure they are purposeful. Use asynchronous communication for updates that do not require real-time interaction.
- Scheduling focus time: Dedicated “focus time” allows team members to work uninterrupted. Ensure these blocks are respected by other departments.
- Prioritizing tasks: Prevent the team from getting overwhelmed. Pass on non-essential tasks and external requests to other teams when possible.
- Gatekeeping requests: Act as the first point of contact for external requests, filtering out non-critical issues and only passing on what truly requires the team’s attention.
Facilitate clear communication and continuous education
Getting threat hunters the right information at the right time—in terms of work and continuous education—goes a long way. The following are just a few ideas to help:
Flexible schedules
With teams spread across the globe, it’s essential to account for different time zones. Implement flexible working hours to facilitate real-time collaboration. Additionally, ensure there are good, clear, and simple hand-off procedures between team members. This helps maintain continuity and ensures that critical tasks are seamlessly transferred, reducing the risk of miscommunication or delays.
Contact list
It’s crucial for team members to know who manages what and the process to follow when escalating an issue.
For internal threat hunting teams, this often involves understanding the hierarchy and roles within the organization, knowing which departments handle specific issues, and having direct communication channels with key stakeholders.
External teams must understand the client’s organizational structure, know the points of contact, and follow established protocols for reporting and escalation. Clear documentation and regular updates on contact information and procedures swift and effective communication when managing an active threat.
Training and education
Online courses, certifications, and training workshops are all great ways to invest in your team’s development. Keeping up with the latest threats and technologies is crucial for staying ahead.
A great way to keep up is to encourage and sponsor attendance at relevant cybersecurity conferences. These events are valuable for networking, learning about the latest trends, and gaining insights from industry experts.
You can also establish mentorship programs where experienced threat hunters guide and support junior team members—a great option for knowledge transfer and skill development.
Foster a positive, supportive environment
If you’ve followed this series, or are familiar with threat hunting, you know it can be a stressful, high-stakes job. The better your team’s mood and morale, the more likely they’ll be able to work effectively.
Mental health and well-being
Promote a healthy work-life balance by encouraging regular breaks, time off, and providing mental health support. If your organization offers resources and support for stress management, such as access to counseling services or wellness programs, make sure your team knows about them.
Recognition and growth
Regularly acknowledge and celebrate the successes and hard work of your threat hunting team. Recognition can be a powerful motivator and morale booster.
Clear career development paths and opportunities for advancement are also big motivators. Support your team members’ professional growth by offering promotions, new responsibilities, and leadership roles.
Positive environment
Foster an inclusive and supportive culture where every team member feels valued and respected. This encourages collaboration and innovation. A feedback mechanism is a great way to support this kind of environment and culture. That way, team members can voice their concerns, suggestions, and feedback. Act on this feedback to continually improve the working environment.
Adapt these practices to your team
Like so many parts of work and life today, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to supporting your threat hunting team. It requires a multifaceted approach that addresses workplace and informational challenges while fostering a positive, inclusive environment.
Hopefully, this post has given you some ideas of where to start. By providing the right tools, promoting continuous education, and caring for the mental well-being and career growth of your team, managers and leaders can create an environment where threat hunters thrive. 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™ Cybersecurity
Ready to enable your threat hunting team with products, services, and training to protect your most valuable and sensitive information? Check out our cybersecurity portfolio for a modern portfolio of complementary security solutions that offer threat hunters and security analysts 360-degree visibility across endpoints and network traffic to proactively identify, triage, and investigate anomalous and malicious behavior.
Learn More: What is Threat Hunting?
