What Is Threat Intelligence?
Threat intelligence transforms raw data from the open internet into structured, actionable insights — enabling security teams to detect, prioritize, and respond to threats across physical, cyber, and reputational risk domains.
Threat Intelligence
Threat intelligence is the collection, processing, and analysis of information about current and potential threats to an organization's people, assets, and operations. It transforms raw data from multiple sources into structured, actionable intelligence that security teams use to make faster, better-informed decisions.
The Threat Intelligence Lifecycle
The intelligence lifecycle is the systematic framework that turns raw information into actionable intelligence. Every effective threat intelligence program follows these six interconnected phases.
Direction
Define intelligence requirements — what threats matter most and what decisions the intelligence must support.
Collection
Gather raw data from relevant sources including open web, social media, dark web, DNS, and breach databases.
Processing
Clean, normalize, translate, and structure raw data into a format suitable for meaningful analysis.
Analysis
Apply classification, correlation, and contextual reasoning to transform processed data into actionable insights.
Dissemination
Deliver finished intelligence to decision-makers through alerts, dashboards, reports, and API integrations.
Feedback
Evaluate what worked, refine collection priorities, and adjust requirements based on operational outcomes.
Types of Threat Intelligence
Threat intelligence serves different audiences at different levels of an organization. Understanding the four types ensures the right intelligence reaches the right people.
Strategic
Executives & BoardsHigh-level trends, geopolitical risk assessments, industry threat landscape analysis, and regulatory change tracking.
Tactical
Security AnalystsTactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), indicators of compromise, and attack pattern analysis for defense planning.
Operational
Incident ResponseDetails on specific campaigns, threat actors, and imminent threats that require immediate defensive action or investigation.
Technical
SOC EngineersMachine-readable IOCs, malware signatures, vulnerability data, and threat feeds integrated into security tool infrastructure.
Threat Intelligence Sources
Effective threat intelligence programs draw from a diverse set of source categories. The breadth and quality of collection directly determines the quality of finished intelligence.
Open Source (OSINT)
Public web pages, social media, news outlets, forums, government publications, and academic research sources.
Dark Web
Underground marketplaces, encrypted forums, paste sites, leak databases, and hidden services on overlay networks.
Technical Sources
DNS records, WHOIS databases, SSL certificate transparency logs, IP address data, and network infrastructure metadata.
Human Intelligence
Informants, industry contacts, professional networks, and on-the-ground observations from trusted sources worldwide.
Social Media (SOCMINT)
Platform-specific social data including public posts, comments, profiles, geo-tagged content, and community interactions.
Signals Intelligence
Communications interception and electronic signal analysis — primarily government and military intelligence capability.
Threat Intelligence vs. Related Disciplines
Threat intelligence intersects with several related disciplines. Understanding the boundaries helps organizations choose the right coverage and avoid gaps in their security posture.
| Discipline | Focus | Primary Users |
|---|---|---|
| Threat Intelligence | All threat types — cyber, physical, reputation, legal | Security leaders, analysts, SOC teams |
| Cyber Threat Intelligence | Cyber-specific — malware, vulnerabilities, threat actors | SOC engineers, incident response teams |
| Digital Risk Protection | External digital risks — brand abuse, data exposure | Security teams, brand protection leads |
| OSINT | Open source collection methodology across all sources | Investigators, intelligence analysts |
| Risk Management | Enterprise risk across all categories and functions | GRC teams, executives, board members |
How DigitalStakeout Delivers Threat Intelligence
DigitalStakeout maps directly to the threat intelligence lifecycle — from first-party collection through AI-powered analysis and real-time dissemination across 16 risk domains.
Collection
First-party data collection across surface web, social media, and dark web sources. 15+ configurable feed types. 75 million+ web chatter sources. 750+ social platforms for profile search. 300 million+ domains for DNS research.
Processing & Analysis
DigitalStakeout's AI engine, DARIA™, applies 249+ classifiers across 16 risk domains with multi-language NLP covering 40+ languages. Entity extraction for names, locations, and organizations. Deep sentiment analysis across five categories.
Dissemination
Real-time alerting via email, webhook, and API. Configurable alert anti-fatigue controls so your team focuses on what matters. REST API for SIEM and SOAR integration. 80+ analytic widgets and 50+ visualizations for reporting.
Investigation
OSINT search tools for ad hoc research across breach databases, domains, social profiles, web chatter, people records, and websites. Historical archives and Boolean search across all collected data for deep analysis.
Not Just Cyber
Most threat intelligence platforms focus exclusively on cyber threats. DigitalStakeout's 16 risk domains cover physical security, reputation, legal, societal, geopolitical, environmental, and economic risk — giving security teams a complete threat picture from a single platform.
Threat Intelligence FAQ
See Threat Intelligence in Action
Watch how DigitalStakeout collects, classifies, and delivers threat intelligence across 16 risk domains — in a live demo.