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Threat Hunting

What is Threat Hunting?

The proactive process of searching through networks and datasets to detect and isolate advanced threats that evade existing security solutions. Threat hunting combines human analyst expertise with automated detection tools.

Information Security

Each of these is named in at least one of the same controls as threat hunting. The number is how many controls name both.

What the standards actually require on threat hunting

Requirements naming threat hunting across 6 standards, quoted from the control text.

NIST SP 800-1723 controls

Conduct cyber threat hunting activities to search for indicators of compromise in organizational systems and detect, track, and disrupt threats that evade existing controls.

3.11.2e · Threat Hunting

Hunts for adversary activity introduced through the supply chain rather than waiting for an alert.

161R1-RA-10 · Threat Hunting

Requires a cyber threat hunting capability to be established and maintained to search for indicators of compromise and to detect, track and disrupt threats that have evaded existing controls, and requires that capability to be exercised at an organization-defi...

NIST800-RA-10 · Threat hunting
ISMAP (Japan)2 controls

ISMAP Cloud Infrastructure controls cover the underlying compute + network + storage + management plane. (1) Virtual Network Segmentation: VPC Virtual Private Cloud isolation + subnets + security groups + NACLs + microsegmentation + service mesh (Istio + Linke...

ISMAP-CloudInfrastructure-NetworkSegmentation-Container-Serverless-WorkloadProtection-Hardening-ConfigManagement · ISMAP Cloud Infrastructure - VPC Network Segmentation + Container/Serverless Security + Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP) + Image/Template Hardening + CIS Benchmarks + Configuration Management + IaC
MITRE ATT&CK2 controls

Implement detection engineering and threat hunting using ATT&CK Data Sources and detection content. Each technique includes Detection guidance + Data Sources required + analytic queries.

MITRE-ATTACK-Detection-Data-Sources-Analytics-Sigma-Splunk-KQL-Yara-Snort-SIEM-Hunt-Engineering · MITRE ATT&CK Detection + Data Sources + Analytics + Sigma + Splunk + KQL + Yara + Snort + SIEM + Hunt

Questions people ask about threat hunting

What is Threat Hunting?
The proactive process of searching through networks and datasets to detect and isolate advanced threats that evade existing security solutions. Threat hunting combines human analyst expertise with automated detection tools.
Why is Threat Hunting important for compliance?
Threat Hunting is a key concept in Information Security. Understanding threat hunting helps organizations meet regulatory requirements, reduce risk, and demonstrate due diligence during audits. Our compliance platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings.
Which compliance frameworks address Threat Hunting?
Threat Hunting appears in the requirement text of NIST SP 800-172, Japan FSA Cybersecurity Guidelines for Financial Institutions, NIST SP 800-161 Rev 1, NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, ISMAP (Japan). Across these standards we have identified 11 controls that name it directly, each linked to the control text on the compliance platform.
Where can I learn more about Threat Hunting?
Explore our compliance framework pages to see how threat hunting applies across different standards and regulations. Our implementation guides provide step-by-step guidance, and the compliance platform offers AI-powered analysis of how this concept maps across 686 frameworks.

See how Threat Hunting applies across compliance frameworks

Our platform maps 686 frameworks with 311K cross-framework control mappings. Explore how this concept is addressed across standards.

Written and maintained by Gerard Blokdyk, The Art of Service.