MISP sharing communities

Sharing communities bring together organizations that collaborate to share threat intelligence using the MISP platform. Let’s explore what these communities are and see some of the unique aspects of the MISP Project sharing model.

Each sharing community is formed by entities who share the same goals and values. Sector-specific communities bring together groups of organizations from the same industry to share threat intelligence relevant to their particular sector (Financial sector for ex.). Some other communities involve government agencies, police forces, and other public organizations that collaborate to share threat intelligence (Military, NATO, CERTs). Others can involve closed groups of private organizations that share sensitive threat data among themselves. Sharing communities can have a long-term lifespan, with continuous evolution among their members, or be created for a short period to address specific needs. Sometimes some topical communities, such as the COVID-19 MISP, are established to tackle specific issues.

Benefits of sharing

Participating in MISP communities offers several significant advantages to organizations. One of the primary benefits is an improved threat detection. Access to shared indicators of compromise enhances an organization’s ability to detect and respond to threats more effectively. Mutualized information and correlation engines ensure that organizations have access to IoCs relevant to their needs. This way, MISP communities foster collaboration, enabling organizations to benefit from collective knowledge. This collaborative environment also leads to increased efficiency in analysis, as structured information is shared and used to combat information overload and streamline threat intelligence processing. We’ll see the importance of structured information and standards in future posts. Stay tuned!

Sharing groups

Now that we’ve explored the concept of sharing communities and the sharing model within the MISP Project, let’s look at how it works in practice. MISP provides flexible sharing options to ensure secure and controlled distribution of threat intelligence. Sharing groups allow users to create reusable distribution lists for events and attributes, enabling selective sharing with internal instances and external organizations. The distribution lists and filtered sharing offer distinct options for controlling the flow of sensitive information, ensuring that only authorized parties receive threat data.

There’s a distinction between Sharing Groups and Sharing Communities within MISP. Sharing Groups refer to mechanisms for distributing information within MISP, providing precise control over which data is shared with whom. They are used to define specific distribution rules for events and attributes.

In contrast, Sharing Communities represent groups of users sharing information, focusing on the broader ecosystem of organizations collaborating in threat intelligence.

Several notable MISP communities exist. Two examples are the CIRCL Private Sector Information Sharing Community (MISPPRIV), which brings together international organizations primarily targeting private companies, financial institutions, and IT security firms. In contrast, the FIRST Community focuses specifically on incident response teams, offering both technical and non-technical content.

Takeaway

In summary, MISP communities are vital components of the threat intelligence ecosystem. They share a common set of goals and values. Organizations have multiple options to control the distribution of threat intelligence due to the customization capabilities of the platform and its information-sharing model. Sharing communities enable efficient and effective information sharing processes that supports detection, response, research, and collective action.

Pauline Bourmeau

visit: MISP Project Cubessa