# Threat Hunting Hypothesis

**Threat hunting** is a **proactive** cybersecurity approach that focuses on actively searching for signs of malicious activities or potential security threats within an organization's network or systems. It goes beyond traditional cybersecurity practices that rely primarily on automated security tools and threat detection systems. Threat hunting involves human-driven analysis and investigation to identify threats that might otherwise go undetected.

A **hypothesis** is an **educated guess** or a proposed explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested and verified. In threat hunting, a hypothesis is a proposed explanation for an observed **behavior** that may be indicative of **malicious activity.** The ability to create effective hypotheses is a key component of successful threat hunting, as it helps hunters to focus their efforts and identify the most critical threats to the organization.

### 40 THREAT HUNTING HYPOTHESIS EXAMPLES <a href="#f474" id="f474"></a>

* The attacker is exfiltrating data from our network through a specific port that has seen an **increase in traffic** in the past week.<br>
* The adversary is using a **certain type of malware** to compromise our systems and is using a specific **command and control** server to **communicate** with the infected systems<br>
* The **insider** is intentionally **leaking sensitive information** to a **competitor** based on a pattern of access to certain files and communication with the competitor’s employees.<br>
* **group of attackers** is attempting to **gain access** to our network through **vulnerable remote access protocols**.<br>
* The attacker is using a specific type of **exploit** to gain access to our systems and is using a **particular tool** to move **laterally** within our network.<br>
* The adversary is attempting to gain access to our systems through a **zero-day vulnerability** that has not yet been patched.<br>
* group of attackers is using a **specific type of malware** to mine **cryptocurrency** on our systems.<br>
* The adversary is using a **certain type of ransomware** to compromise our systems and is targeting a specific **group of employees** with the ransom demands.<br>
* The attacker is using a particular type of **denial of service attack** to disrupt our systems and is targeting a specific group of users.<br>
* A new strain of malware is being distributed through **email attachments**<br>
* A group of **compromised devices** are communicating with a known **Command and Control server.**<br>
* The adversary is attempting to **escalate privileges** on targeted systems.<br>
* The insider threat is attempting to access and steal sensitive data.\ <br>
* The adversary is using a specific type of **encryption** to evade detection.<br>
* **specific user account** has been the **source** of **multiple network intrusions**.<br>
* **increase** in the **number** of **failed login** attempts suggests a brute force attack.<br>
* **Unusual outbound network** traffic could indicate data exfiltration.<br>
* **sudden drop** in system performance could indicate malware activity.<br>
* increase in the **number** of newly **created** user accounts could suggest a breach.<br>
* **Unexplained changes** to **system** or **user** **permissions** could indicate malicious activity.<br>
* increase in the number of **error messages** could indicate a cyber attack.<br>
* Unusually **large file transfers** could suggest data exfiltration.<br>
* adversary is using a specific **spearphishing** technique to gain initial access.<br>
* botnet is being used to attack our infrastructure.<br>
* **misconfiguration** in a cloud service is being exploited.<br>
* specific **user** account is being targeted for **privilege** **escalation**.<br>
* The threat actor is using a new technique for evading detection.<br>
* There are unusual patterns in user login times, especially **outside of typical business hours**<br>
* there are **new** or unexpected **service accounts** in the network<br>
* There Have been **unauthorized** changes to critical system files or configurations<br>
* increase in **suspicious PowerShell** or scripting activity on endpoints<br>
* **unauthorized** changes to **firewall** or access control **rules**<br>
* **unauthorized** changes to **Active Directory Group Policy**<br>
* unusual patterns in **system** or **application logs**<br>
* changes to DNS records that could indicate **domain hijacking**<br>
* unauthorized database queries or data extraction<br>
* signs of unauthorized or suspicious **USB device** connections<br>
* unusual login activities from **geographically distant** locations<br>
* indications of malware persistence techniques, such as **registry changes**<br>
* signs of privilege escalation attempts\
  \ <br>

By providing organizations and hunters with a starting point, a list of threat hunting hypothesis examples can help to overcome the challenge of hypothesis creation and improve threat hunting efforts.


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