In order to pick through the noisy Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) industry, buyers of CTI should use CATER as a guide to assessing vendors across five categories.

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5 Considerations When Purchasing
Threat Intelligence
The CATER Model
To learn more, read our report:
Cyber Threat Intelligence: A Buyer’s Guide.
Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) buyers are often overwhelmed by providers who deliver either
non-relevant data feeds or have simply re-badged existing data feed services as “cyber threat
intelligence.” In such a crowded industry, how can buyers ensure a vendor provides the intelligence
an organization craves and not raw data or irrelevant information?
In order to pick through the noisy CTI industry, buyers of CTI should use CATER as a guide to
assessing vendors across five categories:
CTI followed along the CATER model is critical for organizations that want to gain a comprehensive,
tailored and relevant view of the potential threats and types of attackers that could be targeting
them. By applying the CATER model to CTI, and expanding beyond CTI to digital risk monitoring,
organizations can make much more informed security decisions based on a truly comprehensive
view of their potential threats, attack vectors, brand risks, data loss risks and profile of their
attackers.
C
A
T
E
R
Coverage:
How does the provider ensure my intelligence is free from cognitive biases
and false alarms?
Accuracy:
How wide and how caried are the sources?
Timeliness:
How quickly will my organization receive an alert following an event and
how far back does the context go?
Ease of
Integration:
How well does the service integrate my organization’s existing services,
and how does this ensure that action is taken?
Relevance: How tailored is the service to my organization and its supply chain?

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London
Level 39, One Canada Square, London, E14 5AB 332 Pine St. Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94104
+1 (888) 889 4143
About Digital Shadows
San Francisco
info@digitalshadows.com+44 (0) 203 393 7001
Digital Shadows provides insight into an organization’s
external digital risks and the threat actors targeting them.
Digital Shadows SearchLight™ service combines scalable
data analytics with human analysts to monitor for cyber
threats, data leakage, and reputation risks. Digital Shadows
continually monitors the Internet across the visible, deep and
dark web, as well as other online sources to create an
up-to-the minute view of an organization and provide it with
tailored threat intelligence. The company is jointly
headquartered in London and San Francisco. For more
information, visit www.digitalshadows.com.
digitalshadows.com