“Does this belong here?”
This guide seeks to help answer that question. We are definitely developing some preferences as a community for what we consider “post-worthy.”
Threat Intel Guiding Principles
We want all threat intelligence at IFIN to be:
Relevant: Does the story likely affect a large portion of our community?
Timely: Is it happening now?
Actionable: Are there specific responses a defender can perform to mitigate the risk posed by the story subject?
If one or more of those is missing, the post probably doesn’t belong in Threat Intel. It may still belong in another category, like Cyber News or Vulnerabilities.
Sources
While sources like BleepingComputer and TheHackerNews are great summaries of incidents, we seek primary sources whenever possible. Try to find the report that BC or THN is pulling from. They don’t always make it easy.
Bias toward action
While we definitely want to be a place that folks come together to share stories and suffering, we want to lean on the side of working toward solutions. What can we do about the issue? What does that mean? What are the equities in the conversation?
Simply put, there are plenty of places to simply be angry about the state of affairs. We’re trying to be something different, while acknowledging the real issues facing us.
Avoid hearsay and RUMINT
Hearsay, without any corroborating sources, will be flagged. Nobody can act on hearsay. Same goes for RUMINT. If it isn’t ready to share publicly, don’t share it. If you can’t back up a claim with evidence, we will flag it.
Embrace complexity
All too often the situation is murky, or appears clear until further examination. When posting a link to something, make sure you know what the story actually says. Headlines can be misleading; reporting can be incomplete. And if you’re not sure…
Ask questions!
This is a community effort. If something about a story is unclear, let’s work together to figure it out. IFIN Staff will curate the top post of an in-progress story to keep relevant information visible as a conversation evolves.