Incident Information about computer security incident response. A computer security incident is a violation or imminent threat of violation of computer security policies, acceptable use policies, or standard security practices. Incidents pertain to one or more adverse events, each of which is modeled as a sighting.
Property | Type | Description | Required? |
---|---|---|---|
confidence | HighMedLowString | Represents the level of certainty or trustworthiness associated with the incident. It denotes the reliability of the intelligence associated with the incident. The confidence field can take on several values, including: - info : Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with no previous track record or there is no track record for the source reporting the incident. - low : Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with a questionable track record or there is limited information about the accuracy of the source. - medium : Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with a mixed track record or of uncertain reliability. - high : Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with a proven track record and high degree of reliability. The confidence field can be used to indicate the level of trust and confidence that can be attributed to the incident, and it may impact how the incident is prioritized, analyzed and addressed. It can also help in the decision-making process associated with the incident response activities. It is important to note that the confidence field is subjective and can be interpreted differently by different organizations or analysts. As such, it is often used in conjunction with other intelligence attributes, such as the severity field, to provide a more complete picture of the incident. |
✓ |
id | String | Globally unique URI identifying this object. | ✓ |
incident_time | IncidentTime Object | Relevant time values associated with this Incident. | ✓ |
schema_version | String | CTIM schema version for this entity. | ✓ |
status | StatusString | The status field represents the current state of an incident within the incident management process. Its values help in tracking and reporting the progress of the incident from its discovery to its resolution. |
✓ |
type | IncidentTypeIdentifierString | ✓ | |
assignees | ShortStringString List | A set of owners assigned to this incident. | |
categories | IncidentCategoryString List | A set of categories for this incident. | |
description | MarkdownString | A description of object, which may be detailed. | |
detection_sources | MedStringString List | A set of sources that contributed threat detections to the incident. | |
discovery_method | DiscoveryMethodString | Identifies how the incident was discovered. | |
external_ids | String List | It is used to store a list of external identifiers that can be linked to the incident, providing a reliable and manageable way to correlate and group related events across multiple data sources. It is especially useful in larger organizations that rely on multiple security information and event management (SIEM) systems to detect security incidents. For instance, it can be used to track events across different network sensors, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), or log management platforms. The field can also be used to facilitate automation and orchestration workflows, where additional information can be shared among incident management systems. It can be used to cross-reference with other external tools such as threat intelligence feeds and vulnerability scanners. | |
external_references | ExternalReference Object List | Specifies a list of external references which refers to non-CTIM information. Similar to external_ids field with major differences: - external_ids field is used to store a list of external identifiers that can be used to link entities across different data sources. These identifiers are typically standardized and well-known, such as CVE IDs, US-CERT advisories, or other industry-standard threat intelligence feeds. The external_ids field can be used to facilitate automation and orchestration workflows, where additional information can be shared among incident management systems. - external_references field, on the other hand, is used to provide a more general mechanism for linking entities to external sources of information. The external_references field can include references to blog posts, articles, external documents, threat intelligence reports, and other sources of information that may not have a standardized format or identifier. |
|
intended_effect | IntendedEffectString | Specifies the suspected intended effect of this incident | |
language | ShortStringString | The language field is used to specify the primary language of the affected system or the target of an attack. It can be used to provide additional context and information about the entity. The primary purpose of this field is to help analysts filter and prioritize entities based on their knowledge and expertise of different languages. For example, if an incident involves an attack on a system in a country where a specific language is predominant, the language field can be used to indicate that language, which can help analysts to quickly identify and respond to incidents that may be geographically or culturally relevant. This information can be used to prioritize incidents based on their potential impact. The language field can also be used to help with correlation of incidents across different systems and regions, as well as to help with data analysis and reporting. |
|
meta | MetaData Object | metadata associated to the incident. | |
promotion_method | PromotionMethodString | Describes method for promoting an Incident, whether manually or automatically. An Incident may be created manually by a SOAR analyst or SOC operator, or through an automated correlation or aggregation rule or engine that matches a specific set of events or alerts, and promotes them to Incident(s). | |
revision | Integer | A monotonically increasing revision, incremented each time the object is changed. | |
scores | IncidentScores Object | Used to indicate the severity or impact score of the threat represented by the incident. | |
severity | SeverityString | Represents the potential impact of an incident on an organization's security posture and business operations. It helps organizations prioritize and allocate resources for incident response based on the severity level of the incident It helps analysts and incident handlers prioritize incidents by indicating the level of risk and potential impact associated with the incident. This enables organizations to allocate resources efficiently and address the most critical incidents first. Can also be used to generate reports and metrics for measuring the effectiveness of the incident response process and to identify trends and patterns in the threat landscape. It is important to note that the severity field is subjective and can be interpreted differently by different organizations or analysts. Therefore, it should be used in conjunction with other intelligence attributes, such as the confidence field, to provide a more comprehensive view of the incident. |
|
short_description | MedStringString | A single line, short summary of the object. | |
source | MedStringString | Represents the source of the intelligence that led to the creation of the entity. | |
source_uri | String | URI of the source of the intelligence that led to the creation of the entity. | |
tactics | ShortStringString List | Represents the offensive techniques, approaches, or procedures that an adversary may use to achieve their objectives during an attack. It helps in understanding the intent and capabilities of the adversary and can be used to identify indicators of attack (IoAs) or indicators of compromise (IoCs) that are associated with the adversary's tactics. | |
techniques | ShortStringString List | Represents the specific methods or actions used by an attacker to carry out an offensive maneuver or achieve their goals. | |
timestamp | Inst (Date) | The time this object was created at, or last modified. | |
title | ShortStringString | A short title for this object, used as primary display and reference value. | |
tlp | TLPString | TLP stands for Traffic Light Protocol, which indicates precisely how a resource is intended to be shared, replicated, copied, etc. It is used to indicate the sensitivity of the information contained within the message. This allows recipients to determine the appropriate handling and dissemination of the information based on their clearance level and need-to-know. For example, an entity containing information about a critical vulnerability in a widely-used software might be marked as red , indicating that it should only be shared with a small group of highly trusted individuals who need to know in order to take appropriate action. On the other hand, a message containing more general information about security threats might be marked as amber or green , indicating that it can be shared more broadly within an organization. |
A set of owners assigned to this incident.
-
This entry is optional
-
This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
- ShortString String with at most 1024 characters.
A set of categories for this incident.
-
This entry is optional
-
This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
- Allowed Values:
- Attrition
- Denial of Service
- Exercise
- Exercise/Network Defense Testing
- Explained Anomaly
- Forensics
- Improper Usage
- Intelligence
- Investigating
- Investigation
- Malicious Code
- Malicious Logic
- Non-Compliant
- Reconnaissance
- Root Level
- Scans/Probes/Attempted Access
- Unauthorized Access
- Unsuccessful
- User Level
- eDiscovery
- Allowed Values:
Represents the level of certainty or trustworthiness associated with the incident. It denotes the reliability of the intelligence associated with the incident.
The confidence
field can take on several values, including:
info
: Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with no previous track record or there is no track record for the source reporting the incident.low
: Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with a questionable track record or there is limited information about the accuracy of the source.medium
: Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with a mixed track record or of uncertain reliability.high
: Indicates that the incident information is based on sources with a proven track record and high degree of reliability. Theconfidence
field can be used to indicate the level of trust and confidence that can be attributed to the incident, and it may impact how the incident is prioritized, analyzed and addressed. It can also help in the decision-making process associated with the incident response activities. It is important to note that theconfidence
field is subjective and can be interpreted differently by different organizations or analysts. As such, it is often used in conjunction with other intelligence attributes, such as theseverity
field, to provide a more complete picture of the incident.
-
This entry is required
- Allowed Values:
- High
- Info
- Low
- Medium
- None
- Unknown
- Reference: HighMedLowVocab
- Allowed Values:
A description of object, which may be detailed.
-
This entry is optional
- Markdown Markdown string with at most 5000 characters.
A set of sources that contributed threat detections to the incident.
-
This entry is optional
-
This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
- MedString String with at most 2048 characters.
Identifies how the incident was discovered.
-
This entry is optional
- Allowed Values:
- Agent Disclosure
- Antivirus
- Audit
- Customer
- External - Fraud Detection
- Financial Audit
- HIPS
- IT Audit
- Incident Response
- Internal - Fraud Detection
- Law Enforcement
- Log Review
- Monitoring Service
- NIDS
- Security Alarm
- Unknown
- Unrelated Party
- User
- Allowed Values:
It is used to store a list of external identifiers that can be linked to the incident, providing a reliable and manageable way to correlate and group related events across multiple data sources. It is especially useful in larger organizations that rely on multiple security information and event management (SIEM) systems to detect security incidents. For instance, it can be used to track events across different network sensors, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), or log management platforms. The field can also be used to facilitate automation and orchestration workflows, where additional information can be shared among incident management systems. It can be used to cross-reference with other external tools such as threat intelligence feeds and vulnerability scanners.
- This entry is optional
- This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
Specifies a list of external references which refers to non-CTIM information.
Similar to external_ids
field with major differences:
-
external_ids
field is used to store a list of external identifiers that can be used to link entities across different data sources. These identifiers are typically standardized and well-known, such as CVE IDs, US-CERT advisories, or other industry-standard threat intelligence feeds. Theexternal_ids
field can be used to facilitate automation and orchestration workflows, where additional information can be shared among incident management systems. -
external_references
field, on the other hand, is used to provide a more general mechanism for linking entities to external sources of information. Theexternal_references
field can include references to blog posts, articles, external documents, threat intelligence reports, and other sources of information that may not have a standardized format or identifier.
- This entry is optional
- This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
- ExternalReference Object Value
- Details: ExternalReference Object
Globally unique URI identifying this object.
-
This entry is required
- IDs are URIs, for example
https://www.domain.com/ctia/judgement/judgement-de305d54-75b4-431b-adb2-eb6b9e546014
for a Judgement. This ID type compares to the STIX id field. The optional STIX idref field is not used.
- IDs are URIs, for example
Relevant time values associated with this Incident.
- This entry is required
- Dev Notes: Was 'time'; renamed for clarity
- IncidentTime Object Value
- Details: IncidentTime Object
Specifies the suspected intended effect of this incident
-
This entry is optional
- Allowed Values:
- Account Takeover
- Advantage
- Advantage - Economic
- Advantage - Military
- Advantage - Political
- Brand Damage
- Competitive Advantage
- Degradation of Service
- Denial and Deception
- Destruction
- Disruption
- Embarrassment
- Exposure
- Extortion
- Fraud
- Harassment
- ICS Control
- Theft
- Theft - Credential Theft
- Theft - Identity Theft
- Theft - Intellectual Property
- Theft - Theft of Proprietary Information
- Traffic Diversion
- Unauthorized Access
- Allowed Values:
The language
field is used to specify the primary language of the affected system or the target of an attack. It can be used to provide additional context and information about the entity. The primary purpose of this field is to help analysts filter and prioritize entities based on their knowledge and expertise of different languages.
For example, if an incident involves an attack on a system in a country where a specific language is predominant, the language
field can be used to indicate that language, which can help analysts to quickly identify and respond to incidents that may be geographically or culturally relevant. This information can be used to prioritize incidents based on their potential impact. The language
field can also be used to help with correlation of incidents across different systems and regions, as well as to help with data analysis and reporting.
-
This entry is optional
- ShortString String with at most 1024 characters.
metadata associated to the incident.
- This entry is optional
- MetaData Object Value
- Details: MetaData Object
Describes method for promoting an Incident, whether manually or automatically. An Incident may be created manually by a SOAR analyst or SOC operator, or through an automated correlation or aggregation rule or engine that matches a specific set of events or alerts, and promotes them to Incident(s).
-
This entry is optional
- Allowed Values:
- Automated
- Manual
- Allowed Values:
A monotonically increasing revision, incremented each time the object is changed.
-
This entry is optional
- Zero, or a positive integer.
CTIM schema version for this entity.
-
This entry is required
- A semantic version matching the CTIM version against which this object should be valid.
Used to indicate the severity or impact score of the threat represented by the incident.
- This entry is optional
- IncidentScores Object Value
- Details: IncidentScores Object
Represents the potential impact of an incident on an organization's security posture and business operations. It helps organizations prioritize and allocate resources for incident response based on the severity level of the incident
It helps analysts and incident handlers prioritize incidents by indicating the level of risk and potential impact associated with the incident. This enables organizations to allocate resources efficiently and address the most critical incidents first.
Can also be used to generate reports and metrics for measuring the effectiveness of the incident response process and to identify trends and patterns in the threat landscape.
It is important to note that the severity
field is subjective and can be interpreted differently by different organizations or analysts. Therefore, it should be used in conjunction with other intelligence attributes, such as the confidence
field, to provide a more comprehensive view of the incident.
-
This entry is optional
- Allowed Values:
- Critical
- High
- Info
- Low
- Medium
- None
- Unknown
- Allowed Values:
A single line, short summary of the object.
-
This entry is optional
- MedString String with at most 2048 characters.
Represents the source of the intelligence that led to the creation of the entity.
-
This entry is optional
- MedString String with at most 2048 characters.
URI of the source of the intelligence that led to the creation of the entity.
-
This entry is optional
- A URI
The status
field represents the current state of an incident within the incident management process. Its values help in tracking and reporting the progress of the incident from its discovery to its resolution.
-
This entry is required
- Allowed Values:
- Closed
- Closed: Confirmed Threat
- Closed: False Positive
- Closed: Merged
- Closed: Near-Miss
- Closed: Other
- Closed: Suspected
- Closed: Under Review
- Containment Achieved
- Hold
- Hold: External
- Hold: Internal
- Hold: Legal
- Incident Reported
- New
- New: Presented
- New: Processing
- Open
- Open: Contained
- Open: Investigating
- Open: Recovered
- Open: Reported
- Rejected
- Restoration Achieved
- Stalled
- Allowed Values:
Represents the offensive techniques, approaches, or procedures that an adversary may use to achieve their objectives during an attack. It helps in understanding the intent and capabilities of the adversary and can be used to identify indicators of attack (IoAs) or indicators of compromise (IoCs) that are associated with the adversary's tactics.
-
This entry is optional
-
This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
- ShortString String with at most 1024 characters.
Represents the specific methods or actions used by an attacker to carry out an offensive maneuver or achieve their goals.
-
This entry is optional
-
This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
- ShortString String with at most 1024 characters.
The time this object was created at, or last modified.
-
This entry is optional
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
A short title for this object, used as primary display and reference value.
-
This entry is optional
- ShortString String with at most 1024 characters.
TLP stands for Traffic Light Protocol, which indicates precisely how a resource is intended to be shared, replicated, copied, etc.
It is used to indicate the sensitivity of the information contained within the message. This allows recipients to determine the appropriate handling and dissemination of the information based on their clearance level and need-to-know.
For example, an entity containing information about a critical vulnerability in a widely-used software might be marked as red
, indicating that it should only be shared with a small group of highly trusted individuals who need to know in order to take appropriate action. On the other hand, a message containing more general information about security threats might be marked as amber
or green
, indicating that it can be shared more broadly within an organization.
-
This entry is optional
- Allowed Values:
- amber
- green
- red
- white
- Allowed Values:
-
This entry is required
- Must equal: "incident"
ExternalReference External references are used to describe pointers to information represented outside of CTIM. For example, a Malware object could use an external reference to indicate an ID for that malware in an external database or a report could use references to represent source material.
Property | Type | Description | Required? |
---|---|---|---|
source_name | MedStringString | The source within which the external-reference is defined (system, registry, organization, etc.) | ✓ |
description | MarkdownString | ||
external_id | String | An identifier for the external reference content. | |
hashes | String List | Specifies a dictionary of hashes for the contents of the url. | |
url | String | A URL reference to an external resource. |
- Reference: External Reference
-
This entry is optional
- Markdown Markdown string with at most 5000 characters.
An identifier for the external reference content.
- This entry is optional
Specifies a dictionary of hashes for the contents of the url.
- This entry is optional
- This entry's type is sequential (allows zero or more values)
The source within which the external-reference is defined (system, registry, organization, etc.)
-
This entry is required
- MedString String with at most 2048 characters.
A URL reference to an external resource.
-
This entry is optional
- A URI
Property | Type | Description | Required? |
---|---|---|---|
opened | Inst (Date) | Time the incident was first opened. | ✓ |
closed | Inst (Date) | Time that the incident was last closed. | |
discovered | Inst (Date) | Time the incident was first discovered. | |
rejected | Inst (Date) | Time that the incident was first rejected. | |
remediated | Inst (Date) | Time that the remediation of the damage from the incident was completed. | |
reported | Inst (Date) | Time the incident was first reported. |
Time that the incident was last closed.
-
This entry is optional
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
Time the incident was first discovered.
-
This entry is optional
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
Time the incident was first opened.
-
This entry is required
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
Time that the incident was first rejected.
-
This entry is optional
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
Time that the remediation of the damage from the incident was completed.
-
This entry is optional
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
Time the incident was first reported.
-
This entry is optional
- ISO8601 Timestamp Schema definition for all date or timestamp values. Serialized as a string, the field should follow the rules of the ISO8601 standard.
Property | Type | Description | Required? |
---|---|---|---|
Keyword | String | custom field relevant to attach meta data to. |
custom field relevant to attach meta data to.
-
This entry is optional
- Only one of the following schemas will match
Property | Type | Description | Required? |
---|---|---|---|
Keyword | Number | Field is used to indicate the severity or impact of the threat represented by the incident. It's an open-type dictionary object with score types and numeric value of the score. For example, systems can have the following score types: - asset - assesses the potential damage or harm that the threat can cause to the affected asset(s). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating the highest potential harm. - global - assesses the overall impact or significance of the threat to the organization or wider community. The scale ranges from 0 to 1000, with 1000 indicating the highest impact. - ttp - a measure of the threat actor's proficiency in utilizing TTPs. Typically, ranges from 0-100, with a higher score indicating a greater threat or concern. |
Field is used to indicate the severity or impact of the threat represented by the incident. It's an open-type dictionary object with score types and numeric value of the score.
For example, systems can have the following score types:
-
asset
- assesses the potential damage or harm that the threat can cause to the affected asset(s). The scale ranges from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating the highest potential harm. -
global
- assesses the overall impact or significance of the threat to the organization or wider community. The scale ranges from 0 to 1000, with 1000 indicating the highest impact. -
ttp
- a measure of the threat actor's proficiency in utilizing TTPs. Typically, ranges from 0-100, with a higher score indicating a greater threat or concern.
-
This entry is optional
-
Allowed Values:
- :asset
- :global
- :ttp
-
A non-negative score number.
-