Wondering who the real heroes are behind the scenes that save you from cyberattacks? These are the cyber threat intelligence analysts to whom you can call the detectives of the digital world. They not only deeply analyse the situation, hunt for threats, and understand the purpose of attackers, but also play a great role in protecting organisations.
The Business Research Company reported that the market size of cyber threat intelligence was 11.58 USD billion in 2024, which is further expected to reach 14.16 USD billion in 2025 with a growth of 22.3% CAGR. This huge growth of this industry is not going to stop anywhere as it is projected to reach 31.36 USD billion by 2029 with a CAGR of 22%.
So, do you also want to join this rapidly growing field, but are wondering about the skills needed to succeed? In this article, we will discuss seven skills that you must have to become an aspiring cyber threat Intelligence analyst and build a successful career ahead.
Are you looking for skills that can make your role as a cyber threat intelligence analyst more impactful? If so, get ready to learn from the skills given below! It is the basic requirement of this field that demands students to get hands-on expertise in various abilities. While doing so, students often get more involved in skills development and don't get enough time to write their theses. This is where they seek help from dissertation writing services from experts to manage their time well and effectively work on their papers.
The following are the seven key skills that every cyber threat intelligence analyst must have to build a career in cybersecurity.
1. Technical Proficiency in Cybersecurity Concepts
Cyber Threat Intelligence has a strong foundation in cybersecurity. You should understand how computer networks, systems, apps, and other related devices operate and especially, how they can be attacked, and it is essential as CTI analysts.
You must have this knowledge as your analysis is built upon this information. If you do not have proper knowledge, it will be difficult for you to determine whether a new strain of virus is a serious danger or how a specific threat may be used against you.
You must have the following skills:
- You should understand several protocols, including TCP/IP, DNS, and HTTPS/SSL.
- You must have Knowledge of threat detection systems, firewalls, and antivirus software.
- You should also know security architectures and the protection of endpoints.
2. Strong Analytical and Critical Thinking Skills
Cyber threat intelligence is the process of assembling a massive, disorganised giant puzzle, except that some parts are purposefully misleading and many are missing. You may differ from a great analyst if you can think critically, analyse incomplete data, and make connections that others would overlook.
If you think critically, it enables you to go beyond simply reporting events to understand their causes, attackers, and potential outcomes.
The following are essential tips for this skill:
- You should recognise patterns where others see disorders.
- You have to review the sources and challenge their misconceptions.
- You should be able to predict the next move of the attacker before it happens.
3. Research Skills and Information Gathering
The most successful cyber threat analysts are active investigators. A thorough examination of open source intelligence, dark web forums, threat databases, news stories, and other sources is necessary to remain updated with the continuous development of cyber threats.
The following are essential tips that you should follow:
- You should gather accurate information from an excess of unprocessed data.
- You have to find out how the sources of the information are reliable.
- You should keep updated about malware organisations, phishing attacks, and APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) activity.
4. Understanding of Threat Actor Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs)
You should be aware of the activities of the threat actor. They have regular cycles of behaviour, favourite tools, and routines that don't suddenly show up out of nowhere. These techniques and procedures play a crucial role when it comes to cyber threat intelligence. You may feel these techniques are valuable when you successfully understand the next move of the hacker, suggest a proper solution to their threats, and save yourself from failure.
An effective CTI analyst must do the following follow-up:
- You should identify various threat actors, including nation-states, hackers, criminal activity gangs, and threats from insiders.
- You have to understand the complete knowledge of the cyber death chain, ranging from stealing data to misuse and examination.
- You should connect threats to frameworks such as the diamond model of Attack Analysis or the MITd
As we know, good communication is the key solution to every problem; similarly, it is also essential for cybersecurity. Your cyber threat intelligence is useless unless you don't know how to share your thoughts and ideas and keep everything inside your head.
Furthermore, you must be able to communicate complicated dangers to various audiences in straightforward, useful language. They mostly include IT teams, staff members, decision makers, and strategists who offer their recommendations for business improvement.
Some of the most important communication formats are:
- Intelligence cyber threat intelligence reports
- Advisories and threat alerts
- Executive descriptions
- Oral briefings
5. Ability for Effective and Clear Communication
As we know, good communication is the key solution to every problem; similarly, it is also essential for cybersecurity. Your cyber threat intelligence is useless unless you don't know how to share your thoughts and ideas and keep everything inside your head.
Furthermore, you must be able to communicate complicated dangers to various audiences in straightforward, useful language. They mostly include IT teams, staff members, decision makers, and strategists who offer their recommendations for business improvement.
Some of the most important communication formats are:
- Intelligence cyber threat intelligence reports
- Advisories and threat alerts
- Executive descriptions
- Oral briefings
6. Expertise in Threat Intelligence Platforms and Tools
Threat intelligence is gathered, examined, and disseminated in large part thanks to technology. It is crucial to be familiar with popular Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) technologies, and threat-hunting tools. Along with that, you should also be able to develop and disseminate IOCS, streamline threat detection and data refinement, and design a defensive strategy for an organisation.
A few cyber threat intelligence tools to be aware of while developing skills for cybersecurity include:
- TIPs: ThreatConnect, Recorded Future, Anomali
- SIEM: Splunk, IBM QRadar, ArcSight
- VirusTotal, MISP (Malware Information Sharing Platform), and YARA guidelines are tools for threat hunting and analysis.
7. Curiosity, Adaptability, and a Growth Mindset
At last, you should have the correct mentality because technical skill is not the most important. The world of cyber threats is always evolving. On a weekly basis, new hacker groups form, new vulnerabilities are found, and new technology also brings challenges as well as possibilities.
The following are qualities of a CTI analyst with a growth mindset:
- Curiosity: You should always question "Why?" and "What if?"
- Adaptability: You must have the skill to swiftly adapt to new equipment, patterns, and methods of attack.
- Resilience: You should also have the ability to stay positive in challenges and must be able to adapt to rapidly evolving situations.
How to Become a Cyber Threat Intelligence Analyst?
University of California states that with an English degree in hand, you can start your career as a cybersecurity analyst, but that’s not necessary. Having English as a major helps you bring some definitive skills for becoming an analyst, but you still need supplementary certification and some in-field experience.
Firstly, you should establish a solid foundation in cybersecurity through some coursework or certification to improve your research and analytical abilities or to develop cyber threat intelligence abilities. If you want to obtain practical experience with threat intelligence tools, you should examine the actions of threat actors and keep updated on new developments in the field.
What Skills are Needed for Cyber Intelligence?
The profession-related cyber intelligence needs an efficient combination of technical expertise, critical thinking, and communication skills in order to properly detect, evaluate, and prevent cyber threats.
According to Marymount University, here are some essential skills of cyber intelligence:
- Cybersecurity Knowledge: You should know networks, security structures, and typical threats, as these are essential for cybersecurity.
- Analytical Thinking: It can provide you with the capacity to evaluate little information and anticipate trends in threats.
- Research Skills: This skill should provide you with the capacity to collect and validate to source day open-source intelligence.
- Threat Actor Awareness: Familiarity with attacker tactics and frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK.
- Tool Proficiency: You should gain knowledge of threat analysis tools, TIPs, and SIEM through this skill.
- Effective Communication: It includes the ability to clearly report and brief various audiences.
- Compliance Understanding: Through these skills, you should get familiar with important laws and cybersecurity guidelines.
- Adaptability and Curiosity: You may adopt an approach of thinking that encourages lifelong development and change to meet new challenges.
Final Thoughts
We all know that cybersecurity is crucial for all, whether you use digital media for yourself or your organisation. While becoming a successful cyber threat intelligence analyst, only getting a degree is not sufficient, as it demands learning various skills and tools needed for proper analysis. To help you in this regard, we have covered the 7 must-have skills to become a successful cyber threat intelligence analyst. By doing so, you will be able to learn and memorise these skills.
Additionally, while working on your thesis, you often don’t get enough time to develop these skills, which are mandatory to become an analyst. So, you can assign this writing task to professional dissertation writing firms in the UK. Whether you are not able to manage your time or don’t have the necessary skills to write an excellent paper, you can seek support from experts and streamline the task.
By learning these skills, you will be able to become a successful cyber threat intelligence analyst and start an impactful career towards a bright cybersecurity future!
Author Bio
Jerry M. Thompson is a cybersecurity expert and a dissertation writer with a passion for developing necessary skills in students. He has strong skills in cyber threats and helps students work on their different research projects. By getting his help, you can easily write your dissertation and excel in it.