IBM Fights Cybercrime with Security Intelligence Database

IBM (IBM) said it will make available its extensive library of security and cyber-threat intelligence with a new cloud-based platform called X-Force Exchange that private and public organizations can access to collaboratively combat cybercrime.

The vendor’s new platform is part of a move by those targeted by cyber intruders to share threat intelligence for their mutual protection. IBM’s X-Force Exchange platform provides access both to IBM and third-party threat data worldwide, including real-time indicators of live attacks.

IBM’s said its decision to house its cybercrime-fighting data under one roof represents a call to arms of sorts for targets of attacks by enabling users to consume, share and act on real-time threat intelligence from their own networks and the X-Force Exchange.

“The IBM X-Force Exchange platform will foster collaboration on a scale necessary to counter the rapidly rising and sophisticated threats that companies are facing from cybercriminals,” said Brendan Hannigan, IBM Security general manager.

The informational component is preventing cyber attacks is important–some 65 percent of in-house cybersecurity teams rely on some level of externally-provided intelligence to fend off intruders, the vendor said, citing a 2012 study by security researcher Enterprise Strategy Group.

“We’re taking the lead by opening up our own deep and global network of cyberthreat research, customers, technologies and experts. By inviting the industry to join our efforts and share their own intelligence, we’re aiming to accelerate the formation of the networks and relationships we need to fight hackers.”

The X-Force Exchange current houses some 700 terabytes of IBM-supplied raw, aggregated data but the vendor anticipates as the platform is updated and shared it will grow, perhaps to its capacity to add 1,000 malicious indicators every hour.

At this point, X-Force Exchange includes threat information from monitoring 15 billion monitored security events per day and more than 25 billion web pages and images; malware threat intelligence from a network of 270 million endpoints; data from more than 8 million spam and phishing attacks; and, reputation data on approximately one million malicious IP addresses.

IBM said the X-Force Exchange platform will facilitate organizations communicating directly with the vendor’s security analysts and researchers to validate findings and boost collaboration between companies fighting cybercrime.