Cyber Threat Intelligence and Incident Response Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Threat Detection Capability and the Moderating Role of AI Integration

Abstract

One of the most significant challenges today for the organizations around the globe is the cyber threat. The rise in the number and complexity of cyberattacks imposes a critical need for organisations to have some robust tools that can help them detect threats at an early stage and react swiftly. Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is about gathering and analysing data regarding threats to help security teams make more informed decisions to mitigate cyber risk. But it's not all about threat intelligence. Additionally, an organization's threat detection algorithm needs to be robust enough to detect the attacks accurately and better the incident response capabilities of the organization. Further, the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity has improved threat analysis, automated the mundane tasks, and speeded the speed of reaction. Yet, there is little research on threat detection capability and how it contributes to the effectiveness of incident response, nor on the impact of AI on this relationship. The aim of the study, therefore, was to explore the role of cyber threat intelligence in the effectiveness of incident response with threat detection capability being the mediator and the use of AI integration being the moderator. A positivist quantitative research approach will be used. Purposive sampling will be used in the data collection method to gather information from cyber security analysts, IT security teams and Security Operations Center (SOC) pros. The data will be analyzed descriptively, cronbach alpha, correlation analysis and Structural Equation Modeling SEM. The results will help inform the cybersecurity body of knowledge and offer guidance on how organizations can help enhance their cyber security equation with the use of intelligence-driven security and AI technologies.