Resources – Christian Fike

Threat Intelligence & Vulnerability Databases

ISACs (Information Sharing and Analysis Centers)

Industry-specific cyber threat intelligence networks (e.g., finance, healthcare, aviation).

MS-ISAC (Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center)

Cybersecurity intelligence and resources for state and local governments.

MITRE ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge)

A framework of adversary tactics and techniques for cyber defense and threat hunting.

CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures)

Official catalog of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and exposures.

NVD (National Vulnerability Database)

U.S. government vulnerability database with risk scoring and mitigation guidance.

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

List of actively exploited vulnerabilities with remediation guidance.

SANS Internet Storm Center

Cyber threat reports, malware analysis, and vulnerability tracking.

InfraGard

FBI-private sector partnership for cyber and physical security threat sharing.

Official Government Agencies

CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)

U.S. cybersecurity alerts, threat intelligence, and security guidelines for protecting infrastructure.

NSA (National Security Agency) Cybersecurity

Security advisories, threat mitigation, and national cybersecurity guidance.

NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)

Cybersecurity frameworks and risk management best practices, including NIST CSF and 800-53.

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Cybercrime Division

Investigations into cybercrime, including ransomware, fraud, and nation-state attacks.

DHS (Department of Homeland Security) Cybersecurity

Government-led cybersecurity strategies and national security research.

US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team)

Cyber threat alerts, vulnerability reports, and response coordination.

IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center)

FBI-run cybercrime reporting center with trend analysis and public alerts.

Professional Development & Research

OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project)

Web application security research, including the OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities.

CIS (Center for Internet Security)

Security best practices, benchmarks, and compliance tools for organizations.

CERT Division - Carnegie Mellon University

Cyber risk research and incident response methodologies.

Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

Cloud security best practices and compliance frameworks.

SANS Institute

Cybersecurity training, certifications, and research-driven threat intelligence.

General Cybersecurity Compliance Frameworks

NIST CSF

A voluntary framework that provides best practices for identifying, protecting, detecting, responding to, and recovering from cyber threats.

ISO/IEC 27001

An international standard for information security management systems (ISMS) that helps organizations secure data.

CIS Controls

A set of prioritized cybersecurity best practices designed to help organizations prevent cyberattacks.

Industry-Specific Cybersecurity Regulations

Healthcare

HIPAA

Requires healthcare organizations to protect patient data (PHI) and ensure privacy and security.

HITRUST CSF

A comprehensive security framework designed for the healthcare industry, incorporating HIPAA, NIST, and ISO controls.

Financial Services

PCI DSS

Ensures organizations securely process, store, and transmit credit card information.

GLBA

Requires financial institutions to protect consumer financial data.

SOX

Enforces internal controls and security measures to protect financial reporting data.

Government & Defense

FISMA

Requires federal agencies and contractors to implement cybersecurity programs based on NIST guidelines.

CMMC

Required for DoD contractors to ensure cybersecurity readiness for handling Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

NERC CIP

Cybersecurity standards for protecting critical infrastructure in the energy sector.

Consumer Data Protection & Privacy

GDPR

While primarily an EU regulation, many US companies that handle European data must comply with GDPR.

CCPA

Requires businesses to give California consumers control over their personal data.

NYDFS (23 NYCRR 500)

Mandates financial institutions in New York to maintain cybersecurity programs.

Cloud & Third-Party Security Compliance

FedRAMP

Ensures cloud service providers meet strict cybersecurity standards for government use.

SOC 2

Defines security, availability, and privacy requirements for third-party vendors managing customer data.

CSA STAR

A certification for cloud security best practices and vendor risk management.

Threat Intelligence & OSINT

Shodan

Search engine for internet-exposed devices, useful for reconnaissance and attack surface mapping.

VirusTotal

Scans suspicious files and URLs using multiple antivirus engines to detect malware.

AlienVault OTX

Community-driven platform for sharing cyber threat intelligence and attack trends.

Censys

Similar to Shodan, used for scanning and analyzing internet-connected assets.

Intelligence X

OSINT search engine for leaked data, dark web content, and public records.

Vulnerability Scanners & Management

Nessus

One of the most widely used vulnerability scanners for identifying security weaknesses.

OpenVAS

Open-source vulnerability scanning tool, often used as an alternative to Nessus.

Qualys Cloud Platform

Cloud-based vulnerability management and compliance assessment tool.

Rapid7 InsightVM

Enterprise vulnerability management and risk prioritization platform.

CVE Details

Searchable database of known vulnerabilities (CVEs) with exploit and patch details.

Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking

Kali Linux

A penetration testing-focused Linux distribution with pre-installed security tools.

Parrot Security OS

Security-focused Linux distribution for penetration testing and forensics.

Metasploit

A powerful framework for penetration testing and vulnerability exploitation.

Burp Suite

Web application security testing tool for detecting vulnerabilities like XSS and SQL injection.

sqlmap

Automated tool for detecting and exploiting SQL injection vulnerabilities.

John the Ripper

Password-cracking tool for testing weak credentials.

Hydra

Fast brute-force tool for attacking login credentials across various services.

Network Security & Monitoring

Wireshark

Packet analyzer for inspecting network traffic in real time.

Zeek (formerly Bro)

Network security monitoring tool for detecting and analyzing threats.

Suricata

High-performance IDS/IPS for real-time intrusion detection and prevention.

Snort

Another popular IDS/IPS for analyzing and blocking network-based threats.

Security Onion

Open-source platform for network security monitoring and threat hunting.

Forensics & Incident Response

Autopsy

Digital forensics tool for analyzing disks, files, and logs.

Volatility

Memory forensics framework for analyzing RAM dumps and detecting malware.

The Sleuth Kit (TSK)

Command-line digital forensics tool for examining disk images.

GRR Rapid Response

Google-developed framework for remote forensic investigations.

CyberChef

Web-based tool for analyzing and processing security data (encoding, decoding, hashing, etc.).

Password Management & Encryption

Bitwarden

Secure password manager for individuals and teams.

KeePass

Open-source password manager for securely storing credentials.

Hashcat

Advanced password recovery and brute-force cracking tool.

GPG (GNU Privacy Guard)

Encryption tool for secure communication and file encryption.

VeraCrypt

Disk encryption software for securing sensitive data.

Endpoint Security & Malware Analysis

Cuckoo Sandbox

Malware analysis tool for running suspicious files in an isolated environment.

YARA

Tool for identifying and classifying malware based on custom rules.

Falcon CrowdStrike

Enterprise endpoint protection platform (EPP) with real-time threat intelligence.

Sysinternals Suite

Microsoft’s toolset for analyzing Windows system behavior and malware.

OSSEC

Open-source host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) for monitoring endpoint security.

Cloud Security & Compliance

AWS Security Hub

Centralized security monitoring and compliance tool for AWS.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Cloud security posture management for Azure workloads.

Google Chronicle

Cloud-based SIEM platform for detecting and responding to security threats.

Cloud Security Alliance (CSA)

Industry best practices and research on cloud security.

ScoutSuite

Multi-cloud security auditing tool for AWS, Azure, and GCP.