Threat disposition analysis and modeling using supervised machine learning

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11888883-B2
Application number	US-201715623125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2017
Priority date	Jun 14, 2017
Publication date	Jan 30, 2024
Grant date	Jan 30, 2024

Abstract

An enhanced threat disposition analysis technique is provided. In response to receipt of a security threat, a threat disposition score (TDS) is retrieved. The threat disposition score is generated from a machine learning scoring model that is built from information about historical security threats, including historical disposition of one or more alerts associated with the historical security threats. The system augments an alert to include the threat disposition score, optionally together with a confidence level, to generate an enriched alert. The enriched alert is then presented to the security analyst for handling directly. Depending on the TDS (and its confidence level), the analyst may be able to respond to the threat immediately, i.e., without further detailed investigation. Preferably, the machine learning model is updated continuously as the system handles security threats, thereby increasing the predictive benefit of the TDS scoring.

First claim

Having described the invention, what we claim is as follows:

1. A method for threat disposition analysis, comprising:
responsive to receipt of a security threat identified in an alert, retrieving a threat disposition score (TDS), the threat disposition score generated from a machine learning scoring model built from information about historical security threats, including historical disposition of one or more alerts associated with the historical security threats, the TDS based in part on an effectiveness of a prior calculated TDS to predict a particular historical disposition associated with the alert;
augmenting the alert to include the threat disposition score to generate an enriched alert; and
presenting the enriched alert for further handling;
wherein the historical disposition of at least one alert comprises feedback from a second security analyst on handling of the at least one alert by a first security analyst.

2. The method as described in claim 1 wherein enriched alert also includes historical information about how the security threat has been handled previously.

3. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the feedback is generated following the at least one alert having been escalated from the first security analyst to the second security analyst.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further including building the machine learning scoring model, wherein the machine learning scoring model also is built from a set of attributes regarding an alert.

5. The method as described in claim 4 further including receiving data configuring the set of attributes.

6. The method as described in claim 1 further including updating the machine learning scoring model.

7. The method as described in claim 1 , further comprising:
providing a confidence level associated with the TDS; and
responsive to the confidence level reaching a threshold, automatically performing a set of one or more actions to respond to the security threat.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the further handling is one of: closing the security threat as a false positive, and escalating the security threat.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor;
computer memory holding computer program instructions executed by the processor for threat disposition analysis, the computer program instructions operative to:
retrieve a threat disposition score (TDS) in response to receipt of a security threat identified in an alert, the threat disposition score generated from a machine learning scoring model built from information about historical security threats, including historical disposition of one or more alerts associated with the historical security threats, the TDS based in part on an effectiveness of a prior calculated TDS to predict a particular historical disposition associated with the alert;
augment the alert to include the threat disposition score to generate an enriched alert; and
present the enriched alert for further handling;
wherein the historical disposition of at least one alert comprises feedback from a second security analyst on handling of the at least one alert by a first security analyst.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein enriched alert also includes historical information about how the security threat has been handled previously.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the feedback is generated following the at least one alert having been escalated from the first security analyst to the second security analyst.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the computer program instructions are further operative to build the machine learning scoring model, wherein the machine learning scoring model also is built from a set of attributes regarding an alert.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 12 wherein the computer program instructions also are operative to receive data configuring the set of attributes.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the computer program instructions also are operative to update the machine learning scoring model.

15. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the computer program instructions also are operative to:
provide a confidence level associated with the TDS; and
responsive to the confidence level reaching a threshold, automatically perform a set of one or more actions to respond to the security threat.

16. The apparatus as described in claim 9 wherein the further handling is one of: closing the security threat as a false positive, and escalating the security threat.

17. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer readable medium for use in a data processing system for threat disposition analysis, the computer program product holding computer program instructions that, when executed by the data processing system, are operative to:
retrieve a threat disposition score (TDS) in response to receipt of a security threat identified in an alert, the threat disposition score generated from a machine learning scoring model built from information about historical security threats, including historical disposition of one or more alerts associated with the historical security threats, the TDS based in part on an effectiveness of a prior calculated TDS to predict a particular historical disposition associated with the alert;
augment the alert to include the threat disposition score to generate an enriched alert; and
present the enriched alert for further handling;
wherein the historical disposition of at least one alert comprises feedback from a second security analyst on handling of the at least one alert by a first security analyst.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein enriched alert also includes historical information about how the security threat has been handled previously.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the feedback is generated following the at least one alert having been escalated from the first security analyst to the second security analyst.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the computer program instructions are further operative to build the machine learning scoring model, wherein the machine learning scoring model also is built from a set of attributes regarding an alert.

21. The computer program product as described in claim 20 wherein the computer program instructions also are operative to receive data configuring the set of attributes.

22. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the computer program instructions also are operative to update the machine learning scoring model.

23. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the computer program instructions also are operative to:
provide a confidence level associated with the TDS; and
responsive to the confidence level reaching a threshold, automatically perform a set of one or more actions to respond to the security threat.

24. The computer program product as described in claim 17 wherein the further handling is one of: closing the security threat as a false positive, and escalating the security threat.

25. A security threat analysis platform, comprising:
one or more hardware processors;
a data store holding a knowledge base of alert data, and historical alert disposition handling information; and
computer memory storing computer program instructions configured to;
compute a scoring model by applying machine le

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Givental Gary I
• Bhatia Aankur
• Dwyer Paul J

Classifications

• H04L63/1433 Primary

  Vulnerability analysis · CPC title

• G06F21/552

  involving long-term monitoring or reporting · CPC title

• G06N20/00

  Machine learning · CPC title

• H04L63/1408

  by monitoring network traffic (monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00) · CPC title

• G06N5/04

  Inference or reasoning models · CPC title