ThreatQuotient integrates verified breach intelligence from Visa to strengthen payment data defenses

ThreatQuotient is integrating verified breach intelligence from Visa to enable customers to detect and protect against cyber attacks targeting payment data.

The integration of the ThreatQ threat intelligence platform with Visa Threat Intelligence will provide incident responders and defenders of corporate networks with the context, customization and collaboration needed to transform critical threat data into actionable threat intelligence that can help identify breaches in advance.

Visa Threat Intelligence is a subscription service delivered via the Visa Developer Center API that shares Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) – data derived from Visa investigations into past and ongoing payment system breaches.

Together with ThreatQ’s Threat Library, Adaptive Workbench and Open Exchange, organizations can benefit from security effectiveness and threat operations and management. This integration can be instrumental in helping customers determine if they have been the victim of a financially motivated breach, and fortifying their cyber defenses to prevent future breaches in an effort to prevent card fraud.

“Retailers are investing heavily in cybersecurity to protect payment card data and other personally identifiable information, and ThreatQuotient is proud to partner with a global leader like Visa to bring a stronger security resource to this market,” says Haig Colter, director of alliances at ThreatQuotient.

“Cyber criminals are reusing tactics, techniques and procedures, leaving a recognizable trail of breadcrumbs and insights into the very attacks they are launching. This partnership is going to provide defenders with the tools needed to put these insights into action, offering a leg-up against adversaries and helping to automate processes and make existing resources, both people and infrastructure, even more effective.”

In 2017, research confirmed that the U.S. and Europe were the top two regions for payment data breaches. Additionally, the number of retail companies affected by a breach have more than doubled since 2015.

Leaders in retail, often companies that are household names, understand that facing a breach would be a high-profile event and that they must take an approach to preventing attacks. Threat actors reuse the same tactics – specific malware, targeted vulnerabilities and preferred infrastructure – to execute attacks across a wide range of merchants. By focusing on the characteristics of previous attacks using verified breach data, security analysts can detect and mitigate risks sooner.