Threat Intelligence Connector for OpenCTI Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform

Introduction

OpenCTI, an open-source cyber threat intelligence platform. By using an OpenCTI connector, organizations can automatically collect, normalize, and correlate threat intelligence from multiple sources, transforming raw indicators into structured, actionable intelligence within OpenCTI’s data model. The focus is on improving visibility, automation, and intelligence-driven security operations.

Key Takeaways  

• Threat Intelligence Connector for OpenCTI automates ingestion of external threat data.
• OpenCTI connector normalizes and structures intelligence for better correlation.
• Centralized intelligence improves analysis across campaigns, indicators, and relationships.
• Automation reduces manual effort and accelerates intelligence workflows.

OpenCTI is an open source threat intelligence platform developed by Filigran in collaboration with French national cybersecurity agency (ANSSI), CERT-EU and Luatix. Organizations can manage threat intelligence knowledge and observables such as TTPs structuring data in STIX2, store, organize and visualize cyber threats. This product is available on GitHub.

Developing a Connector OpenCTI connector is developed using Python3 and the type of connector depends on the Use Case. There are five connector types to choose from based on your Use Cases:

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The connector should pass the following criteria for the community to use:

• # Linting with flake8 contains no errors or warnings
• $ flake8 –ignore=E,W
• # Verify formatting with black
• $ black

Data Model OpenCTI uses concept of Nodes and Edges as two entities for Graphical visualization of threats. Nodes to describe an entity and its values like IP address, domain, malware etc. Edges to describe relationship between two entity nodes. Once data is integrated in OpenCTI by analysts, new relations may be inferred from current to facilitate the understanding of information. This allows the analysts to leverage meaningful knowledge on the observables.

The value of OpenCTI integration allows organizations manage data from multiple sources for enhanced threat hunting and detection.

Conclusion

The blog highlights that deploying a Threat Intelligence Connector for OpenCTI is essential for operationalizing threat intelligence at scale. By leveraging an OpenCTI connector, organizations can continuously ingest and structure external intelligence, enabling deeper correlation and more effective analysis. This integration strengthens threat visibility, supports intelligence-driven investigations, and enhances overall cyber threat intelligence operations.

FAQs

Q1. What is a Threat Intelligence Connector for OpenCTI?

A Threat Intelligence Connector for OpenCTI is a tool that connects OpenCTI with external threat feeds and security systems, such as MISP, VirusTotal, or Tenable, it automatically imports, enriches, syncs, and shares threat data, using standards like STIX 2 to structure the information. This makes threat intelligence easy to analyze, visualize, and use for real-world security operations.

Q2. What does an OpenCTI connector do?

An OpenCTI connector is a specialized service that connects the OpenCTI platform with external tools and data sources, which acts as a data pipeline importing threat intelligence such as IoCs, vulnerabilities, and reports from sources like Tenable, or exporting enriched intelligence to systems like SIEMs. By automating enrichment, enabling real-time data flow, and handling specific data formats and historical data, OpenCTI connectors extend the platform’s capabilities and improve threat detection and response.

Q3. Why is automated intelligence ingestion important?

Automated intelligence ingestion ensures AI systems receive accurate, real-time data without manual effort. This enables faster insights, better decisions, and higher efficiency by reducing errors and freeing people to focus on strategic work instead of repetitive data handling. By making data scalable, accessible, and reliable, it powers advanced AI use cases such as predictive analytics, fraud detection, and personalized experiences across industries.

Q4. What type of data can be ingested into OpenCTI?

OpenCTI ingests structured cyber threat intelligence using the STIX 2.1 standard. It collects data such as IPs, domains, file hashes, malware details, threat actors, campaigns, tools, reports, and attacker TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures). This intelligence is ingested through automated feeds like TAXII, RSS, and JSON/CSV, or via file uploads, then enriched for deeper analysis and clear visualization.

Q5. How does this connector improve threat intelligence operations?

A threat intelligence connector enhances security operations by automatically feeding high-quality threat data from multiple sources into existing security tools. This automation speeds up threat detection, improves analysis accuracy, and enables faster, more effective incident response.