Cyber Threat Intelligence (STIX/TAXII Feed Integration)
Cyber Threat Intelligence integration in XDR Forensics enables you to ingest structured threat intelligence from STIX/TAXII-compatible feeds and operationalize it in investigation workflows.
The integration connects XDR Forensics to external TAXII 2.x servers, pulls STIX objects, parses indicators, and converts them into investigation-ready YARA, Sigma, and osquery hunt/triage rules.
Key capabilities
With Cyber Threat Intelligence integration, you can:
- Connect to TAXII 2.x compliant feeds (public or private)
- Discover available TAXII collections automatically
- Run scheduled or manual sync jobs
- Apply confidence filtering before rule generation
- Convert indicators into YARA, Sigma, and osquery hunt/triage rules
- Browse imported indicators and sync history in XDR Forensics
Supported authentication methods
You can configure feed access with:
- No authentication (for public feeds)
- Bearer token
- Basic authentication
- API key via custom header
Prerequisites
Before configuring a feed, verify the following:
- You have administrative access in XDR Forensics
- Your feed provider supports TAXII 2.x and STIX data
- You have the required feed credentials/tokens
- The Console can reach the feed endpoint over the network
- The Cyber Threat Intelligence integration feature is enabled in your environment
Recommended setup workflow
- Add the TAXII feed URL and authentication details.
- Test connection and load available collections.
- Select collections to subscribe.
- Configure conversion options per category.
- Set sync strategy (manual or scheduled).
- Run initial sync and review generated hunt/triage rules.
Supported indicator categories
The current parser supports these indicator categories:
- File hash
- File path
- Network address (IPv4/IPv6)
- Domain
- URL
- Registry key
- Mutex
- Process
- Direct YARA pattern
- Direct Sigma pattern
Rule generation and ownership modes
When content type is hunt/triage rules, imported indicators are converted into YARA, Sigma, or osquery content.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Managed | Rules are maintained by the system and updated on sync cycles. |
| Snapshot | Rules are created as a point-in-time snapshot and are not overwritten by later sync updates. |
Sync behavior
- Scheduled sync intervals support:
15,30,60,120,360,720,1440minutes - Manual sync is supported
- Sync logs are retained for recent runs and can be reviewed in the UI
- Incremental sync is used to reduce repeated data transfer
Current limitations
- TAXII 1.x is not supported
- Compound STIX patterns (for example
AND/ORmixed observables) are not supported - Feed ingestion is pull-based (no webhook/push mode)
Best practices
- Start with trusted collections and expand gradually
- Set a sensible confidence threshold to reduce noisy indicators
- Define clear ownership for feed maintenance and review
- For Snapshot mode, periodically remove low-value or stale feed sources and keep curated feeds only.
How conversion works in practice
During each sync, XDR Forensics processes incoming STIX objects and applies your collection-level configuration:
- Pull indicators from selected TAXII collections.
- Parse supported indicator patterns into internal categories.
- Filter indicators by confidence threshold and supported pattern rules.
- Group indicators by engine/category mapping.
- Generate or update hunt/triage rules (YARA, Sigma, osquery).
In Managed mode, generated rules are maintained by sync cycles. In Snapshot mode, generated rules are preserved as point-in-time outputs.
FAQ
Why do I see fewer indicators than expected after sync?
This usually means one or more indicators were excluded by configuration or parser rules, for example:
- Confidence is below your minimum threshold
- Pattern type is unsupported for the current phase
- Indicator category is disabled in conversion settings
- Indicator has expired or is no longer available in the source collection
Why did some indicators not become rules?
Not every STIX object becomes a hunt/triage rule directly. Rule creation depends on:
- Supported indicator category
- Engine mapping in your collection configuration
- Search scope compatibility for the selected engine
- Rule size and batching limits in the current implementation
What is the difference between Managed and Snapshot modes?
- Managed: best for continuously updated feeds. Rules are updated by recurring sync jobs.
- Snapshot: best for one-time or controlled imports. Existing generated rules are not overwritten by later sync updates.
How often should I run sync jobs?
Use shorter intervals for high-priority operational feeds and longer intervals for low-volatility feeds. Supported scheduled intervals are 15, 30, 60, 120, 360, 720, and 1440 minutes.
Which authentication type should I choose?
- Use None for public feeds
- Use Bearer for token-based providers
- Use Basic when username/password is required
- Use API Key when provider expects a custom header
Always confirm the exact auth method and header format with your feed provider.
Is TAXII 1.x supported?
No. The current integration supports TAXII 2.x only.
Can I use webhook/push instead of polling?
Not in the current phase. Feed ingestion is pull-based through scheduled or manual sync.
Can I ingest every STIX pattern type?
No. Compound patterns (for example mixed AND / OR object conditions) are currently out of scope and can be skipped.