Securing the keys to the kingdom: Announcing Executive Threat Detection

In our previous exploration of proactive threat hunting, Cisco Talos discussed how the modern security landscape requires a shift from "waiting for the blinky light" to actively searching for the quietest whispers of an adversary. Since then, the threat landscape has only become more personalized. Today, we are seeing a significant surge in whaling and highly targeted campaigns where the objective is the leadership team, not the average user. 

To meet this evolving challenge, Cisco Talos Incident Response (Talos IR) is proud to announce the launch of Executive Threat Detection (ETD). This new proactive service joins our suite of retainer offerings, providing a dedicated, intelligence-led hunting cadence specifically for your organization’s most high-value IT assets. 

For a sophisticated threat actor, an executive is not only a high-ranking employee, but also a high-yield target. Leadership accounts often hold the keys to the kingdom, possessing elevated access to sensitive financial data, intellectual property, and strategic roadmap communications. Furthermore, an executive’s digital footprint often extends beyond the traditional corporate perimeter, making them a prime target for bespoke social engineering and advanced persistent threats (APTs).