Speaking at the Virus Bulletin 2019 conference in London, members of the Cyber Threat Alliance discussed the benefits of sharing intelligence.

Led by moderator and Cyber Threat Alliance COO Heather King, panelists Kathi Whitbey, program manager of cyber threat intelligence information Sharing at Palo Alto Networks and Jeannette Jarvis, director product marketing at Fortinet, said that there are clear benefits to sharing data, as Jarvis explained: “There is the opportunity to expand and share more deeper intelligence.” 

Jarvis said that there is an intention with the Alliance to “build equal or better ecosystems beyond what our adversaries are doing, and to know what they are sharing” and this can better protect customers with “actionable intelligence.”

Whitbey added that the founding members believed in the “power of collaboration and sharing.” Asked by King how the Cyber Threat Alliance is unique, Jarvis admitted that all of the members have different missions, but the collaborative nature means that companies can get enough data to get the complete picture of an issue.

Pointing at the WannaCry incident in 2017, Whitbey said that within hours they knew what each other was seeing and what the issue was, and “we were able to paint a picture as everyone provided what they had and we could see all the information in real time.”

Jarvis admitted that “no one has all the information” and by sharing they get the complete picture and fill in the gaps. 

The panellists explained that the members don’t have the same technology, customers or are in the same regions, “but if we collaborate we all get into the environment,” Whitbey said.

Jarvis reflected on a previous role at an aerospace company, saying that it was clear from working in that role “that we need to be more connected to help customers.”