Cited by 94Network Security and Intrusion DetectionInformation and Cyber SecurityDigital and Cyber Forensics

Evolving techniques in cyber threat hunting: A systematic review

Open access
Mahboubi, Arash, Luong, Khanh, Aboutorab, Hamed, Bui, Hang Thanh, Jarrad, Geoff, Bahutair, Mohammed, Camtepe, Seyit, Pogrebna, Ganna +3 more·2024·Journal of Network and Computer Applications

Abstract

In the rapidly changing cybersecurity landscape, threat hunting has become a critical proactive defense against sophisticated cyber threats. While traditional security measures are essential, their reactive nature often falls short in countering malicious actors’ increasingly advanced tactics. This paper explores the crucial role of threat hunting, a systematic, analyst-driven process aimed at uncovering hidden threats lurking within an organization’s digital infrastructure before they escalate into major incidents. Despite its importance, the cybersecurity community grapples with several challenges, including the lack of standardized methodologies, the need for specialized expertise, and the integration of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) for predictive threat identification. To tackle these challenges, this survey paper offers a comprehensive overview of current threat hunting practices, emphasizing the integration of AI-driven models for proactive threat prediction. Our research explores critical questions regarding the effectiveness of various threat hunting processes and the incorporation of advanced techniques such as augmented methodologies and machine learning. Our approach involves a systematic review of existing practices, including frameworks from industry leaders like IBM and CrowdStrike. We also explore resources for intelligence ontologies and automation tools. The background section clarifies the distinction between threat hunting and anomaly detection, emphasizing systematic processes crucial for effective threat hunting. We formulate hypotheses based on hidden states and observations, examine the interplay between anomaly detection and threat hunting, and introduce iterative detection methodologies and playbooks for enhanced threat detection. Our review encompasses supervised and unsupervised machine learning approaches, reasoning techniques, graph-based and rule-based methods, as well as other innovative strategies. We identify key challenges in the field, including the scarcity of labeled data, imbalanced datasets, the need for integrating multiple data sources, the rapid evolution of adversarial techniques, and the limited availability of human expertise and data intelligence. The discussion highlights the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on both threat hunting and cybercrime, reinforcing the importance of robust hypothesis development. This paper contributes a detailed analysis of the current state and future directions of threat hunting, offering actionable insights for researchers and practitioners to enhance threat detection and mitigation strategies in the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jnca.2024.104004

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  • The detection mechanisms are similar in all environments (IT, IoT, OT, IIoT), but the concepts of using a dedicated SOC in combination with SIEMs and EDRs are more advanced in an IT environment.

    “Based on this research, it can be concluded that the detection mechanisms are similar in all environments, but the concepts of using a dedicated SOC in combination with SIEMs and EDRs are more advanced in an IT environment.”

    From Mapping of Industrial IoT to IEC 62443 Standards (2025) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Mahboubi, A., Luong, K., Aboutorab, H., Bui, H. T., Jarrad, G., Bahutair, M., Camtepe, S., Pogrebna, G., Ahmed, E., Barry, B., & Gately, H.
Affiliations
  • Charles Sturt University (AU)
  • Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (AU)
  • Insurance and Care NSW (AU)
Corresponding author
Mahboubi, Arash
Venue
Journal of Network and Computer Applications
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2024-12
Volume
232
Pages
104004
ISSN
1084-8045 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4401798873
Cited by
94
References
134
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 60 · 2024: 3
FWCI
5.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Network and Computer Applications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Charles Sturt University Research Output (CRO) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Networks and Communications › Network Security and Intrusion Detection
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Information and Cyber Security
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Digital and Cyber Forensics
Keywords
cyber threat hunting, proactive threat detection, anomaly detection, machine learning for cybersecurity, graph-based detection, rule-based detection, labeled data scarcity, class imbalance, multi-source data fusion, cybercrime

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