Actor engagement

When you're conducting an investigation using a litany of intelligence sources, the concept of threat actor engagement often arises. Why? Human intelligence (HUMINT) lead operations, which target specific actors, allow the investigator or researcher to collect tactical information and intelligence on actors, in addition to sourcing large amounts of data, all of which map to the intelligence collection requirements that are used by the organization.

So, what is actor engagement? Actor engagement is the act of interacting with actors in a variety of ways. This could include negotiating a ransomware incident with an affiliate, interfacing with an actor on an underground forum, and anything in between.

At the end of the day, threat actors are humans on the other end of a connection with a keyboard at hand. However, if you're thinking about engaging with a threat actor, there are several things you should consider.

First and foremost, the most important...