Setting Intelligence Requirements (IRs)

Setting Intelligence Requirements (IRs) is the first and most critical step in building an effective Threat Intelligence program. Think of IRs as the “North Star” that guides your entire intelligence cycle. Without clear IRs, teams collect random data, waste resources, and fail to deliver actionable insights.

IRs ensure that your threat intelligence efforts stay aligned with business goals, risk priorities, and actual security needs.

What Are Intelligence Requirements?

Intelligence Requirements are specific questions your organization needs answers to in order to make informed decisions about threats, risks, and defenses.

They define:

• What information is needed
• Why it matters
• Who needs it
• When it’s needed
• How it will be used

Essentially, IRs turn vague security concerns into concrete, answerable questions.

Why Setting IRs Is Important

1. Focuses your threat intelligence efforts
   → No more guessing or “collecting everything.”
2. Ensures relevance
   → Intelligence aligns with business operations, assets, and risk tolerance.
3. Improves decision-making
   → Helps leadership, SOC teams, and incident responders act on real threats.
4. Saves time and money
   → Prevents drowning in useless data.
5. Keeps the intelligence cycle organized
   → Clear IRs streamline collection → analysis → reporting.

Types of Intelligence Requirements

Organizations typically break IRs into three categories:

1. Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIRs)

These are mission-critical questions that leadership needs answers to.
Example:

• “What threat actors are actively targeting our industry?”

PIRs guide high-level strategic decisions.

2. Specific Intelligence Requirements (SIRs)

These support a particular function or department.
Example:

• “Which vulnerabilities in our environment are being exploited in the wild this quarter?”

SIRs help operational teams prioritize actions.

3. Essential Elements of Information (EEIs)

These are detailed data points needed to satisfy PIRs and SIRs.
Example:

• TTPs of threat groups
• Indicators of compromise
• Affected regions or sectors

EEIs are the “raw details” analysts collect.

How to Set Effective Intelligence Requirements

1. Understand the Business Context

IRs must reflect:

• Business goals
• Critical assets
• Regulatory requirements
• Risk appetite

Ask: What matters most to the organization?

2. Identify Key Stakeholders

These could include:

• SOC analysts
• Incident response team
• CISOs
• Risk management
• IT operations
• Legal & compliance

Each stakeholder has different intelligence needs.

3. Define the Questions to Answer

Good IRs are clear, specific, and actionable.
Avoid:
❌ “Tell us about threats.”
Use:
✅ “Which ransomware groups are currently exploiting VPN vulnerabilities similar to ours?”

4. Prioritize the Requirements

Not all IRs are equal.
PIRs get the highest priority → SIRs → EEIs.

This ensures analysts don’t waste time on low-impact questions.

5. Make IRs Measurable

Each IR should have criteria for success.
Example:

• Frequency of updates
• Specific threat actor coverage
• Defined risk categories

6. Continuously Review and Update

IRs evolve as:

• New threats emerge
• Business operations change
• New assets come online
• Incidents occur

Think of IRs as living documents, not one-time tasks.

Examples of Well-Defined Intelligence Requirements

Strategic IRs:

• What cyber threats could disrupt our global supply chain this year?
• What regulatory changes affect our data protection strategy?

Operational IRs:

• Which malware families are targeting our region or industry?
• What vulnerabilities in our technology stack are trending in threat reports?

Tactical IRs:

• What IOCs (IPs, domains, hashes) are associated with current phishing campaigns against us?
• Which TTPs from MITRE ATT&CK are linked to recent intrusion attempts?

Conclusion

Setting Intelligence Requirements (IRs) is the foundation of any successful Threat Intelligence operation. When done right, IRs ensure the organization focuses on what truly matters — enabling faster detection, smarter decisions, and stronger defense against evolving cyber threats.