No Threat Intel Team? No Problem. Let’s Pretend You Do! with Mike Kosak

Human-Centered Security

In this episode, Mike Kosak explains what threat intelligence really is (Mike’s former boss said you have to “rub some thinking on it.”), how to define priority intelligence requirements (PIRs), how to treat model, where to find threat intel, and how to keep in actionable with tight feedback loops—not panic.

Key takeaways:

• Threat intel ≠ data. It’s analyzed info focused “walls-out” (what’s outside your org), then shared clearly so people can act.
• Start with PIRs. Ask: What are we protecting? What is most valuable to our company? What might threat actors want? How do they operate? What do we need to know to defend? Do this with a broad set of stakeholders, not just the security team.
• Communicate clearly and with context. Intelligence is only valuable if it’s shared in a way others can understand and act on. Avoid overwhelming people with raw data or inducing panic — provide actionable insights that are right-sized for the audience.
  • Mike’s advice: “As a threat intelligence analyst, if you’re doing your job right, when somebody hears from you they know they need to act on it. You don’t want to be the chicken little where you make everybody freak out about everything.”
• Start small and iterate. Even if you’re a one-person team, you can make a big impact. Use free resources (like MITRE ATT&CK, open-source feeds, or even vendor reports), summarize what’s relevant, and push that out. Then refine based on feedback—treat it as a continuous cycle, not a one-and-done project.
  • Mike admits, “I always say it’s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge. As soon as you get done, you gotta start back at the other end. That’s basically what it is.”

Mike Kosak is the Senior Principal Intelligence Analyst at Lastpass. Mike references a series of articles he wrote, including “Setting Up a Threat Intelligence Program From Scratch.” https://blog.lastpass.com/posts/setting-up-a-threat-intelligence-program-from-scratch-in-plain-language