A commercial cyber-threat intelligence organization observes IoCs across a variety of customers. What is the organization MOST likely obligated to do before releasing specific threat intelligence?

The organization is most likely obligated to anonymize any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that is observed within the Indicators of Compromise (IoC) data before releasing specific threat intelligence. This is essential because the unintentional disclosure of PII can lead to privacy violations and compliance issues with various data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Ensuring that any PII is anonymized protects the identities of individuals and organizations, thereby maintaining confidentiality and trust in the threat intelligence sharing process.

In the context of threat intelligence, while performing attribution to specific Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and nation-state actors may be important, it is not as critical as ensuring the privacy of individuals or organizations involved. Adding metadata to track the utilization of threat intelligence reports and assisting companies with impact assessments can also be valuable practices, but they do not directly address the obligation to protect sensitive information prior to sharing. Hence, the primary responsibility revolves around the proper handling of PII to comply with legal and ethical standards.