The Role of Threat Intelligence in Preventing Financially Motivated Cyberattacks

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of financially motivated cyberattacks poses critical risks to global financial institutions, driving urgent demand for proactive defense mechanisms (Haruna et al., 2022). This study employs a quantitative analysis of cyber incidents (2018-2023) across 50 financial entities to evaluate the efficacy of threat intelligence (TI) in mitigating attacks. We develop a predictive logistic model to assess breach probability, offering a robust framework for risk assessment in an increasingly digital financial landscape. Our analysis correlates TI maturity with 33.7% reduced breach likelihood (p < 0.01) and 28% faster incident response. The model further quantifies how regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR/PSD2) and advanced authentication mechanisms amplify TI’s protective effect (Ali et al., 2024). Results demonstrate that institutions with TI _maturity > 0.8 experienced ≥45% lower financial losses versus peers (p = 0.003). This research provides a validated framework for financial entities to prioritize TI investments, optimize cyber-resilience, and preempt evolving threats (Bouveret, 2018; Moon et al., 2022). To enhance the model’s applicability, we incorporated additional variables such as the frequency of security audits, the diversity of threat intelligence feeds and the integration of artificial intelligence-driven analytics. These factors significantly bolster the predictive power, enabling institutions to anticipate emerging threats with greater precision. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of continuous training for cybersecurity teams, ensuring they can effectively leverage TI tools in real-time scenarios. The analysis also considers the impact of geopolitical factors and economic conditions, which can influence the sophistication and frequency of cyberattacks. By addressing these multifaceted dimensions, the framework offers a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity strategy development. Future research could explore the long-term effects of TI adoption on organizational culture and the scalability of the model across different sectors, providing a broader perspective on global cyber defense.

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