RE: [cti-users] Indicator Type / Vocabulary Implementation Questions

["Grobauer, Bernd" <Bernd.Grobauer@siemens.com>]

Hi,

> I heard a recent proposal to remove it entirely. What would be the
> impact of that?

I had made the suggestion to remove the IncidentType entirely in
my somewhat provocative mail a few weeks ago, in which I wanted
to explore how much potential for simplification in going towards
STIX 2.0 there might be.

Why had I suggested to remove it?

The main reason is that I do not find the values that are currently part of the
standard vocabulary particularly useful:

- Why would I put 'IP Watchlist' or 'Domain Watchlist' or 'File Hash Watchlist'
  into the Indicator Type? I could understand "Watchlist", which tells you
  to watch for whatever Observable Patterns are indicated in the indicator.

- Another type is 'C2' -- at the same time I have the ability to reference
  in the indicator a kill chain phase ... and if the referenced kill chain
  is of any use, it will have something corresponding to 'C2'.

  Now I have (again) two ways of expressing the same thing ... we have
  just stumbled over this issue a few days ago in a sharing group we
  are part of: we use the reference to the killchain phase to indicate
  C2-activity, others use the indicator type.

  Similarly, "Exfiltration" -- should that not be described with a reference
  from the indicator to an TTP "Exfiltration"?

Other entries in the standard vocabulary ("Malicious Email", "Host Characteristics")
seem like there would be no end to the list of allowed vocabulary (think
"Malicious <enter CybOX object type here>" as pattern for generating vocabulary...)

My suggestion to get rid of the indicator type was really a bit of a calculated
provocation -- I have no trouble with keeping it in STIX. But we should
ensure that the standard vocabulary is defined such that it really adds
value rather than adding confusion by allowing yet more ways to describe
the same thing in different ways.

Kind regards,

Bernd

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Bernd Grobauer, Siemens CERT