TTPfocused

TTPfocused is a term used in cybersecurity to describe an approach that emphasizes the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by threat actors when analyzing threats, developing defenses, and conducting incident response. The term aligns with a TTP-centric view of threat intelligence, particularly the MITRE ATT&CK knowledge base, which catalogs actor behaviors into tactics and techniques rather than relying solely on indicators of compromise.

In practice, teams adopting a TTP-focused posture map detections and security gaps to ATT&CK techniques, conduct threat hunting against common techniques, and prioritize defenses based on the prevalence and severity of observed TTPs. This approach supports standardized sharing of intelligence and leads to more actionable detection engineering, enabling security operations centers to align controls with adversary behaviors rather than only with static indicators.

Benefits of a TTP-focused stance include improved detection coverage, more precise threat modeling, and better alignment with how adversaries operate in real environments. It also facilitates collaboration and information sharing by using a common framework. However, challenges exist: TTPs evolve, attribution can be uncertain, the approach depends on the quality and timeliness of threat intel, and there is a risk of overemphasizing known techniques at the expense of broader situational awareness or generic security controls.

Related concepts include threat intelligence, MITRE ATT&CK, threat hunting, and incident response. Practitioners often use ATT&CK Navigator and security tools such as SIEMs and threat intelligence platforms to implement a TTP-focused program.