API Reference: Triaging Security Incidents
requests Library (Threat Intel APIs)
VirusTotal API v3
headers = {"x-apikey": "<API_KEY>"}
# IP lookup
requests.get(f"https://www.virustotal.com/api/v3/ip_addresses/{ip}", headers=headers)
# File hash lookup
requests.get(f"https://www.virustotal.com/api/v3/files/{sha256}", headers=headers)
# Domain lookup
requests.get(f"https://www.virustotal.com/api/v3/domains/{domain}", headers=headers)
Response Fields
| Field |
Description |
last_analysis_stats.malicious |
Vendors detecting as malicious |
last_analysis_stats.undetected |
Vendors with no detection |
meaningful_name |
File name (for hash lookups) |
reputation |
Community reputation score |
NIST SP 800-61r3 Incident Categories
| Category |
Examples |
| Unauthorized Access |
Credential compromise, privilege escalation |
| Denial of Service |
DDoS, resource exhaustion |
| Malicious Code |
Malware, ransomware, cryptominer |
| Improper Usage |
Policy violation, insider threat |
| Reconnaissance |
Port scan, directory enumeration |
| Web Application Attack |
SQLi, XSS, SSRF |
Severity Matrix
| Priority |
Label |
ACK SLA |
Containment SLA |
| P1 |
Critical |
15 min |
1 hour |
| P2 |
High |
30 min |
4 hours |
| P3 |
Medium |
2 hours |
24 hours |
| P4 |
Low |
8 hours |
72 hours |
SANS PICERL Framework
- Preparation - Tools, playbooks, team readiness
- Identification - Detection and triage (this skill)
- Containment - Isolate affected systems
- Eradication - Remove threat from environment
- Recovery - Restore systems to normal operation
- Lessons Learned - Post-incident review
MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
| Technique |
ID |
Common Alert |
| Brute Force |
T1110 |
Multiple failed logins |
| PowerShell |
T1059.001 |
Encoded PS execution |
| Valid Accounts |
T1078 |
Anomalous authentication |
| Phishing |
T1566 |
Malicious email attachment |
| Exploit Public App |
T1190 |
Web attack detected |
References