Enhancing Cybersecurity with MISP: Complete Ubuntu Installation, SSL Certification, and Event Loading Guide

Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, sharing threat intelligence is paramount. The Malware Information Sharing Platform & Threat Sharing (MISP) is an open-source tool designed to facilitate the sharing of structured threat information. In this guide, we’ll delve into MISP’s purpose, its key functionalities, and provide a step-by-step tutorial on installing MISP on an Ubuntu machine along with all necessary components.

What is MISP?

MISP is a powerful platform used by organizations worldwide to collect, store, and share cybersecurity threat information. Its primary purposes include:

• Centralizing Threat Data: Aggregates data from various sources into a single platform.
• Enhancing Collaboration: Facilitates the exchange of threat intelligence among trusted partners.
• Automating Threat Response: Integrates with other security tools to automate threat detection and response.

Key Functionalities

1. Data Collection and Storage: MISP allows users to collect and store threat information such as indicators of compromise (IOCs), vulnerability data, and attack patterns.
2. Data Correlation: Automatically correlates new data with existing information to identify patterns and potential threats.
3. Sharing and Collaboration: Enables secure sharing of threat intelligence with other organizations or within a community.
4. API Access: Provides RESTful API access for automation and integration with other security tools.
5. Customization and Extensibility: Supports customization through modules and extensions to fit specific organizational needs.

Prerequisites

Before starting the installation, ensure you have the following:

• An Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later machine on any cloud provider
• Installation instructions from the official documentation page
• SSL-certified setup with Nginx, Apache, etc.
• Registering the domain name with a DNS provider

Step-1: Let’s start by spinning up an Ubuntu machine on any cloud provider. I’m deploying this machine on Azure.

• After connecting to the Ubuntu machine via SSH, let’s execute the following commands sequentially to complete the installation of MISP.
• You can perform the installation of MISP from the following link. https://misp.github.io/MISP/INSTALL.ubuntu2004

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

wget --no-cache -O /tmp/INSTALL.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/MISP/MISP/2.4/INSTALL/INSTALL.sh
bash /tmp/INSTALL.sh

• In the first command, after updating the Ubuntu machine, the second command will use wget to download the INSTALL.sh script installation file to the /tmp directory. We can update the relevant section in the INSTALL.sh file for the subsequent Apache2 SSL installation before proceeding with the installation.
• In the third command, the installation options for MISP are displayed. I will install all plugins along with it using the -A flag.

• As I mentioned, I’m executing the INSTALL.sh command with the -A flag as follows

bash /tmp/INSTALL.sh -A

• We can observe that MariaDB and Apache2 are installed along with the installation of MISP.

Step-2: We can access MISP from a browser using the localhost or the public IP address of the Ubuntu machine. After connecting to MISP, we can change the default password.

Step-3: Now, instead of accessing it with the machine’s public IP, let’s link it to a domain name with an SSL certificate. Let’s create an SSL certificate for MISP from the following link.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-secure-apache-with-let-s-encrypt-on-ubuntu-20-04

# Step 1 — Installing Certbot
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

# Step 2 — Checking your Apache Virtual Host Configuration
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/your_domain.conf
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2

# Step 3 — Allowing HTTPS Through the Firewall
sudo ufw status
sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
sudo ufw delete allow 'Apache'

# Step 4 — Obtaining an SSL Certificate
sudo certbot --apache

# Step 5 — Verifying Certbot Auto-Renewal
sudo systemctl status certbot.timer
sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Step-4: After completing the installation of Apache2 with SSL using Let’s Encrypt, create an A record with the server’s public IP address at your DNS provider. I will create my DNS record in AWS Route 53.

• Now I can securely connect to the MISP interface using HTTPS.

Step-5: We can download the feeds in JSON format from the following link. https://github.com/MISP/MISP/blob/2.4/app/files/feed-metadata/defaults.json

Conclusion: Automated Threat Intelligence Feeds

MISP (Malware Information Sharing Platform) is a powerful tool designed for the efficient sharing and analysis of threat intelligence. It serves as a crucial resource for organizations to collaborate and enhance their security posture by sharing information on malware, vulnerabilities, and other cyber threats. The primary purpose of downloading feeds in JSON format is to import structured threat data into MISP, enabling users to stay updated with the latest intelligence and incorporate it into their security operations. These feeds can be leveraged in various scenarios, including incident response, threat detection, and proactive defense strategies. Additionally, MISP provides the flexibility to automate the feed download process using scheduled jobs, ensuring that the platform remains populated with the most current data without manual intervention. By integrating these feeds, organizations can bolster their threat intelligence capabilities and improve their overall cybersecurity resilience.

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