Building Threat Feed Aggregation with MISP
Overview
MISP is the leading open-source threat intelligence platform for collecting, storing, distributing, and sharing cybersecurity indicators and threat intelligence. It aggregates feeds from OSINT sources, commercial providers, and sharing communities into a unified platform with automatic correlation, STIX/TAXII export, and direct integration with SIEMs and security tools. This skill covers deploying MISP via Docker, configuring feeds from sources like abuse.ch, AlienVault OTX, and CIRCL, setting up automated feed synchronization, and integrating with Splunk, Elasticsearch, and SOAR platforms.
When to Use
- When deploying or configuring building threat feed aggregation with misp capabilities in your environment
- When establishing security controls aligned to compliance requirements
- When building or improving security architecture for this domain
- When conducting security assessments that require this implementation
Prerequisites
- Docker and Docker Compose for deployment
- Python 3.9+ with
pymisp library for API interaction
- Linux server with 8GB+ RAM for production deployment
- Understanding of IOC types and threat intelligence lifecycle
- Network access to external feed URLs
Key Concepts
MISP Architecture
MISP stores threat intelligence as Events containing Attributes (IOCs) organized by type and category. Events can have Tags (MITRE ATT&CK, TLP marking, sector tags), Galaxies (threat actor profiles, malware families, attack patterns), and Objects (structured groupings of related attributes). Events are correlated automatically across the instance.
Feed Types
MISP supports three feed formats: MISP format (native JSON events), CSV (comma-separated IOCs), and freetext (unstructured text with automatic IOC extraction). Feeds can be remote (fetched from URLs) or local (uploaded files). MISP ships with 80+ default OSINT feeds including abuse.ch URLhaus, Botvrij, CIRCL OSINT, and malware traffic analysis.
Sharing and Synchronization
MISP instances can synchronize with other MISP instances via push/pull mechanisms. Sharing groups control distribution (organization only, this community, connected communities, all communities). The TAXII server module enables integration with STIX/TAXII consumers.
Workflow
Step 1: Deploy MISP with Docker
# docker-compose.yml for MISP deployment
version: '3.8'
services:
misp:
image: coolacid/misp-docker:core-latest
container_name: misp
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "443:443"
- "80:80"
environment:
- MYSQL_HOST=misp-db
- MYSQL_DATABASE=misp
- MYSQL_USER=misp
- MYSQL_PASSWORD=misp_db_password_change_me
- MISP_ADMIN_EMAIL=admin@organization.com
- MISP_ADMIN_PASSPHRASE=admin_password_change_me
- MISP_BASEURL=https://misp.organization.com
- POSTFIX_RELAY_HOST=smtp.organization.com
- TIMEZONE=UTC
volumes:
- misp-data:/var/www/MISP/app/files
- misp-config:/var/www/MISP/app/Config
depends_on:
- misp-db
- misp-redis
misp-db:
image: mysql:8.0
container_name: misp-db
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
- MYSQL_DATABASE=misp
- MYSQL_USER=misp
- MYSQL_PASSWORD=misp_db_password_change_me
- MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=root_password_change_me
volumes:
- misp-db-data:/var/lib/mysql
misp-redis:
image: redis:7
container_name: misp-redis
restart: unless-stopped
volumes:
misp-data:
misp-config:
misp-db-data:
Step 2: Configure Feeds via PyMISP API
from pymisp import PyMISP, MISPFeed
import json
class MISPFeedManager:
def __init__(self, misp_url, misp_key, verify_ssl=False):
self.misp = PyMISP(misp_url, misp_key, verify_ssl)
print(f"[+] Connected to MISP: {misp_url}")
def list_feeds(self):
"""List all configured feeds."""
feeds = self.misp.feeds()
enabled = [f for f in feeds if f.get("Feed", {}).get("enabled")]
disabled = [f for f in feeds if not f.get("Feed", {}).get("enabled")]
print(f"[+] Feeds: {len(enabled)} enabled, {len(disabled)} disabled")
return feeds
def enable_default_feeds(self):
"""Enable recommended default OSINT feeds."""
recommended_feeds = [
"CIRCL OSINT Feed",
"Botvrij.eu - Indicators of Compromise",
"abuse.ch URLhaus Host file",
"abuse.ch Feodo Tracker",
"abuse.ch SSL Blacklist",
"malwaredomainlist",
"CyberCure - IP Feed",
]
feeds = self.misp.feeds()
enabled_count = 0
for feed in feeds:
feed_data = feed.get("Feed", {})
if feed_data.get("name") in recommended_feeds:
if not feed_data.get("enabled"):
self.misp.enable_feed(feed_data["id"])
self.misp.enable_feed_cache(feed_data["id"])
enabled_count += 1
print(f" [+] Enabled: {feed_data['name']}")
print(f"[+] Enabled {enabled_count} feeds")
def add_custom_feed(self, name, url, provider, feed_format="csv",
input_source="network", enabled=True):
"""Add a custom threat intelligence feed."""
feed = MISPFeed()
feed.name = name
feed.provider = provider
feed.url = url
feed.source_format = feed_format
feed.input_source = input_source
feed.enabled = enabled
feed.caching_enabled = True
feed.publish = False
feed.distribution = "3" # All communities
result = self.misp.add_feed(feed)
if "Feed" in result:
feed_id = result["Feed"]["id"]
print(f"[+] Added feed: {name} (ID: {feed_id})")
return feed_id
else:
print(f"[-] Error adding feed: {result}")
return None
def fetch_all_feeds(self):
"""Trigger fetch for all enabled feeds."""
feeds = self.misp.feeds()
for feed in feeds:
feed_data = feed.get("Feed", {})
if feed_data.get("enabled"):
self.misp.fetch_feed(feed_data["id"])
print(f" [*] Fetching: {feed_data['name']}")
print("[+] Feed fetch triggered for all enabled feeds")
manager = MISPFeedManager(
"https://misp.organization.com",
"YOUR_MISP_API_KEY",
)
manager.enable_default_feeds()
manager.add_custom_feed(
name="Abuse.ch MalwareBazaar Recent",
url="https://bazaar.abuse.ch/export/csv/recent/",
provider="abuse.ch",
feed_format="csv",
)
manager.fetch_all_feeds()
Step 3: Search and Correlate Indicators
def search_indicators(misp, value=None, type_attribute=None, tags=None, last_days=30):
"""Search MISP for indicators with correlation."""
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
date_from = (datetime.now() - timedelta(days=last_days)).strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
search_params = {
"date_from": date_from,
"published": True,
"enforceWarninglist": True,
}
if value:
search_params["value"] = value
if type_attribute:
search_params["type_attribute"] = type_attribute
if tags:
search_params["tags"] = tags
results = misp.search("attributes", **search_params)
attributes = results.get("Attribute", [])
print(f"[+] Search returned {len(attributes)} attributes")
# Group by event for context
events = {}
for attr in attributes:
event_id = attr.get("event_id", "")
if event_id not in events:
events[event_id] = {"attributes": [], "tags": set()}
events[event_id]["attributes"].append({
"type": attr.get("type", ""),
"value": attr.get("value", ""),
"category": attr.get("category", ""),
"timestamp": attr.get("timestamp", ""),
})
for tag in attr.get("Tag", []):
events[event_id]["tags"].add(tag.get("name", ""))
return {"attributes": attributes, "events": events}
# Search for specific IOC
misp = manager.misp
results = search_indicators(misp, value="203.0.113.1")
results_by_type = search_indicators(misp, type_attribute="ip-dst", last_days=7)
results_by_tag = search_indicators(misp, tags=["tlp:white", "type:OSINT"])
Step 4: Export to SIEM (Splunk / Elasticsearch)
import requests
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
class MISPSIEMExporter:
def __init__(self, misp_client):
self.misp = misp_client
def export_to_splunk(self, splunk_url, hec_token, days=7):
"""Export recent MISP indicators to Splunk via HEC."""
date_from = (datetime.now() - timedelta(days=days)).strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
results = self.misp.search("attributes", date_from=date_from,
published=True, enforceWarninglist=True)
attributes = results.get("Attribute", [])
headers = {"Authorization": f"Splunk {hec_token}"}
exported = 0
for attr in attributes:
event = {
"event": {
"ioc_type": attr.get("type", ""),
"ioc_value": attr.get("value", ""),
"category": attr.get("category", ""),
"event_id": attr.get("event_id", ""),
"timestamp": attr.get("timestamp", ""),
"tags": [t.get("name", "") for t in attr.get("Tag", [])],
},
"sourcetype": "misp:attribute",
"source": "misp",
"index": "threat_intel",
}
resp = requests.post(
f"{splunk_url}/services/collector/event",
headers=headers, json=event,
verify=not os.environ.get("SKIP_TLS_VERIFY", "").lower() == "true", # Set SKIP_TLS_VERIFY=true for self-signed certs in lab environments
)
if resp.status_code == 200:
exported += 1
print(f"[+] Exported {exported}/{len(attributes)} indicators to Splunk")
def export_ioc_list(self, output_file, ioc_types=None, days=30):
"""Export flat IOC list for firewall/proxy blocklists."""
ioc_types = ioc_types or ["ip-dst", "domain", "hostname", "url"]
date_from = (datetime.now() - timedelta(days=days)).strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
all_iocs = []
for ioc_type in ioc_types:
results = self.misp.search(
"attributes", type_attribute=ioc_type,
date_from=date_from, published=True,
enforceWarninglist=True,
)
for attr in results.get("Attribute", []):
all_iocs.append(attr.get("value", ""))
unique_iocs = sorted(set(all_iocs))
with open(output_file, "w") as f:
for ioc in unique_iocs:
f.write(f"{ioc}\n")
print(f"[+] Exported {len(unique_iocs)} unique IOCs to {output_file}")
exporter = MISPSIEMExporter(misp)
exporter.export_ioc_list("blocklist_ips.txt", ioc_types=["ip-dst"], days=7)
Validation Criteria
- MISP deployed and accessible via web interface and API
- Default OSINT feeds enabled and fetching data
- Custom feeds added and ingesting indicators
- Indicators searchable with correlation across events
- IOCs exported to SIEM (Splunk/Elasticsearch) successfully
- Blocklists generated for firewall/proxy integration
References