CYBERSECURITY PATHWAY
ANALYST PROGRAM
Online Certified CTI Analyst Program
Track Threat Actors, Analyze Malicious Infrastructure, and Deploy AI-Powered Hunting Workflows
Overview
Modern cybersecurity goes beyond defending against active breaches-organizations must anticipate and neutralize threats before they strike. This requires Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI). Hofstra University's 100% online Certified CTI Analyst Program prepares you to translate complex security events and adversary tactics into actionable intelligence reports.
This program is designed for technical beginners and intermediate security practitioners. Approximately 60% of the program's 100 hours is hands-on laboratory exercises inside a virtual sandbox. You will investigate threat actor profiles, analyze command-and-control networks, study malware behavior, and automate intelligence workflows using artificial intelligence.
This program has been recommended for **3 college credit hours** by the American Council on Education (ACE), meaning it can be recognized by colleges and universities toward an academic degree.
Syllabus & Course Outline
The program is organized into three progressive microcredentials designed to develop your threat tracking and research skills.
- Understand threat intelligence lifecycle models (collection, parsing, dissemination)
- Attribute network attacks and perform threat actor profiling
- Map threat behaviors using structural frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK and D3FEND
- Analyze malware behaviors, compile indicators of compromise (IoCs), and configure MISP
- Formulate hypothesis-driven threat hunting scripts across corporate infrastructures
- Investigate Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) campaigns and command-and-control servers
- Trace covert data exfiltration and analyze client endpoint telemetry logs
- Map domain structures and open-source intelligence (OSINT) using tools like Maltego
- Apply adversary simulations to evaluate network defense posture and detection engineering
- Implement AI-driven workflows to scrape, summarize, and enrich security indicators
- Integrate machine learning scripts to accelerate proactive network threat hunts
Certified CTI Analyst Outcomes
Our program prepares you to join cybersecurity teams in roles such as:
- Threat Intelligence Analyst: Review threat feeds, profile threat actors, and write intelligence reports.
- Cyber Threat Researcher: Analyze malware payloads and investigate attacker command infrastructures.
- CTI Program Coordinator: Facilitate the sharing of intelligence across operations teams and executives.
Receive comprehensive career guidance, resume auditing, LinkedIn optimization workshops, and partner portal listings.
Prerequisites & System Requirements
Academic Prerequisites: Technical beginner level. Familiarity with basic TCP/IP networking, operating systems, and command line tools is recommended to ensure a smooth lab experience.
System Requirements:
- Processor: Intel Core i5 or Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
- RAM: 8GB minimum, 16GB recommended
- Storage: 100GB of internal SSD drive space
- OS: Windows 10/11 (Not S Mode) or macOS 11+
Learn from Industry Experts
Instruction is led by active threat hunters, security engineers, and certified CTI instructors with real-world experience tracking malware networks and defending enterprise networks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI)?
CTI is the collection and analysis of information about cyber threat actors, their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and their target profiles to help organizations protect their networks.
What tools will I learn to use?
You will work with leading threat intelligence tools, including MISP (threat sharing), Maltego (mapping infrastructure), Splunk, Wireshark, and ThreatConnect.
How long does this program take to complete?
Most students complete the 100 hours of curriculum in about 10 weeks by studying 10 hours per week. You have up to 75 days of full platform access.