Intelligence Writing

Intelligence Writing Guide

Intelligence writing is not creative writing. It is precise, structured, and audience-driven. Every word must earn its place.

Core Principles

1. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)

The most important finding goes in the first paragraph. If the reader stops after two sentences, they should have the key takeaway.

Bad: "Over the past several months, we have observed various indicators that suggest a potential shift in threat actor targeting patterns across multiple sectors..."

Good: "APT41 is actively targeting European pharmaceutical companies using a new loader variant. We assess with high confidence that at least three organisations in this sector have been compromised since January 2026."

2. Active Voice

Use active voice. Name the actor.

• ❌ "The malware was deployed by the threat actor"
• ✅ "The threat actor deployed the malware"
• ❌ "It was assessed that..."
• ✅ "We assess that..."

3. Distinguish Facts, Assessments, and Assumptions

4. Use Mandated Language

• Confidence levels: per the confidence-levels skill
• Likelihood language: per the likelihood-language skill
• Source assessment: per the source-assessment skill
• TLP: per the tlp-guide skill

5. Be Specific

• ❌ "Recently, a sophisticated threat actor..."
• ✅ "In March 2026, APT41 (also tracked as Winnti, Barium)..."
• ❌ "Multiple indicators were found"
• ✅ "We identified 14 IP addresses and 3 domain names associated with this campaign"

Product Templates

Flash Report

Time-critical intelligence requiring immediate attention. 1-2 pages maximum.

---
title: "Flash Report: [Subject]"
type: flash-report
date: YYYY-MM-DD
tlp: AMBER
confidence: [level]
author: analyst
status: draft
related_pirs: []
mitre_attack: []
tags: []
---

# Flash Report: [Subject]
**TLP:[LEVEL]** | **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Confidence:** [Level]

## Key Finding
[1-2 sentences. BLUF. What happened, who is affected, what should be done.]

## Details
[3-5 paragraphs maximum. What we know, how we know it, what it means.]

## Indicators of Compromise
| Type | Value | Context |
|------|-------|---------|
| IP | x.x.x.x | C2 server |
| Domain | example.com | Phishing landing page |
| SHA256 | abc123... | Loader variant |

## Recommended Actions
1. [Immediate action]
2. [Detection action]
3. [Investigation action]

## Sources
| Source | Reliability | Key Information |
|--------|------------|-----------------|
| [Source] | [Admiralty] | [What it contributed] |

Intelligence Summary

Periodic overview of a topic or time period. 2-4 pages.

---
title: "Intelligence Summary: [Subject/Period]"
type: intelligence-summary
date: YYYY-MM-DD
tlp: GREEN
confidence: [level]
author: analyst
status: draft
related_pirs: []
tags: []
---

# Intelligence Summary: [Subject/Period]
**TLP:[LEVEL]** | **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Period:** [Coverage period]

## Executive Summary
[2-3 paragraphs. Key developments, trends, and implications.]

## Key Developments
### [Development 1]
[Assessment with confidence level and likelihood language where applicable.]

### [Development 2]
[...]

## Trend Analysis
[How does this period compare to previous? What's changing?]

## Outlook
[Forward-looking assessment using likelihood language.]

## Sources
[Sourcing table with Admiralty ratings]

Threat Assessment

Structured assessment of a specific threat. 3-6 pages.

---
title: "Threat Assessment: [Subject]"
type: threat-assessment
date: YYYY-MM-DD
tlp: AMBER
confidence: [level]
author: analyst
status: draft
related_pirs: []
mitre_attack: []
tags: []
---

# Threat Assessment: [Subject]
**TLP:[LEVEL]** | **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Confidence:** [Level]

## Executive Summary
[BLUF: Overall threat level and key finding.]

## Threat Level: [CRITICAL/HIGH/MODERATE/LOW/NEGLIGIBLE]

## Intent
[What does the threat actor want to achieve? Evidence for assessed intent.]

## Capability
[What can the threat actor do? Technical sophistication, resources, tooling.]

## Opportunity
[What attack surface exists? Vulnerability landscape, exposure.]

## Assessment
[Combined analysis: Intent × Capability × Opportunity. Confidence and likelihood language.]

## Key Assumptions
[List and evaluate key assumptions underlying this assessment.]

## MITRE ATT&CK Mapping
| Tactic | Technique | Notes |
|--------|-----------|-------|
| Initial Access | T1566 Phishing | Primary delivery method |

## Recommended Mitigations
1. [Prioritised by impact]

## Sources
[Sourcing table with Admiralty ratings]

Threat Actor Profile

Comprehensive profile of a threat group. 4-8 pages.

---
title: "Threat Actor Profile: [Name/Designation]"
type: threat-actor-profile
date: YYYY-MM-DD
tlp: GREEN
confidence: [level]
author: analyst
status: draft
tags: []
---

# Threat Actor Profile: [Name/Designation]
**TLP:[LEVEL]** | **Last Updated:** YYYY-MM-DD

## Summary
| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| **Aliases** | [List all known aliases] |
| **Attribution** | [State/criminal group + confidence] |
| **Motivation** | [Espionage/Financial/Disruption/Hacktivism] |
| **Active Since** | [Year] |
| **Primary Targets** | [Sectors, geographies] |
| **Sophistication** | [Low/Medium/High/Advanced] |

## Overview
[2-3 paragraphs summarising the group, its activities, and significance.]

## Targeting
[Who they target, how targeting has evolved, victimology patterns.]

## TTPs (MITRE ATT&CK)
| Tactic | Technique | Description |
|--------|-----------|-------------|

## Tooling
| Tool | Type | First Seen | Notes |
|------|------|-----------|-------|

## Infrastructure
[Known infrastructure patterns, hosting preferences, C2 frameworks.]

## Campaign History
### [Campaign Name] (Date range)
[Summary of campaign, victims, TTPs, outcomes.]

## Intelligence Gaps
[What we don't know and need to collect.]

## Sources
[Sourcing table with Admiralty ratings]

Campaign Report

Documentation of a specific campaign. 3-6 pages.

---
title: "Campaign Report: [Name/Identifier]"
type: campaign-report
date: YYYY-MM-DD
tlp: AMBER
confidence: [level]
author: analyst
status: draft
related_pirs: []
mitre_attack: []
tags: []
---

# Campaign Report: [Name/Identifier]
**TLP:[LEVEL]** | **Date:** YYYY-MM-DD | **Confidence:** [Level]

## Executive Summary
[BLUF: Who, what, when, where, impact.]

## Timeline
| Date | Event |
|------|-------|
| YYYY-MM-DD | [Event description] |

## Attribution
[Assessment with confidence level. Link to threat actor profile.]

## Victimology
[Targeted organisations, sectors, geographies. Selection criteria if known.]

## Attack Chain
[Step-by-step technical description mapped to MITRE ATT&CK.]

## Diamond Model
| Vertex | Details |
|--------|---------|
| **Adversary** | [Actor/group] |
| **Capability** | [Tools, exploits, techniques] |
| **Infrastructure** | [C2, staging, delivery infrastructure] |
| **Victim** | [Targeted entities] |

## IOCs
[Full IOC table]

## Detection Guidance
[SIGMA/YARA/KQL rules or detection logic]

## Sources
[Sourcing table with Admiralty ratings]

Writing Checklist

Before submitting any product:

• BLUF in first paragraph?
• TLP marking present and appropriate?
• All assessments carry confidence levels?
• All forward-looking statements use likelihood language?
• All sources assessed with Admiralty Scale?
• Facts distinguished from assessments?
• Active voice throughout?
• Specific dates, numbers, and names (not "recently" or "several")?
• Key assumptions identified?
• MITRE ATT&CK techniques mapped where applicable?