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🧠 Threat intelligence

Cortex

Observable analyser engine that powers TheHive's enrichments.

Intermediate ⏱ 1 hour 💸 Free AGPLv3

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Why use it

Cortex runs hundreds of community analysers — VirusTotal, AbuseIPDB, urlscan.io, MISP lookups, MaxMind, Shodan and more — against any observable, returning structured results to TheHive. One-click enrichment for analysts.

What you get

  • 200+ analysers covering hashes, IPs, URLs, domains, files
  • Active responders for triage actions
  • Job history per observable
  • API for any tool to request enrichment

System requirements

Cpu2 cores
Ram2 GB
Disk10 GB
OsLinux
DockerYes

Installation

Comes with TheHive Docker Compose by default. Standalone install via docker run -d --name cortex thehiveproject/cortex. Enable analysers in the UI per organisation; some require API keys (free tiers are usually enough).

Suggested configuration

Enable VirusTotal Public, AbuseIPDB free, urlscan.io public, MISP, and MaxMind GeoIP first — these cover most analyst questions for free. Add commercial keys (Shodan, GreyNoise) if you have them.

Integration ideas

  • TheHive (primary consumer)
  • MISP via dedicated analyser
  • Custom scripts via the Cortex REST API

Alternatives

  • IntelOwl — Standalone enrichment platform, similar concept.

Cyentrix verdict

Practically mandatory if you run TheHive. Don't install one without the other.