Migrate from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI

A planning guide for moving Cyware Intel Exchange intelligence, feeds and playbooks to a self-hosted OpenCTI platform, with the gaps, sequence, cost drivers and risks to settle before cutover.

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Migrate from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI: what the move involves

The move is feasible for STIX 2.1 content, but feeds, sharing and playbooks need rework. OpenCTI structures its data on the STIX 2 standard, so indicators, observables, malware, threat actors and the relationships between them can be exported as STIX 2.1 bundles from Intel Exchange and imported with their links intact, provided the export keeps those relationships. What does not carry over automatically is everything around the data: the feed subscriptions, the sharing agreements with partners, and the automation that pushes intelligence to detection tools. Each of those has to be rebuilt in OpenCTI as connectors, workers or a SOAR workflow. Confirm with Cyware which export options your Intel Exchange version offers and whether custom fields or local taxonomies are included, because those are the most common sources of loss.

The work usually falls to a CTI lead who owns the data model and the feed inventory, a platform engineer who deploys OpenCTI and its dependencies (Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, Redis, RabbitMQ and S3-compatible storage), and a SOC representative who confirms which playbooks analysts actually depend on. Organizations often bring in an implementer such as DeployOpen to plan the connector set, harden the deployment and test imports, but the CTI lead should keep the mapping decisions. Ask for a written inventory of every feed, playbook and sharing link before any timeline is agreed. Effort depends mostly on how many feeds and custom playbooks exist and on how much of the data model is customized, not on the volume of indicators alone. The main risks are silent data loss during import, duplicated objects from overlapping feeds, and playbooks that stop firing without anyone noticing. Run both platforms in parallel for a defined period and compare counts and detections before you switch off the old feeds.

Which Cyware Intel Exchange capabilities map to OpenCTI

This table maps the main Cyware Intel Exchange capabilities to their closest OpenCTI equivalents and marks each as clean, needs rework or gap. Read each row as a planning note: confirm every Cyware feature against your own tenant and the OpenCTI documentation before you commit to a cutover plan, because product behavior and licensing change between releases.

Cyware capabilityOpenCTI equivalentStatus
Intelligence storageOpenCTI knowledge store with STIX 2 objects and relationships, backed by Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, Redis, RabbitMQ and MinIOClean
STIX 2.1 normalizationSchema based on the STIX 2 standards. Confirm which STIX 2.1 object types and custom properties your Cyware bundles use, and test them on importNeeds rework
Feed ingestionImport connectors and external feeds. Each Cyware feed must be rebuilt as a connector or a scheduled import with its own mapping and ownerNeeds rework
EnrichmentEnrichment connectors for external sources. Confirm which of your Cyware enrichment sources have an existing connector and which need a custom oneNeeds rework
TAXII disseminationConfirm the OpenCTI stream and TAXII output options for your version. Downstream consumers that poll Cyware TAXII endpoints will need new URLs and credentialsNeeds rework
PlaybooksOpenCTI playbooks are an Enterprise Edition feature under a separate license. Alternatively, rebuild workflows in a SOAR tool that calls the OpenCTI GraphQL APINeeds rework
Role-based access controlOrganization-based segregation is an Enterprise Edition feature. Map Cyware roles to OpenCTI roles and groups, and confirm the result in a test instanceNeeds rework
Single sign-onOpenID, LDAP, SAML, certificate and header authentication are documented, with SSO options under the Enterprise Edition license. Confirm your identity provider is supportedNeeds rework
Audit loggingAudit logs are an Enterprise Edition feature. Confirm retention and export needs against your compliance records before you rely on themGap

Which data, feeds and integrations move through documented export paths

Intelligence in a Cyware hub moves in three different ways: bundles that carry objects and relationships, feeds that must be re-pointed at connectors, and member-side logic that has to be rebuilt by hand. Each card below marks which path is documented, what the reader must confirm on the Cyware side, and where the work falls to the migration team.

STIX 2.1 bundle export and import

Export intelligence from Cyware as STIX 2.1 bundles and load them into OpenCTI, which structures its data on STIX 2. Confirm whether each bundle keeps relationships between indicators, malware, threat actors and reports, because a bundle that loses those links imports as isolated objects. Test one sample bundle end to end before scheduling any bulk import.

Indicator and report objects

Indicators, observables, reports and grouping objects are the records analysts rely on most. Check that Cyware exports keep valid STIX patterns, valid observable types, validity windows and confidence values, since OpenCTI will show whatever arrives. Compare counts per object type on both sides after import and record any mismatch as a migration defect.

Connector-based ingestion replacing Cyware feed pulls

Cyware pulls external feeds through its own collection logic. In OpenCTI, each source needs an import connector that runs on its own schedule and writes through RabbitMQ workers. Inventory every active feed, its authentication method and its polling interval before you configure a connector for it, and retire the Cyware pull only after the connector has produced matching output for a full cycle.

MISP and MITRE ATT&CK connectors

OpenCTI ships connectors for MISP and MITRE ATT&CK, and the product documentation names both. Use the MISP connector when Cyware data also reaches MISP communities, so one indicator is not duplicated across platforms. Use the MITRE ATT&CK connector to keep technique and tactic references current. Confirm the connector versions that match your OpenCTI release before you deploy them.

Cyware-side exports and endpoints to confirm

The exact export options and API endpoints available in your Cyware tenant depend on your subscription and version, so the migration team must confirm them with Cyware before planning. Ask which STIX versions, filters and date ranges the export supports, whether exports can be scheduled, and whether historical data is retrievable in bulk. Record the answers in the migration runbook.

Member integrations and custom feed logic

Member organizations often hold their own Cyware connections, custom enrichment, sharing rules and scripts that call the hub API. None of these transfer through a bundle export. Inventory each member integration, decide whether it moves to an OpenCTI connector, a SOAR playbook or a MISP sync, and plan that rebuild as separate work with its own testing and sign-off.

Migration sequence from inventory to decommission

This sequence moves Cyware Intel Exchange feeds, sharing relationships, playbooks and users to OpenCTI in controlled stages, so each stage produces evidence before the next one starts. Cyware stays live until consumers have been cut over and validated, and only then is the hub retired.

  1. Inventory feeds, partners, playbooks and users

    Your CTI lead and platform owner export the list of every ingestion feed, outbound sharing partner, TAXII or API consumer, playbook and user account from Intel Exchange. For each item, record the source, format, owner, update frequency and the downstream tools that depend on it. Confirm with the vendor which export and API options your subscription exposes. The step closes with a feed catalog that names an owner and a target connector or sharing method for every entry.

  2. Build the mapping sheet

    Analysts and an engineer map each Intel Exchange object type to its STIX 2.1 equivalent in OpenCTI, including indicators, observables, malware, threat actors, campaigns and the relationships between them. Record the custom fields, TLP markings and confidence values that must survive the move, and note any field with no clean STIX counterpart so it can be stored as an extension or a label. The output is a mapping sheet that a second person has reviewed.

  3. Pilot one feed and one playbook

    Choose one low-risk feed and one playbook that pushes intelligence to a detection tool. Export the feed as STIX 2.1 bundles, import it into a non-production OpenCTI instance, and rebuild the playbook as an OpenCTI playbook or as a workflow in your SOAR tool. Compare object counts, relationships and enrichment results against the source. The pilot ends with a validation report listing matched records, mismatches and the fixes applied to the mapping.

  4. Re-create ingestion as connectors

    Engineers rebuild the remaining feeds as OpenCTI connectors, using the MISP, MITRE ATT&CK and other supported connectors where they fit, and custom connectors for the rest. Each connector is deployed in staging, its schedule and credentials are documented, and its output is compared with the Intel Exchange feed over several cycles. Review the OpenCTI release line you deploy against the product life cycle documentation before go-live. The step closes when every feed has a connector and a validation record.

  5. Run Cyware and OpenCTI in parallel

    Both platforms ingest the same feeds while Cyware remains the system of record for sharing. Analysts compare alerts, indicator counts and enrichment output daily, and the team logs every discrepancy with its root cause. Sharing partners stay on Intel Exchange until their own integrations are confirmed. The parallel run closes when discrepancies are resolved or accepted in writing by the data owner.

  6. Cut over consumers with a runbook

    The team writes a cutover runbook that lists each consumer, its new endpoint or connector, the order of changes, the rollback step and the person who signs off. Detection tools, SOAR playbooks and partner feeds are switched in batches, and each batch is tested before the next. Ask your partners to confirm their TAXII or API settings in writing. The step closes when every consumer has been switched and the runbook shows a signed sign-off for each batch.

  7. Decommission the hub and retain records

    After a defined observation period agreed with compliance, the team disables Intel Exchange feeds and member access, and exports a final archive of intelligence, audit logs and configuration. Confirm with legal and compliance how long records must be kept and where they are stored, then review the terms of your Cyware agreement for data return and deletion. The step closes with a retention record covering what was archived, where it lives, who approved the shutdown and the date access ended.

How the OpenCTI stack is sized and run during the parallel period

Running OpenCTI beside Cyware Intel Exchange during the parallel period means planning a second full stack alongside the one you already operate. The documented OpenCTI components are the platform, which serves the UI and GraphQL API; Python workers that consume RabbitMQ messages for asynchronous writes; connectors for import, enrichment, file extraction, export and stream consumption; and the storage layer, made of Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, Redis, RabbitMQ and S3-compatible storage such as MinIO. The documented minimums are 2 cores and at least 8 GB RAM for the platform, and 2 cores, 8 GB RAM and 16 GB SSD for Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, with at least one platform node for every 3 workers. Each feed you rebuild as a connector adds worker load, so have your delivery team size the stack against your actual feed volume. Confirm the dependency versions too: Elasticsearch 8.0 or OpenSearch 2.9 or later, Redis 7.1 or later, and RabbitMQ 3.11 or later. The OpenCTI deployment overview is the reference to check these against.

OpenCTI ships on two tracks. Regular releases arrive when ready, from daily to weekly, and carry version numbers in the form x.YYMMDD.z. LTS releases come out every 6 months, each supported for 1 year, so consecutive LTS versions overlap by 6 months. LTS builds are distributed as container images but require a specific LTS license key, and after a one-month stabilization period they receive only critical bug and security fixes. Recent releases include 7.261016.0, published October 16, 2026, and the 7.260309.0 LTS line, which had reached hotfix lts.8 by October 2026. Confirm with Filigran which track your license covers before you choose one. A regular track brings features sooner, while an LTS track gives your team fewer changes to test during a period when Cyware and OpenCTI both run in production.

Make the upgrade cadence decision before go-live, because two platforms on two release calendars roughly double the patch, test and rollback work your team carries. Decide which track the production stack follows, who holds and renews the LTS license key, and which staging window every upgrade must pass before it reaches the SOC. Include both platforms in that calendar, since a RabbitMQ or search cluster change in OpenCTI can affect ingestion while Cyware keeps running. Ask for a written upgrade runbook covering the platform, workers, connectors and dependencies, and schedule the retirement date for the Cyware connectors so the parallel period has a defined end.

What drives cost and duration in this migration

This table lists the main factors that move the cost and length of moving from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI, with how each one works and how to keep it under control. Use it to shape the scope you put in front of a vendor or implementation partner, and to decide which questions a written quote must answer before work starts.

DriverWhy it changes cost or effortHow to keep it down
Feed countEach feed needs a mapped connector or import job, its own parsing rules, and validation that indicators arrive with the expected confidence and TLP marking.Inventory every feed, retire dead or duplicate sources before migration, and group similar feeds behind one connector pattern.
STIX object volumeLarge historical stores take longer to export, import and re-index, and relationship-heavy bundles need more worker capacity and Elasticsearch or OpenSearch storage.Decide which history must move and which can stay archived, import in batches, and measure object counts per source before sizing.
Playbook complexityIntel Exchange playbooks that enrich, score, route and push to tools must be rebuilt as OpenCTI playbooks or a SOAR workflow, and each branch needs its own testing.Document each playbook's trigger, inputs and outputs first, then rebuild only the ones still in active use and retire the rest.
Downstream consumersEvery SIEM, firewall, EDR or member integration that pulls from Intel Exchange feeds or TAXII endpoints must be repointed and retested.Build a consumer register with owners, formats and cutover dates, and move consumers in groups with rollback plans.
Enterprise Edition licensingOpenCTI Community Edition is Apache 2.0, while features such as playbooks, audit logs, organization segregation and SSO are in the Enterprise Edition under its own license. LTS releases also require a specific license key.Map which Enterprise features you need before design, and ask the vendor in writing for the license terms, the key scope and the renewal model.
Parallel run infrastructureRunning both platforms during cutover means duplicate hosting, duplicate feed fees where feeds are billed per connection, and extra staff attention. OpenCTI itself needs platform nodes, workers, Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, Redis, RabbitMQ and S3-compatible storage.Size the parallel window to the consumer register, reuse the existing hosts where possible, and right-size from the documented OpenCTI sizing before buying hardware.
Staff timeAnalysts, platform engineers and integration owners carry mapping, validation, training and the operating work of upgrades and LTS hotfixes after go-live.Name owners for each workstream, schedule SME time in advance, and ask for a written split of implementation and post-go-live support.

What usually goes wrong and how to prevent it

Most failed moves from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI do not fail in the import itself. They fail in the details around it: relationships, duplicates, playbooks, consumers and markings. Each card below names one of these failure points and the check that prevents it.

Relationships lost in flattened bundles

A STIX 2.1 bundle carries objects and the relationship objects that link them, such as indicator to malware or campaign to threat actor. If the export flattens these into a list of indicators, OpenCTI shows isolated observables with no context. Before the cutover, pick a sample of campaigns and threat actors, import them into a test instance, and confirm that the relationship count and graph links match the source. Ask Cyware which export options preserve relationship objects in your version.

Duplicate and drifting indicators

During a parallel run, both platforms ingest the same feeds, so the same indicator can appear twice with different scores, labels or revoke states. Decide which platform is authoritative for each feed before the parallel run starts, and record that decision in writing. Compare counts of indicators by type and by feed each week, and investigate any gap that grows instead of closing. Duplicates are cheap to create and expensive to clean up once analysts start building on them.

Playbooks that do not map to connectors

Intel Exchange playbooks often combine enrichment, sharing and ticket creation in one flow. OpenCTI covers ingestion and enrichment through connectors and offers playbooks in its Enterprise Edition, but it does not reproduce every Intel Exchange action one to one. List each playbook step, label it as connector, OpenCTI playbook or SOAR task, and confirm the target integration exists before retiring the original. Steps with no owner in the new design are the ones that break silently after cutover.

Consumers still pointing at the old hub

Detection tools, SIEM rules, firewalls and member organizations often pull feeds from the Intel Exchange hub through API keys, TAXII collections or scheduled exports. When the hub is switched off, those consumers fail quietly, sometimes for days. Inventory every consumer, including those owned by partner teams, and give each one a cutover date and a rollback path. Keep the old endpoint read-only for a defined period so consumers can be verified one at a time.

Unclear TLP and access markings

Traffic Light Protocol markings and sharing restrictions decide who may see an indicator, and they must survive the export. If markings are stored as custom fields or tags in Intel Exchange, they may not map to the same fields in OpenCTI, and organization-based segregation depends on how those markings are set. Map every marking value to its OpenCTI equivalent, import a restricted sample, and verify that a user from the wrong organization cannot see it. Document who approved each mapping.

Missed LTS license or upgrade window

OpenCTI LTS releases need a specific LTS license key, and they receive only critical bug and security fixes after a one-month stabilization period. A team that runs a non-LTS build, or lets its LTS line age past support, will face a forced upgrade under pressure. Confirm which release line you will run, who holds the license key, and the dates of the next LTS branch and end of support. Put these dates in the operations calendar and test the upgrade on a staging copy before each window.

How the move differs by starting point

When a SOC mostly consumes intelligence, the move is largely about keeping indicators flowing into detection tools without gaps. The hub is usually a receiver, so the inventory of work is short: list every feed and subscription, confirm which ones arrive as STIX 2.1 bundles, and decide whether each one becomes a connector in OpenCTI or a direct import. Ownership is narrow, typically the SOC lead, one or two analysts and the engineer who maintains the SIEM or firewall integrations that consume the output.

  • Feed inventory: Record each source, its format, refresh interval and the downstream tool that depends on it.
  • Indicator continuity: Plan a parallel run so detections keep firing while OpenCTI ingests the same feeds.
  • Consumer endpoints: Identify every SIEM, EDR or firewall pull that reads from Intel Exchange and decide whether it will read from OpenCTI's GraphQL API or from a TAXII endpoint.
  • Light playbook scope: Most consumer playbooks push indicators out, so map each one to a SOAR job or a connector export.
  • Small change board: Approval usually sits with the SOC manager and the security engineering owner.

Before committing, ask your Cyware contact to confirm the export formats available for your tenant and whether any feeds are licensed in a way that limits re-distribution to a new platform.

Questions teams ask before moving off Cyware Intel Exchange

How much effort and cost should we expect to move from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI?

The cost is mostly people time and infrastructure, and the drivers are the size of your intelligence store, the number of feeds and connectors you rebuild, and how many playbooks depend on Intel Exchange. OpenCTI Community Edition is licensed under Apache 2.0, so there is no license fee for that edition, but you still pay for the servers, storage, backups, and staff who run it. The one-time work covers planning, data export and import, connector rebuilds and testing. The recurring costs are hosting, upkeep, upgrades and support. Ask any partner for a written scope that separates these items, and ask Cyware for the subscription terms that end with your contract. DeployOpen does not publish prices and quotes follow from the written scope.

How long does a migration from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI take?

The timeline depends on the volume and quality of your data, the number of feeds to rebuild, and how many playbooks and downstream tools must be re-pointed. A parallel run, where both platforms ingest the same feeds for a period, usually adds time but lowers risk. Your team also needs to agree on how Intel Exchange sharing groups and feeds map to OpenCTI, which can take longer than the data move itself. Confirm the duration with your implementation partner in the written scope, and confirm the platform sizing and dependency versions against the OpenCTI deployment overview before you set a date.

What does our internal team need to provide during the migration?

Your team needs to provide the inventory of what Intel Exchange does today. That includes feed sources and their credentials, the playbooks and the tools they call, the sharing rules and who receives what, and the business owners who approve changes. You also need a test environment, access to the infrastructure where OpenCTI will run, and people who can validate imported indicators and relationships against their own detections. Without named reviewers, the validation stage tends to stall. Confirm these responsibilities with your partner in writing before work starts so that each item has an owner.

Can our own team run this migration without an outside partner?

Yes, a capable internal team can perform the migration, and OpenCTI is documented in its deployment overview and product life cycle pages. The questions to answer honestly are whether you have people who can run Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, Redis, RabbitMQ and S3-compatible storage, whether you can rebuild connectors, and who will handle upgrades and incidents after go-live. An outside partner can take on fixed-scope parts such as planning, hardening, backup design or validation, and ongoing support is available as a retainer. Decide which parts stay internal and which you buy, and document that split.

Do Cyware exports cover everything we need to move?

Not necessarily. Plan on STIX 2.1 bundles as the main carrier for indicators, objects and relationships, but confirm with Cyware what its export includes, such as sightings, notes, sharing markings, tags, and historical data. OpenCTI structures data on the STIX 2 standard, so well-formed bundles import well, yet anything Intel Exchange stores outside STIX, such as custom workflow fields, playbook logic or member-side configuration, must be rebuilt or mapped by hand. Run a sample export and import first, compare counts and relationships, and record every gap before you commit to a cutover date.

What does the OpenCTI Enterprise license change in our plan?

OpenCTI Community Edition is licensed under Apache 2.0, while Enterprise Edition uses the proprietary OpenCTI Enterprise Edition License. Enterprise features documented include audit logs, playbooks, organization-based segregation, full text indexing, AI insights and SSO for OpenID, LDAP, SAML, certificate and header authentication. If your Intel Exchange playbooks or access model depend on those features, the plan must either include an Enterprise license or replace the feature. Confirm the edition, the feature list and the license terms with Filigran or your partner before you design the access model, because the choice affects the playbook and authentication design.

How do OpenCTI upgrades and LTS releases affect the migration plan?

OpenCTI uses date-based versions, with regular releases in the form x.YYMMDD.z and LTS releases in the form x.YYMMDD.z-lts.n. Non-LTS releases ship from daily to weekly, while LTS releases occur every 6 months and are supported for 1 year, which gives a 6-month overlap between consecutive LTS versions. LTS releases require a specific LTS license key and receive only critical bug and security fixes after a one-month stabilization. For a production migration, decide early whether you will run LTS or a regular release, budget a recurring upgrade window, and confirm the current LTS line and key terms on the OpenCTI product life cycle page.

How DeployOpen scopes, runs and supports the migration

DeployOpen works under a fixed scope agreed in writing before any migration work begins. DeployOpen is a Chainscore Labs company. It plans, implements, integrates, hardens, backs up and documents self-hosted open-source platforms inside the client's own infrastructure, whether that is the client's cloud account, data center or air-gapped network. For a move from Cyware Intel Exchange to OpenCTI, the written scope should name each item in the migration: the STIX 2.1 export from Intel Exchange, the import order for objects and relationships, the OpenCTI connectors that replace existing feeds, the playbooks or SOAR workflows that take over from Intel Exchange automation, and the target dependencies such as Elasticsearch or OpenSearch, Redis, RabbitMQ and S3-compatible storage. It should also state what is out of scope, such as member onboarding or changes to downstream detection tools.

A quote follows from that written scope, and DeployOpen does not publish a price list. When you request a quote, ask for each deliverable and the assumptions behind it: the number of data sources and feeds, the volume of historical objects to import, the number of OpenCTI platform and worker nodes, whether the deployment is single site or multi-site, and which integrations must be re-tested. Confirm whether the quote covers the OpenCTI Community Edition or the Enterprise Edition, because Enterprise features such as playbooks, audit logs and SSO are covered by a separate license from Filigran. Ask how acceptance testing of imported data will be recorded, and who signs off on it. Changes to scope after signing should go through a written change request, so that cost and timing stay visible to both sides.

Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers after the migration. OpenCTI has a date-based release cycle, with regular releases from daily to weekly and LTS releases every 6 months, each supported for 1 year. A retainer can cover applying LTS and regular upgrades in a staging environment, checking connector compatibility, restoring from backups and reviewing security findings. Before you agree to a retainer, confirm the response expectations, the maintenance windows and who holds the OpenCTI LTS license key, because LTS releases require that key to use. Decide early whether your team or DeployOpen will own the upgrade calendar, since that decision drives the recurring cost more than the initial import does.

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