// 01 — Large Language Models

LLMs FOR IR WORK

General-purpose AI that IR, Detection, Threat Hunting, and TI teams have adapted for daily workflows.

Claude
Free + Pro

Anthropic's model. Best-in-class for long-context analysis — feeds an entire week of logs without truncation.

IR Tip

Use Projects to maintain persistent investigation context across sessions. With a 200K token window, you can dump full Defender or Splunk exports and get coherent analysis without chunking.

ChatGPT
Free + Plus

OpenAI's flagship model. Widest ecosystem, best plugin support, and Custom GPTs for specialized IR workflows.

IR Tip

Build a Custom GPT loaded with your team's runbooks and playbooks as knowledge files. Point analysts at it during live incidents so they stop hunting for documentation mid-response.

Perplexity
Free + Pro

AI-native search engine with real-time web access. The fastest tool for OSINT during live incidents.

IR Tip

Use it for real-time actor lookups, CVE context, domain history, and paste site hits during active incidents. Beats manually pivoting across 10 browser tabs and gives cited sources.

Copilot for Security
Paid

Microsoft's security-specific AI. Native integration with Sentinel, Defender XDR, Intune, and Entra.

IR Tip

If you're in a Microsoft-heavy shop this is the most integrated option. Ask it to summarize Sentinel incidents in plain English, generate KQL on the fly, or explain Defender alerts — all without leaving your workflow.

Google Gemini
Free + Enterprise

Google's AI model. Most valuable for teams on Google Workspace, GCP, or Chronicle SecOps.

IR Tip

Gemini in Google SecOps lets you query Chronicle logs with natural language — no KQL required. If your org is GCP-native, this removes a significant barrier for L1 analysts during triage.

// 02 — Security-Native AI

BUILT FOR SECURITY

Tools designed specifically for security workflows — not general-purpose models adapted to fit.

VirusTotal
Free + Enterprise

Industry-standard for file, URL, IP, and domain analysis. AI-powered behavior summaries on submissions.

IR Tip

The AI behavior summary on file submissions saves 10–15 minutes of sandbox review per sample. Run everything through it before committing to manual analysis — the summary alone often tells you if it's worth the time.

Fabric
Open Source

Daniel Miessler's open-source AI pattern library for security and analysis workflows. CLI-first, composable.

IR Tip

The analyze_malware_input and create_sigma_rules patterns are immediately useful. Pipe log output directly in from the terminal — no GUI, no copy-paste. Best for analysts who live in the command line.

// 03 — Local & Private

AI THAT STAYS
ON YOUR MACHINE

For logs, malware samples, and forensic artefacts you cannot send to the cloud. No data leaves your network.

Ollama
Free

Run open-source LLMs locally with a single command. Supports Llama 3, Mistral, Gemma, and dozens more.

IR Tip

Non-negotiable for sensitive log analysis and malware samples you can't send to the cloud. Run Llama 3.3 70B for near-GPT-4 quality completely offline. Works on a forensic workstation with no internet access required.

LM Studio
Free

Desktop GUI for running local LLMs. Easy model downloads, built-in chat, and a local API server.

IR Tip

The GUI makes local models accessible for analysts who aren't comfortable with the terminal. Spin up a local API server and point your team's scripts at it — same interface as OpenAI's API, zero external calls, full data sovereignty.