Observed data

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 1 minute to read
  • Observed Data conveys information about cyber security-related entities such as files, systems, and networks using the STIX Cyber-observable Objects (SCOs). Observed data applies for STIX 2.x.

    Observed Data captures both a single observation of a single entity (file, network connection) as well as the aggregation of multiple observations of an entity.

    You can use Observed Data by itself (without relationships) to convey raw data collected from any source. Sources include analyst reports, sandboxes, and network and host-based detection tools.

    For example, Observed Data can capture information about an IP address, a network connection, a file, or a registry key. Observed Data is not an intelligence assertion, it is simply the raw information without any context for what it means.