Advanced Persistent Threat& The Stealth Game of Hackers

Hello readers! What you can expect is to see your security team catch that intrusion, remove the attacker, and slam the door shut. However, what if that attacker doesn’t hurry to do any stealing?

Instead, the attacker spends some time observing your network, learning the working habits of its employees, discovering valuable systems, collecting credentials, and making sure there are several backdoors for coming back at a future moment. The intruder could stay inside the network for weeks, months, or even years, while your business was working as usual.

This is the essence of Advanced Persistent Threats (APT).

APT is the name of a targeted and long-lasting cyberattack, including getting inside the target network, staying there, and fulfilling a specific goal without being detected by security measures. Unlike opportunistic attacks, which try to penetrate as many organizations as possible, APT attacks usually require researching and planning ahead of time.

What is surprising about APT attacks is that the key skill of an attacker isn’t necessarily represented by advanced malware. It can be patience.

Advanced Persistent Threat: An Overview

Advanced Persistent Threat is a type of targeted, sophisticated, and prolonged cyberattack executed by hackers. Cyber attackers proceed to gain unauthorized access to a system, steal sensitive data, and stay undetected for an extended period. APT attacks are thoroughly designed, planned, and executed. This is how hackers infiltrate an organization and its systems.

An APT attack needs a higher degree of sophistication and customization compared to a traditional attack. The cyber attackers who execute this attack are generally well-funded and experienced individuals. They basically attack and target high-value organizations by spending a significant amount of research, effort, and time. 

Advanced

APT attackers can leverage customized malware, stolen credentials, social engineering, and vulnerabilities. Nevertheless, being ‘advanced’ does not always indicate sophisticated tools. Attackers can creatively combine normal tools in order to conduct attacks.

Persistence

Persistence refers to continuous access to the system. In case attackers are denied access to one point, they can choose other points through which they initially gained access. Removing one malicious file will not necessarily mean that the whole attack is terminated.

Threat

The attacker’s motive in an APT attack is always clearly defined and known; for example, theft of intellectual property, reconnaissance, gaining access to financial data, or causing disruptions.

Consequently, an APT attack is a targeted attack characterized by access, persistence, and a particular motive.

APT Attack vs Traditional Cyberattacks

3 Important Stages of Advanced Persistent Threat Attack

Most of the APT attacks have 3 basic stages of the life cycle that you should know about. Once you understand these stages, you will see through the whole process.

Stage 1: Infiltration

A common way APTs gain their first foothold in a system is by using social engineering tactics, specifically spear phishing, where attackers pretend to be colleagues and utilize information about compromised employees to craft more credible emails.

These days, hackers are also employing AI-powered phishing for their convenience. 

Stage 2: Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement

Once in, attackers start using malware and moving through the network; they map systems, steal credentials, and search for valuable information. They can also create backdoors and different entry points into the network just in case something happens and one of the existing entry points is discovered.

In this regard, organizations need to employ Zero-Trust security. 

Stage 3: Exfiltration

In many cases, the stolen information is collected and kept inside the network before being extracted. Distractors such as denial-of-service attacks may be used to distract the security team from the activity. Even after stealing the data, attackers will still have access.

Examples of Advanced Persistent Threats

GOBLIN PANDA (APT27)

This is an APT attack which was orignated from China. It basically deploys malicious Word documents and exploits ways to install malware on target systems and computers.

APT28 FANCY BEAR

This attack originated in Russia. It is a type of phishing attack that tries to gain access to its targets could be websites, networks, and other systems. 

APT29 COZY BEAR

This is another Russian APT attack that uses spear-phishing methods to attack national, scientific, and political organizations and their websites.

How Does an APT Attack Work?

A typical APT attack consists of multiple interconnected stages. Attackers usually conduct reconnaissance, gain access, expand their foothold, and ultimately achieve their goal.

Reconnaissance

In order to launch a successful attack, attackers usually do some research about people, technologies, vendors, exposed services, and other relevant information. It allows attackers to find valuable targets and vulnerabilities.

For instance, attackers can learn that a finance employee frequently contacts vendors and send him a targeted email containing links that open the way into the corporate network.

Getting Initial Access

Attackers can utilize different methods such as spear-phishing, stealing credentials, or exploiting vulnerabilities to gain initial access. Targeted messages tend to be more convincing since they mention real projects and business activities.

Establishing a Foothold Follows

Having gained initial access is not enough to guarantee further access. Therefore, attackers can use such techniques as installing malware, creating unauthorized accounts, or establishing backdoors. Removal of one suspicious file does not imply elimination of the entire intrusion.

Privilege Escalation

The attacker could start out low-privileged and work towards escalating their access level. They try their best to look for security loopholes by exploiting various aspects. 

Lateral Movement 

Once they get access to the system, they proceed to move through the system laterally, seeking useful resources and credentials.

Data Collection and Exfiltration

Upon finding essential information and data, hackers collect them to prepare to get out of the system. The type of data could be intellectual property, financial information, communications, or any other sensitive data.

How to Defend Against APT Attacks?

Businesses must opt for strong security measures and features to defend against APT attacks. This requires them to ensure constant tracking, threat intelligence, and monitoring. Using AI in cybersecurity is essential. 

Ensure Proper Visibility

Use security products that will enable monitoring at the endpoint level, network level, and cloud level to minimize visibility gaps.

Utilize Technical Knowledge and Intelligence

Indicators of compromise can be sent to a security information and event management system for enhanced detection and correlation of events.

Collaborate with Cybersecurity Experts

A dedicated cybersecurity company can assist organizations in detecting, investigating, and responding to advanced threats.

Web Application Firewall

Web Application Firewall tracks and filters HTTP traffic to protect different web applications against potential malicious activity. 

Threat Intelligence

Security experts utilize the knowledge of threat intelligence in finding malware signatures, tracking campaigns, and learning about other adversaries. 

Threat Hunting

It is also essential to execute manual and proactive threat hunting to find suspicious activities in the best way possible. 

Best Practices to Follow

If you really wish to build a fortress against APT attacks, you are supposed to follow some best security practices. 

Create a Powerful Password

Make it a habit of creating powerful passwords for your systems, network, and computers. Create passwords with a random combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. 

Enable 2FA

Enabling 2FA includes an additional layer of security for your system. This is nothing but a second verification layer requiring you to enter a text code. 

Use Antivirus

Using a good antivirus strengthens your system’s security. Hence, you must use an antivirus to block and detect threats proactively. 

Keep Your Software Updated

Do not forget to update your software, apps, and operating systems for optimum performance. This is how you can fix security loopholes from time to time. 

Make Use of Firewalls

Use firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to your network. This is another important security practice you should not miss out on.

Back Up Your Data

Back up your important documents on an external drive or cloud storage in order to prevent data loss.

Track Network Activities

Always keep track of network activities. This is how you would be able to find unusual activities if there are any.

Access Control

Provide access to critical information only to people who really need it. You can thus restrict or prevent unauthorized access.

Secure Remote Access

Always use a safe means such as a VPN for accessing the network. This enables you to secure your remote access. 

Conclusion

APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) attack is nothing but a long game played by hackers. 

Hackers and cyber attackers invest quite a considerable amount of time, effort, and research on a target. This is how they manage to find the perfect entry point, security vulnerabilities, move through the network, and gather sensitive information. The attackers may adjust and adapt their techniques if defenders disrupt their activities. 

This is what makes the detection procedure significantly more difficult than just looking for some malicious document or file. 

Businesses should leave no stone unturned in strengthening their security measures. They must install layered security, opt for regular patching, powerful identity controls, employee awareness, network segmentation, threat intelligence, and continuous monitoring, etc. Opting for network security is significant for every organization these days. 

When hackers play a long game stealthily, you should also defend in stealth mode, with patience. But remember the adage, ‘Prevention is Better Than Cure’. 

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. What do you understand by Advanced Persistent Threat?

It denotes a complex and targeted cyber attack whose main intention is to enter an organization and use its assets to fulfill certain objectives.

Q2. How is an APT attack initiated?

An APT attack could be initiated through spear phishing, credential theft, vulnerabilities, social engineering, etc.

Q3. Why is it difficult to spot APTs?

The attackers ensure that their actions are not detected as they blend with usual business operations.

Q4. What are the intentions of the APT attackers?

They may be after any valuable information, including personal information as well as confidential information.

Q5. What could be done to reduce the threats of APTs?

Companies can implement multiple security layers and many more.