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Cybersecurity strategy resources helping organizations proactively defend against evolving threats.
Three Actions to Mature Your Security Posture
By: Brittany Holmes, Corporate Communications Manager
When cybercriminals are consistently evolving their tactics, ensuring the security of your organization’s data and systems has never been more crucial. The increasing sophistication of cyber threats demands that businesses constantly level up their security practices to stay one step ahead of potential breaches. To achieve this, organizations need to go beyond having a security operations platform and consistently think about the potential of their platform.
While there are various components to consider, three practices stand out as fundamental pillars for strengthening security maturity: vulnerability management, penetration testing, and security awareness training.
This blog explores each of these components and highlights the reasons why, even implementing just one can significantly elevate your organization’s security posture.
Level Up #1: Vulnerability Management
Vulnerability management is all about keeping your organization’s network safe from potential threats. You can quickly identify and tend to vulnerabilities, reducing the time it takes to patch them by automating the process. This automated system also provides valuable information about the risks these vulnerabilities pose and offers advice on how to fix them.
It helps you prioritize which vulnerabilities need immediate attention based on the potential harm they could cause. This proactive approach reduces the amount of time that attackers have to exploit these weaknesses, making your network more secure. Implementing vulnerability and patch management is not only a best practice for IT security but also helps ensure compliance with industry regulations. CIS Critical Security Control also indicates CVM as a requirement for meeting IT security best practices and compliance.
Vulnerability Management in Action
Vulnerability management levels up an organization’s security posture by identifying and addressing security weaknesses in its systems and networks. By regularly and consistently managing vulnerabilities, organizations can reduce the attack surface, prevent potential breaches, and enhance overall security resilience.
Here are a few signs that indicate your organization can benefit from Vulnerability Management:
- You want to make the most of your security investments: Vulnerability management helps determine the return on security investment (ROSI), showing the potential financial losses that security measures can prevent. By promptly identifying vulnerabilities within your organization’s environment, these programs reduce the risks and potential costs of cyber-attacks.
- You need to streamline your vulnerability management program: Managing vulnerabilities manually can be time-consuming and inefficient. Vulnerability management technologies automate the process, allowing for real-time identification of vulnerabilities as they arise.
- You operate in a high-targeted industry: Certain industries, such as financial services or healthcare, are often the primary targets for cyber attacks. Implementing vulnerability management becomes even more crucial if your organization falls within these high-profile sectors.
- Your organization is experiencing rapid growth: As your organization expands, it becomes more vulnerable to cyber threats. With vulnerability management, you can ensure that your expanding network and systems are constantly protected.
Level Up #2: Penetration Testing
A penetration test, or pen test, is like a real-life game of “cybercriminals vs. defenders” that organizations play to protect themselves from cyber attacks. Experts try to break into the company’s systems in a controlled environment just like a real cybercriminal would. They go through different tactics, like finding weak spots in the system, sneaking in undetected, and even planting malicious software.
Pen tests are so important because they help organizations understand how strong their defenses are. It’s like testing their security measures to see if cybercriminals could exploit any holes or vulnerabilities. It’s like getting an outside perspective on how well-protected you are.
By simulating real attacks, pen tests can uncover weak spots that the organization’s own security experts might have missed. It’s a way to shine a light on risks that might go unnoticed from the inside. The great thing about pen testing is that it identifies vulnerabilities and shows how much damage they could cause if someone were to exploit them. It gives organizations a heads up on where they need to tighten their security belts.
Penetration Testing in Action
Penetration tests can actually help strengthen a company’s security processes and strategies. When executives at an organization see the results of these tests, they can understand the potential damage that could occur and prioritize fixing those vulnerabilities. A skilled penetration tester can provide recommendations to build a solid security infrastructure and help allocate the cybersecurity budget wisely.
Here are a few reasons your organization might need Penetration Testing:
- You will find system vulnerabilities before cybercriminals
- You have the ability to strengthen security strategies and processes
- You will reduce attack dwell time and lower remediation costs
- You will stay compliant
- You can preserve customer loyalty and brand reputation
Level Up #3: Security Awareness Training
Security awareness training is a way for IT and security professionals to teach employees to protect themselves and their organizations from cyber threats. It helps employees understand how their actions can put the organization at risk and how to avoid common mistakes.
In addition, there are common standards and legislations that require organizations to have a security awareness training program in place, KnowB4 details the following:
- US State Privacy Laws
- NERC CIP
- CobiT
- Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
- Gramm-Leach Bliley Act
- ISO/IEC 27001 & 27002
- Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)
- Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- PCI DSS
Research shows that most security breaches are caused by human error, so training is essential in preventing data breaches and other security incidents. It covers topics like proper email, internet usage, and physical security measures like not letting unauthorized people into the office. The best proactive security awareness programs are engaging and delivered in small doses but consistently to fit into employees’ busy schedules.
Security Awareness Training in Action
Having proper security awareness training for your team is crucial. It increases your organization’s security and saves you time and money in the long run. By educating your employees about the various threats and risks out there, you can prevent them from making simple mistakes that could hurt your organization.
Think about it – a single moment of carelessness, like checking an email on a public Wi-Fi network, could result in a major breach. But if everyone in your organization knows the dangers and takes the necessary precautions, the chances of a security breach are significantly reduced.
Here are a few benefits of implementing a Security Awareness Program:
- Saving time and money: Data breaches and similar attacks cost organizations billions of dollars each year. So, spending money on training is a small price to pay if it protects you from potential cyber threats. Time is another valuable resource that can be saved with proper cybersecurity training. If an attack occurs, your team will spend a lot of time the damage and finding ways to prevent future breaches.
- Employee empowerment: When your employees are well-informed about phishing emails, malware, and other common threats, they feel confident in recognizing and handling these situations. They won’t have to second-guess themselves or waste time seeking help from IT for simple issues.
- Continued customer trust: A data breach can severely damage your reputation. Losing the trust of customers not only results in a loss of revenue but can also impact your partnerships with other organizations.
Leveling up Your Security Maturity
Cybersecurity detection is not just a fancy term or an added feature to your cybersecurity strategy. It is a proactive approach that can save you from the chaos and damage caused by cyber threats. It’s like shining a light into the shadows where cybercriminals hide, exposing their every move and giving you the upper hand.
By taking these components into consideration, you can stop threats in their tracks and prevent them from causing havoc. Whether it’s implementing one or all of the key components discussed, taking action is crucial.
Organizations can ease the burden on their IT teams by leveraging solutions that provide comprehensive threat detection and response capabilities. Adlumin offers enterprise-grade Managed Detection and Response Services that operate as an extension of your IT team.
For more information about why implementing proactive security measures is essential to leveling up your security maturity, download “The Executive’s Guide to Cybersecurity.”
Cyber Tide Podcast Season 2, Episode 2: Navigating the Cyber Insurance Landscape: Premiums, Coverage and Claims
In this episode, we delve into the evolving world of cyber insurance. With the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks, the demand for cyber coverage is rising. Join Adlumin’s VP, Chief of Strategy, Mark Sangster and Cysurance’s CEO, Kirsten Bay to explore the benefits of cyber insurance, emerging risks organizations are facing, the impact of post-claims, and more.
Why Cybercrime is on the Rise — with James Anderson and Robert Johnston
Amidst the staggering number of cyberattacks occurring annually, bolstering cybersecurity in community banks is crucial. According to Robert Johnston, CEO of Adlumin Inc., while the allure of cutting-edge cyber protections is strong, it’s vital not to overlook the fundamentals. By mastering the basics, approximately 85% of threats can be mitigated, reducing potential risks significantly.
Navigating the complex task of maintaining robust cybersecurity can be overwhelming. However, teaming up with a fintech company can alleviate some of the burdens, providing added security and assurance for both the bank and its customers.
In a conversation with host Charles Potts, Johnston and James Anderson, VP and information technology manager at Kitsap Bank, delve into the key cyber threats that community banks should be vigilant against and strategies to prevent and address these threats.
“If you get the blocking and tackling done correctly, 85% of threats you can take off the table,” he says. “Get that right and you will save yourself a lot of pain from just brilliance in the basics.”
The Independent Banker podcast, sponsored by FIS, features this episode sponsored by Adlumin Inc. The October edition of Independent Banker highlights essential insights on current cybersecurity practices. Collaborating with a fintech can optimize a community bank’s cybersecurity operations, with ICBA’s ThinkTECH Accelerator serving as a valuable starting point.
Cybersecurity Time Machine Series: Solutions Through the Years
By: Brittany Holmes, Corporate Communications Manager
Cybersecurity has rapidly transformed in protecting valuable data and systems from malicious threat actors. From its inception as a simple notion of secure protocols to the complex and sophisticated solutions of the present day, the journey of cybersecurity has been nothing short of extraordinary.
This year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month’s theme celebrates 20 Years of Cybersecurity Awareness. In relevance, we took you through the evolution of threat actors over the past two decades in Cybersecurity Time Machine Series: The Evolution of Threat Actors to showcase the complexity of the threat landscape. Now, we explore the past 20 years’ advancement of cybersecurity solutions, tracking its progress through various stages and highlighting the milestones that have shaped its current landscape.
Cybersecurity: The Early Years (2000-2005)
A digital revolution was underway in the early years of the new millennium. This era saw the rise of antivirus software, emerging as the first line of defense against malicious software and cyber threats. This development was accompanied by firewalls, protecting the digital boundaries of networks and systems.
However, understanding cyber threats and vulnerabilities was limited, exposing organizations to unknown dangers. Comprehensive cybersecurity strategies were absent within this landscape, leaving organizations struggling to navigate this deep digital landscape. These early years were marked by a race against time to understand and combat the threat landscape.
Increased Awareness: Mid-2000s (2006-2010)
In the mid-2000s, a sense of unease began to settle over the digital landscape. Organizations were becoming increasingly aware of the lurking threat of cyberattacks, launching a new era of caution and vigilance. As the world connected and information flowed freely on the Internet, the need for protection became essential. This is where there were intrusion detection systems, powerful gatekeepers that tirelessly monitored network traffic, searching for any signs of malicious intent.
Simultaneously, encryption technologies created shields around sensitive data and communications. However, as defenses strengthened, so did the adversaries. Cybercriminals grew increasingly sophisticated, their tactics to match the advancing digital landscape. These developments raised the stakes.
Introduction of Behavior-Based Threat Detection (2010-2015)
Between 2010 and 2015, traditional reactive approaches were gradually replaced by innovative strategies to stay one step ahead of threat actors. With the introduction of behavior-based threat detection, security experts began analyzing patterns and anomalies to anticipate potential attacks, neutralizing them before any damage could occur.
As technology advanced, cloud-based security solutions emerged as a game-changer, providing organizations with scalable, efficient, and cost-effective protection against rapidly changing threats. Machine learning and artificial intelligence brought a new era, empowering cybersecurity systems to continually learn, adapt, and predict potential vulnerabilities with uncanny accuracy.
These developments heightened the level of defense and brought about a sense of assurance, as organizations were armed with proactive measures to safeguard their digital assets. With these advancements, the world of cybersecurity was forever transformed, nurturing a future where staying secure is no longer a question of luck but rather a matter of strategic planning and cutting-edge technology.
Cybersecurity in Recent Years (2016-2020)
Cybersecurity has witnessed significant advancements and transformations in recent years that have revolutionized how organizations approach data protection and privacy strategies. One crucial development that has taken center stage is the focus on endpoint security. With the rise of remote work and the spread of devices connected to corporate networks, organizations are investing in endpoint security solutions to safeguard their data from threats.
However, not just endpoint security has gained traction. The importance of data protection has sparked a shift in how organizations handle and secure their sensitive information. In a world where data breaches and leaks regularly make headlines, organizations are under increasing pressure to implement strict data privacy policies and deploy protection mechanisms to safeguard customer and employee data.
Additionally, the evolution of threat intelligence platforms has played a crucial role in cyber threats. These platforms actively collect, analyze, and interpret vast amounts of data from various sources, allowing organizations to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals. Machine learning, artificial intelligence, and threat intelligence platforms can promptly identify and respond to emerging cyber threats, minimizing potential damage and downtime.
Examples of Solutions in Recent Years:
- Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): EDR continually monitors an endpoint (laptop, tablet, mobile phone, server, or internet-of-things device) to identify threats through data analytics and prevent malicious activity with rules-based automated response capabilities.
- Managed Detection and Response (MDR): In response to a growing portfolio of security products, organizations turned to Managed Security Service Providers (MSSP) to manage these devices, update and patch systems, aggregate information, and provide frequent reporting. MSSPs manage devices, whereas customers also need a service to manage alerts, investigate threats, and contain attacks. MDR provides a turnkey combination of tools and security expertise to protect clients from cyber threats.
- Extended Detection and Response (XDR): XDR collects security data from network points, operating systems logs, application logs, cloud services, endpoints, and other logging systems to correlate information and apply threat detection analytics to this data lake of information.
To find the best solution for your organization, explore comparison guides like EDR vs. XDR vs. MDR: The Cybersecurity ABCs Explained.
Current and Future Cybersecurity Solution Trends (2021-Present)
Several key cybersecurity solution trends are gaining traction as we move into the future. The adoption of zero-trust architecture is rapidly growing, with organizations realizing that traditional perimeter-based security is no longer sufficient. This approach focuses on granting access based on authentication and authorization, regardless of the user’s location or device, effectively minimizing the potential for breaches.
Advanced analytics and automation tools are increasingly integrated to enhance threat detection and response capabilities. These technologies provide real-time insights into potential threats, allowing faster and more efficient incident response. Additionally, there is a noticeable shift towards decentralized cybersecurity, with organizations opting for distributed security measures instead of relying solely on centralized systems.
The rise of emerging technologies like 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT) presents both opportunities and challenges for cybersecurity. While these technologies offer immense benefits, they also expand the attack surface, requiring security measures to be implemented alongside their deployment. The future of cybersecurity lies in these trends, allowing organizations to proactively protect their digital assets while harnessing the full potential of technology.
Adlumin’s Spot the Lurker Challenge
Unleash the power of knowledge and stand a chance to win big in the ‘Defeat the Lurker’ contest. Download Adlumin’s 2023 Threat Report Round-Up, shine a light on hidden threats and equip yourself with the tools to protect your network while entering for a chance to win amazing prizes.
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Season 2, Episode 1: Highlights and Trends from ILTACON and Black Hat 2023
In Cyber Tide’s latest episode, Adlumin’s Mark Sangster, VP Chief of Strategy, and Kevin O’Connor, Director of Threat Research, reflect on their experiences at two major cybersecurity conferences: Black Hat and ILTACON. They discuss the most memorable moments, highlight the key insights gained, and delve into recent trends and challenges discussed in the industry. Tune in for an inside look at these influential events and their impact on the cybersecurity landscape.
Whether you’re a cybersecurity professional or just curious about the latest developments in the field, this episode offers a valuable insider’s perspective on the pulse of the industry.
Shadows to the Light: The Key Role of Visibility in Strengthening Cybersecurity
By: Mark Sangster, VP, Chief of Strategy
Visibility in Three Parts: Part 1
Fiat Lux: Lighting the Way to Cybersecurity
Detection is key in many aspects of life, from medical diagnosis to positive treatment to more existential threats posed by massive storms like hurricanes or destructive tornadoes. The quicker we can detect something threatening or dangerous, the sooner we can respond accordingly. While we take this for granted in everyday life, we don’t always appreciate the value of early detection in cybersecurity. Put another way, making cyber threats visible is key to mitigating the risk.
This three-part blog series focuses on how we bring light to the threats and make them visible. In this series, I will explore what we mean by visibility in terms of cybersecurity, methods to detect or make visible threats, and how to measure your ability to detect and respond to those threats, measured in terms of business outcomes.
Part I: There is More to This Than Meets the Eye
When it comes to understanding the meaning of this statement, astronomy is a good teacher. Throughout the ages, scientists and novices alike have stared into the night skies, seeking answers. They looked to understand the celestial motions to predict the season for agriculture, suitable times for trade and travel, or simply to understand the world around them. Until the invention of the telescope in the early 1600s1 only six planets in our solar system were visible. Not nearly 200 years later, advances in telescope lenses aided William Hershel in discovering a seventh planet, Uranus.
Yet observers of this planet were perplexed that the Newtonian physics thought to govern the motion of the planets could not account for certain anomalies in Uranus’ orbit. Astronomers predicted the presence of another planet that would explain these perturbations. In 1846, advances in telescope acuity and predictive orbital calculations led to the discovery of Neptune. Yet it wasn’t until 1989 that Voyager 2’ flyby discovered additional moons and dark rings that orbit the blue gas giant.2
The Power of Visibility in Cybersecurity
Lesson 1: The Need for Tools
There are two critical lessons from this brief history of planetary discovery. The first is that there is more to this than meets the eye. We need to develop tools and instruments to detect invisible objects. As thriller author Chris Pavone mused, “The best hiding spots are not the most hidden; they’re merely the least searched.3
In terms of cybersecurity, we develop new instruments to detect threats year after year. Firewalls, antivirus, endpoint detection and response, and so on. Each technology provides a set of detection capabilities that overlap the least searched locations, as Pavone suggests.
Lesson 2: The Presence of Inferential Threats
The second lesson is that not everything is obvious to the naked eye, even with the help of a telescope or similar augmentation of acuity. Consider another comparison to visible light. The portion of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum that our eyes can detect is visible light.4 Yet this visible portion of the EM spectrum accounts for about 0.0035 percent of its entirety. The vast majority remains invisible. Our eyes cannot detect radio or microwaves or see infrared or ultraviolet light or X-rays.
Yet we can hear radio waves when captured by a sensor and converted into sound waves. We use microwaves to heat food. We can feel the heat of infrared and ultraviolet light, leading to sunburn when skin is unprotected. And X-ray imaging is a staple of medical care. We can’t see these forms of EM energy, but we can infer their presence from secondary evidence.
That’s the second lesson: not all cybersecurity threats are obvious or come in the form of an alert thrown by a firewall, endpoint defense, or antivirus. Those obvious threats like spam emails or messages from streaming services about declined payments are the background radiation of the internet. While primarily harmless at this point, they have the negative consequence of lulling too many pre-victims into a false sense of security.
Harnessing Implicit and Inferential Detections
Many threats are inferential, they don’t elicit an alert. They are the signals hiding in Pavone’s “least searched spots.” For example, most attacks begin with compromised credentials accessing security controls to create the appearance of legitimate activity. Credentials that were stolen using subtle phishing lures like student requests for mentoring or notification of fake lawsuits.
Once in, criminals use compromised accounts and devices to map your network, connect to critical services to identify valuable assets, and even create new user accounts in Active Directory. Lateral movement, privilege escalation, reconnaissance, staging, and more are all precursors to attacks. In many cases, these events go undetected. And these activities traverse your remote access gateways. Using your tools against you is a broad category of tactics called “living off the land.”
Leveraging Threat Hunting and Artificial Intelligence
Creating a robust cybersecurity defense requires multiple, overlapping sources that cover your entire attack surface. Full spectrum coverage includes more than internet traffic, endpoints and in-network communications, and cloud-service access. It’s covering remote access points and correlating those data points to create a contextual fabric of visibility: who is accessing what and why. Beyond tactical visibility, your attack surface includes vulnerability management and patching, simulated attacks, asset discovery, and security awareness programs.
Detecting these threats requires line speed analysis of network traffic and the correlation of users, groups, devices, and systems. It means collecting enormous volumes of data, normalizing and aggregating the data, and then analyzing it as fast as criminals can move inside your environment.
Of course, like light, the more security information you collect, the harder it is to focus the data to create a big picture. As you open the security aperture, the resource load is almost exponential. Most security teams will attest that exhausted resources and diminished budgets are no match for increasing cyber threats and growing regulatory requirements.
Up Next: Parts 2 & 3
In the next part of the series, we will explore how we harness implicit and inferential detections, use threat hunting to take the fight to the adversary and employ artificial intelligence to manage alert overload and spot invisible threats.
For more information about why implementing proactive security measures is essential to visibility, download “The Executive’s Guide to Cybersecurity.”
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Understanding the Fine Print: Cybersecurity Insurance vs. Warranties
By: Brittany Holmes, Corporate Communications Manager The rise in cybercrimes and attacks has reached an alarming rate, putting organizations at risk of losing sensitive information and digital assets. The need to remain protected against these threats has led to the adoption of two key tools: cybersecurity insurance and cybersecurity warranties. While both aim to strengthen defense mechanisms, their approach to ensuring protection differs. Adlumin’s latest Cyber Threat Insights report highlights a 20% surge in security threat detections, further emphasizing the importance of these tools in safeguarding businesses and organizations. But what exactly do these terms entail, and how do they differ in ensuring protection? This blog covers cybersecurity insurance and warranties, unveiling the key distinctions and highlighting their role in safeguarding against cyber threats that lurk in the dark. Cybersecurity insurance, also known as cyber insurance, cyber liability insurance, or cyber risk insurance, provides financial protection and assistance to organizations in the event of a ransomware attack, data breach, or any other form of cyberattack. It is designed to address the frequency and complexity of cyber threats and the potential financial losses that can result from them. Organizations purchase a contract where the organization’s liability for financial damages is minimized, alleviating the overall consequences if an incident occurs. What does it protect against? Cyber insurance covers any type of theft, compromise, or loss of electronic data that negatively impacts an organization. It can help reduce financial risk and keep an organization from paying out of pocket. Any organization that stores, manages, or creates electronic data can benefit from cyber insurance. Sensitive information like customer login information, social security numbers, contact numbers, or any personally identifiable information are all targets for cybercriminals. Benefits of Cybersecurity Insurance: A cybersecurity warranty or cyber warranty can be described as when a provider guarantees they will pay a certain amount if their customer experiences a breach or incident. The purpose is to instill confidence in customers that their product or service has undergone rigorous testing and meets security standards. It helps mitigate the risks associated with cyberattacks and provides a form of assurance that the provider will take responsibility in the event of a security breach. The conditions for a warranty vary based on the provider; some will expect the customer to abide by a set of security standards to be covered by their contract, or some expect the customer to prove that they were using the product or both. The losses a warranty can cover can vary, but they are typically a set amount. What does it protect against? Cybersecurity warranties cover various events, including: It is important to note that a cybersecurity warranty’s specific coverage and terms may vary depending on the policy and the provider. Benefits of Cybersecurity Warranties: While cybersecurity warranties can function well with cybersecurity insurance, they are not alternatives for each other. Instead, they are complementary. Warranties have more limitations than insurance, but they fill in the gaps in situations where insurers won’t pay out. For example, having a cybersecurity warranty in place may assist in reducing insurance premiums. They are both tools designed to mitigate the financial risk associated with cyberattacks and data breaches. While cybersecurity insurance and warranties serve different functions, they go hand in hand with a comprehensive risk management strategy. Cybersecurity insurance helps organizations transfer the financial risks associated with cyber incidents to an insurance provider, while warranties provide an additional layer of assurance that the products or services being used have met certain security standards. For example, if a breach occurs despite the organization implementing robust cybersecurity measures, cybersecurity insurance and warranties can cover the costs of incident response, legal expenses, and any financial losses. Together, they can help organizations mitigate potential financial losses and give them peace of mind knowing that they have protection against cyber threats. By combining cybersecurity insurance and warranties, organizations can ensure comprehensive coverage and minimize their financial exposure in the event of a cyber incident. It is important for organizations to carefully assess their cybersecurity risks, evaluate the warranties provided by vendors, and work with insurance providers to customize a cybersecurity insurance policy that suits their specific needs and risk profile. Learn more about how Adlumin Protect Warranty Certification can safeguard you against business continuity and insure against loss, protecting your revenue and recovery. Contact us today, schedule a demo, or sign up for a free trial. Understanding Cybersecurity Insurance
Exploring Cybersecurity Warranties
Understanding the Fine Print: Cybersecurity Insurance vs. Warranties
The Ultimate Protection Complement
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5 Cybersecurity Trends Still on the Rise
By: Brittany Demendi, Corporate Communications Manager at Adlumin As summer begins to wind down and we hit the mid-year mark, it is becoming increasingly evident that the cybersecurity industry continues to experience transformational shifts. In the face of persistent threats and sophisticated attacks businesses must adapt to the changes to strengthen their defense mechanisms. Despite the various challenges brought forth by the ever-advancing technological world, one thing remains constant—cybersecurity’s critical importance is safeguarding our digital assets and personal information. As the digital landscape continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, remaining vigilant is the key component to staying ahead of the cybercrime curve. This blog explores five key cybersecurity trends that are still on the rise, shaping the way we approach digital security and setting the tone for the months to come. The trends above only represent a small portion of what the industry is up against and opportunities to take hold of. The key is to take all we know about cybersecurity and apply them fully to our current security programs. Knowledge is only the halfway point to winning the battle and implementing a proactive security approach is important to defend against common trends. Amidst these escalating threats, Managed Detection and Response (MDR) providers play a pivotal role in defending organizations. Investing in a solution that provides full visibility across your environment, provides insight into policy violations, and takes a multi-layered detection approach that looks at your extended threat landscape will enable organizations to keep up with the latest trends. Investing in MDR can be an extension of your team and provide valuable threat insights to prepare for and protect against the evolving threat landscape.
Command More Visibility
Battling PowerShell Attacks with Cybersecurity Automation
By: Krystal Rennie, Director of Corporate Communications
In today’s digital age, there are multiple ways that we use computer systems to carry out our everyday tasks. From accessing the internet to sending emails, we constantly exhibit new patterns in navigating the digital world through automation. While this is normal behavior, it also leaves trails for cybercriminals to use against your organization.
According to Microsoft, PowerShell is “a cross-platform task automation solution made up of a command-line shell, a scripting language, and a configuration management framework. PowerShell runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS.” It provides an interface for system administrators and users to carry out various tasks like running files, taking screenshots on the computer, accessing the internet, and more.
This blog will explore how cybercriminals can use PowerShell, why they are so hard to detect, and how you can ensure your organization remains vigilant against attackers.
PowerShell Attacks in Action
To put it simply, PowerShell is a language installed on all Windows computers, so by default, it is an easy entry point for cybercriminals to abuse because they do not have to bring their own tools. PowerShell is also used by system administrators to complete their tasks and is required to make Windows run, so it cannot be removed from Windows as it is a core functionality.
In action, cybercriminals tend to abuse PowerShell because it allows them to take full advantage of it as a living-off-the-land tactic. Malicious actors can use PowerShell to create a malware implant or download and execute malware. Once they access your network, they can run commands and remain under the radar.
For example, an attacker can execute PowerShell through a simple spear phishing email, and the email includes a PDF or a Word document as an attachment; when the PDF or Word document gets opened, that then triggers PowerShell to run at the end of the malware code. PowerShell will then download the additional malware stages to infect the computer.
Cybercriminals do not go out of their way to reinvent the wheel when planning their attacks; where there is an easy point of entry, they will use it to their advantage. Opening an attachment is a common task for employees, and cybercriminals know that. Using familiar techniques like the above is a perfect way to lure in potential victims and gain access to organizational data.
Why are PowerShell Attacks Difficult to Detect?
As attackers advance their techniques, they also recognize that to maintain success, they must keep their tactics simple yet effective. Below are a few reasons PowerShell attacks are hard to detect:
- Easy Access to Windows API: PowerShell allows cybercriminals to carry out automated tasks and everyday administrative tasks without having to worry about being blocked by an IT team.
- Living-off-the-Land: PowerShell is a powerful command prompt that can do whatever it’s told. Cybercriminals use PowerShell as a native tool operating within all Windows computers to advance their attacks. The ability to use techniques that are already a part of a system allows cybercriminals to do less prep work and execute quicker.
- Hiding in Plain Sight: Cybercriminals will often encode PowerShell algorithms to make them appear as a string of letters and numbers. This allows the detection of malicious commands to obscure security systems because it would require decoding.
Although detection can be tricky when looking at PowerShell as an attack method, with proper tools in place, such as an automated security solution with threat intelligence, it is not impossible.
For example, Adlumin’s Threat Research team recently uncovered “PowerDrop,” a malicious PowerShell script that has set its sights on the U.S. aerospace industry. The malicious malware uses advanced techniques to evade detection such as deception, encoding, and encryption. The threat was detected by Adlumin’s machine learning-based algorithms which analyze PowerShell commands and arguments at run-time. In essence, the malware is used to run remote commands against victim networks after gaining initial access, execution, and persistence into servers.
Implementing an automated security solution with a multi-layer detection approach is the key to successfully uncovering attackers’ actions in your network and protecting your organization before chaos hits. With the proper solution malicious behavior can be detected, alerted and responded to in real-time.
Test Your Defenses: PowerShell Attack Simulator Tool
Ensuring your organization has the proper tools and proactive measures to protect against PowerShell attacks is essential. Specifically, testing your environment for PowerShell-based attacks. As automation, cybersecurity, and the digital landscape evolve, cybercriminals will only become more advanced in planning their attacks.
Adlumin has developed a free tool for security teams to test their defenses against common ways attackers gain access. PowerShell is a common tool attackers leverage to infiltrate an environment. The simulation runs through multiple ways PowerShell may be used maliciously so that you can gain visibility into your coverage against these threats.
See how your security stands against the tactics and tricks used by cybercriminals. Download Adlumin’s free PowerShell Attack Simulator tool today or contact one of our cybersecurity experts for a demo and more information.