#1 Trending Cybersecurity News & Magazine
Monday, October 2, 2023
No Result
View All Result
The Cyber Express
  • MagazineDownload
  • Firewall Daily
    • All
    • Dark Web News
    • Data Breach News
    • Hacking News
    • Ransomware News
    • Vulnerabilities
    Cyber Security Legal Challenges

    Navigating The Post-Incident Cybersecurity Legal Challenges

    Cybersecurity Budget Trends 2023

    Cybersecurity Budgets Trends in 2023 Record a Meagre 6% Rise

    Cybersecurity Awareness

    Remote Workers Outshine In-Office Counterparts in Cybersecurity Awareness

    Cybersecurity Awareness Month

    Cybersecurity Awareness Month: 20 Years of Protecting Our Digital Future

    Facial Recognition Ban

    New York State Education Department Bans Facial Recognition Scans in Schools

    Phishing HTML Files

    Evading Antivirus: The Rise of Phishing HTML Files

    Indian Taxpayer Data Leak

    Indian Taxpayer Data Leak: Login Credentials Exposed on Hacker Forum

    NoName Ransomware Group

    NoName Ransomware Group Targets Transport Organizations in the UK

    Largest Healthcare Data Breach

    McLaren Healthcare: Largest Healthcare Data Breach by ALPHV, 6TB Data Stolen

    Trending Tags

    • blackbyte ransomware
    • Ransomware
    • lapsus$ ransomware
    • Apple
    • Apple vulnerability
  • Essentials
    • All
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
    • Regulations
    Facial Recognition Ban

    New York State Education Department Bans Facial Recognition Scans in Schools

    US Cybersecurity Regulations: Tracing the Past and Predicting the Future

    US Cybersecurity Regulations: Tracing the Past and Predicting the Future

    threat landscape

    The Three Trends to Watch in the Growing Threat Landscape

    Mandatory Dark Web Monitoring for Indian Companies: SEBI Bolsters Cybersecurity Measures

    Mandatory Dark Web Monitoring for Indian Companies: SEBI Bolsters Cybersecurity Measures

    Tesla Data Leak

    Massive Tesla Data Leak Exposing Over 75000 Staff Attributed to Former Employees

    Cybersecurity Primer

    Bridging the Gap: Cybersecurity Primer to Address Woes Surrounding US Government Officials

    Executive order for cybersecurity

    White House Directs Federal Agencies to Enhance Cybersecurity Amid Exposure Concerns

    AI Cyber Challenge

    Biden-Harris Administration Introduces AI Cyber Challenge, Offering $20 Million Reward

    aws agent hijack

    New Research Exposes Advanced Cyber Threat – Attackers Hijack AWS Agent to Control Endpoints

    • Regulations
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
  • Features
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Workforce
      • Learning & Development
  • Business
    • All
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Press Release
    • Startups
    Countdown to TimeAI Summit 2023

    Countdown to TimeAI Summit 2023: Unveiling the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Dubai

    Emerging Tech Summit

    The Emerging Tech Summit – Saudi Arabia 2023

    Business Cybersecurity

    Prioritizing Business Cybersecurity Plans During Mergers and Acquisitions

    TimeAI Summit

    TimeAI Summit is Uniting Tech Giants and Visionaries in Dubai to Shape the Future of AI

    CyberDSA 2023

    CyberDSA 2023: Forging a Resilient Digital Future Through Unprecedented Collaboration

    Summit MENA 2023

    MENA Summit 2023: Exploring the Future of Digital Identity & Authentication

    Cyble Raises 24 Million in Series B Funding

    Cyble Raises 24 Million in Series B Funding: Leveraging AI and Threat Intelligence to Revolutionize Cybersecurity

    Alarming 66% Quarterly Growth in Ransomware Attacks Notes Cyble’s Q2-2023 Ransomware Report

    Alarming 66% Quarterly Growth in Ransomware Attacks Notes Cyble’s Q2-2023 Ransomware Report

    Bureau Raises $16.5M in Series A Funding

    Bureau Raises $16.5M in Series A Funding to Drive Global Expansion and Combat Cyber Fraud

    • Startups
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Research
      • Whitepapers
      • Sponsored Content
      • Market Reports
    • Interviews
      • Podcast
  • EventsCyberCon
    • World CyberCon India 2023
    •  Cyber Security Webinar
    • Endorsed Events
  • ProductsTools
    • Cyble Vision
    • Cyble Hawk (LEA, Govt.)
    • Am I Breached
    • Cyble Odin (Beta)
SUBSCRIBE
  • MagazineDownload
  • Firewall Daily
    • All
    • Dark Web News
    • Data Breach News
    • Hacking News
    • Ransomware News
    • Vulnerabilities
    Cyber Security Legal Challenges

    Navigating The Post-Incident Cybersecurity Legal Challenges

    Cybersecurity Budget Trends 2023

    Cybersecurity Budgets Trends in 2023 Record a Meagre 6% Rise

    Cybersecurity Awareness

    Remote Workers Outshine In-Office Counterparts in Cybersecurity Awareness

    Cybersecurity Awareness Month

    Cybersecurity Awareness Month: 20 Years of Protecting Our Digital Future

    Facial Recognition Ban

    New York State Education Department Bans Facial Recognition Scans in Schools

    Phishing HTML Files

    Evading Antivirus: The Rise of Phishing HTML Files

    Indian Taxpayer Data Leak

    Indian Taxpayer Data Leak: Login Credentials Exposed on Hacker Forum

    NoName Ransomware Group

    NoName Ransomware Group Targets Transport Organizations in the UK

    Largest Healthcare Data Breach

    McLaren Healthcare: Largest Healthcare Data Breach by ALPHV, 6TB Data Stolen

    Trending Tags

    • blackbyte ransomware
    • Ransomware
    • lapsus$ ransomware
    • Apple
    • Apple vulnerability
  • Essentials
    • All
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
    • Regulations
    Facial Recognition Ban

    New York State Education Department Bans Facial Recognition Scans in Schools

    US Cybersecurity Regulations: Tracing the Past and Predicting the Future

    US Cybersecurity Regulations: Tracing the Past and Predicting the Future

    threat landscape

    The Three Trends to Watch in the Growing Threat Landscape

    Mandatory Dark Web Monitoring for Indian Companies: SEBI Bolsters Cybersecurity Measures

    Mandatory Dark Web Monitoring for Indian Companies: SEBI Bolsters Cybersecurity Measures

    Tesla Data Leak

    Massive Tesla Data Leak Exposing Over 75000 Staff Attributed to Former Employees

    Cybersecurity Primer

    Bridging the Gap: Cybersecurity Primer to Address Woes Surrounding US Government Officials

    Executive order for cybersecurity

    White House Directs Federal Agencies to Enhance Cybersecurity Amid Exposure Concerns

    AI Cyber Challenge

    Biden-Harris Administration Introduces AI Cyber Challenge, Offering $20 Million Reward

    aws agent hijack

    New Research Exposes Advanced Cyber Threat – Attackers Hijack AWS Agent to Control Endpoints

    • Regulations
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
  • Features
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Workforce
      • Learning & Development
  • Business
    • All
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Press Release
    • Startups
    Countdown to TimeAI Summit 2023

    Countdown to TimeAI Summit 2023: Unveiling the Future of Artificial Intelligence in Dubai

    Emerging Tech Summit

    The Emerging Tech Summit – Saudi Arabia 2023

    Business Cybersecurity

    Prioritizing Business Cybersecurity Plans During Mergers and Acquisitions

    TimeAI Summit

    TimeAI Summit is Uniting Tech Giants and Visionaries in Dubai to Shape the Future of AI

    CyberDSA 2023

    CyberDSA 2023: Forging a Resilient Digital Future Through Unprecedented Collaboration

    Summit MENA 2023

    MENA Summit 2023: Exploring the Future of Digital Identity & Authentication

    Cyble Raises 24 Million in Series B Funding

    Cyble Raises 24 Million in Series B Funding: Leveraging AI and Threat Intelligence to Revolutionize Cybersecurity

    Alarming 66% Quarterly Growth in Ransomware Attacks Notes Cyble’s Q2-2023 Ransomware Report

    Alarming 66% Quarterly Growth in Ransomware Attacks Notes Cyble’s Q2-2023 Ransomware Report

    Bureau Raises $16.5M in Series A Funding

    Bureau Raises $16.5M in Series A Funding to Drive Global Expansion and Combat Cyber Fraud

    • Startups
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Research
      • Whitepapers
      • Sponsored Content
      • Market Reports
    • Interviews
      • Podcast
  • EventsCyberCon
    • World CyberCon India 2023
    •  Cyber Security Webinar
    • Endorsed Events
  • ProductsTools
    • Cyble Vision
    • Cyble Hawk (LEA, Govt.)
    • Am I Breached
    • Cyble Odin (Beta)
No Result
View All Result
The Cyber Express
No Result
View All Result
Home Main Story

Anatomy of a Red Team Operation

Editorial by Editorial
July 27, 2022 - Updated on June 5, 2023
in Main Story
0
Anatomy of a Red Team Operation

Tom Van de Wiele

601
SHARES
3.3k
VIEWS
Share on LinkedInShare on Twitter

It’s Friday, 5p.m. An HR consultant finishes work at his client’s office and takes his loaned laptop to an IT room, off the lobby, accessed by his temporary key card. After dropping his card into a mailbox marked “Contractor Access Cards,” the consultant is ready to leave. Rainwater pours down; he struggles with his umbrella while holding the door.

Let me get that for you,” a voice says. The consultant sees a man holding the door while entering the lobby.

You might also like

Artificial Intelligence: The Bridge Between Utopia and Dystopia

‘Pig Butchering’ Scheme: A Tried and Tested Scam Targeting Crypto

ALPHV Ransomware Group Lists Thailand’s Nok Air Airline as Victim 

Meet the Red Teamer

As a red team member, I ask the questions organizations don’t — and sometimes can’t — about their readiness in preventing, detecting, and responding to cyber attacks.

For this particular job, there was one goal: Break through the client’s security, acquire a device, and access the restricted network containing high-risk intellectual property. The client was a financial entity with custom-developed trading algorithms for predicting market trends –an appealing target for financially motivated adversaries and competitors.

On that Friday I sat in my car with the toolkit for a physical break-in. From my reconnaissance, I knew the HR consultant left promptly. I approached the building as he came into view; the moment he stopped to open his umbrella, I knew I was in.

Intrusion: Every Lock Has a Key Problem

My bag across my shoulder, I approached the key card mailbox. It was nothing special, available from any standard retailer, making replica keys easy to obtain. Opening it with a lock-pick tool was even easier. I found that the mailbox was full of cards still active for the remainder of the day. I pocketed these, took my laptop from my bag, and crossed to the IT room. The first card unlocked the door.

I noticed the consultant had left his laptop closest to the door. I’d done my research, watching employees come and go with their laptops, studying potential weaknesses those models might have. I’d watched some of the corporate videos and identified two laptop models susceptible to weaknesses I knew. The consultant’s laptop went into my bag, along with a second model. I exited the room, returned the cards, and left.

Next, I updated the client’s white team; keeping them informed is a critical responsibility. Red teams should be authentic, but they can’t succeed if they’re unsafe. It’s not about causing disruption. It’s about collaboration, communication, and education.

The Laptop Whisperer

Sitting at my desk, I opened the back panel on the consultant’s laptop to find the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip. This would be my first angle of attack.

For this, I used a credit card-size “logic sniffer” wired to the BIOS chip. For most modern laptops, the TPM and BIOS chips share a communication channel. The sniffer records activity passing across the BIOS chip from the motherboard and digests it for analysis on a second device. Once the key was located, I disconnected the device to begin the decryption key recovery process.

Next, I installed a backdoor on the main machine so I could discreetly maintain persistence and simulate a real-life attacker. This code would run as the laptop connected to the client’s VPN, exploiting the fact that remote workers are automatically connected after logging on. The connection provided me with a link to the network. Writing what I wanted to the disk, I had administrator-level access to the laptop. It was time to find my target.

When Convenience Kills

I found an HR software I suspected the consultant would use, and he had saved his password to autofill. It wasn’t a guarantee, but my impression was that he liked efficiency; it seemed possible that he reused passwords, so recovering one might unlock multiple doors.

I loaded the application on a second machine to use my virtualized setup. As the application read the cached password and decoded it in memory, I paused the process, freezing the data flow. The client had a legacy eight-character password policy, so I concentrated on lines of data that were  eight characters or greater. A password emerged.

After reviewing the applications available, I logged into one with the password. Finding file interaction functionality, I navigated out and found a command prompt. Now I could roam the application data of active users and software.

Software? It’s Complicated

I was now “under the floorboards” of the virtualized environment and identified six users with access to applications that stored temporary files in a location that I also had access to. These could be abused using DLL side-loading. I used this to sprinkle backdoored software libraries in these locations.

After a few minutes, I could see that one of the backdoored utilities was being run by an employee with access to the target application and data.

In total, I’d been at my desk for about 48 hours. I took screenshots and collected everything I needed to help make the necessary changes. I found the latest versions of what I was supposed to steal and exfiltrated source code files, copies of the development environment, and key assets.

Wrapping Up

The team reconvened for a post-mortem and to reflect on the indicators of compromise the security team could have been monitoring for. We offered pragmatic advice with short- and long-term defensive measures, allowing time to secure the resources for tackling the root cause and potential mitigation paths for detecting and containing similar attacks.

I detailed the attack scenarios, my general approach to the attack narrative, paths taken, obstacles observed, how they were circumvented, and how each attack was performed and structured. An analysis of the other attacks I’d prepared followed, plus an overview of remaining attack artifacts, the data accessed and where, how the data was kept safe and secure, and how anonymity was upheld.

Final Thoughts

The outcome of red teaming is never “pass” or “fail.” It’s a stress test, designed to highlight the control across the organization and how quickly attacks can be mitigated. It’s a unique opportunity to test critical assets and efficacy of security controls, training, and processes for defending your business. The goal is to ensure that any incident is just another day, rather than a headline with long-term impact.

 

By Tom Van de Wiele, Principal Threats and Technology Researcher, WithSecureâ„¢

 

Share this:

  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Related

Tags: blue teamingcybersecurityethical hackingpurple teamingred teaming
Next Post

Growing North Korean cyberattacks a threat to US security

Editorial

Editorial

The Cyber Express is a publication that aims to provide the latest news and analysis about the information security industry. The news comes from a variety of sources and is updated regularly so that readers can stay up to date with the latest happenings in this rapidly growing field.

Related Posts

Artificial Intelligence
Firewall Daily

Artificial Intelligence: The Bridge Between Utopia and Dystopia

by Editorial
February 2, 2023 - Updated on May 26, 2023
Pig Butchering
Firewall Daily

‘Pig Butchering’ Scheme: A Tried and Tested Scam Targeting Crypto

by Editorial
November 22, 2022
Nok Air
Firewall Daily

ALPHV Ransomware Group Lists Thailand’s Nok Air Airline as Victim 

by Editorial
November 21, 2022 - Updated on June 26, 2023
Discord
Firewall Daily

CNIL Sanctions Discord 800,000 Euros for Violating GDPR Policies

by Editorial
November 21, 2022
Breach-hit shareholders Protest at Medibank AGM; Board Saves Its Skin And Pay
Firewall Daily

Breach-hit shareholders Protest at Medibank AGM; Board Saves Its Skin And Pay

by Editorial
November 16, 2022
Next Post
North Korea

Growing North Korean cyberattacks a threat to US security

Latest Issue is Out. Subscribe Now



Follow Us On Google News

Latest Cyber News

Cyber Security Legal Challenges
Cybersecurity News

Navigating The Post-Incident Cybersecurity Legal Challenges

October 1, 2023
Cybersecurity Budget Trends 2023
Firewall Daily

Cybersecurity Budgets Trends in 2023 Record a Meagre 6% Rise

October 1, 2023
Cybersecurity Awareness
Firewall Daily

Remote Workers Outshine In-Office Counterparts in Cybersecurity Awareness

September 30, 2023
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: 20 Years of Protecting Our Digital Future

September 30, 2023

Categories

Web Stories

Top 10 CISOs to Follow in 2023
Top 10 CISOs to Follow in 2023
Top 10 Ransomware Gangs in 2023
Top 10 Ransomware Gangs in 2023
Top 5 IoT Security Risks in 2023
Top 5 IoT Security Risks in 2023
Top 10 CTF Platforms in 2023
Top 10 CTF Platforms in 2023
Types of Risks Covered by Cyber Insurance
Types of Risks Covered by Cyber Insurance

About

The Cyber Express by Cyble

#1 Trending Cybersecurity News and Magazine

The Cyber Express  by Cyble is a handbook for all stakeholders of the internet that provides information security professionals with the latest news, updates and knowledge they need to combat cyber threats.

 

Contact

For editorial queries: [email protected]

For marketing and Sales: [email protected]

For Events & Conferences related information: [email protected]

 

Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Editorial Calendar

Our Address

We’re remote friendly, with office locations around the world:

San Francisco, Atlanta, Rome,
Dubai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad,  Singapore, Jakarta, Sydney, and Melbourne

 

Headquarters:

The Cyber Express LLC
555 North Point Center E
Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA.

 

India Office:

Cyber Express Media Network
HD-021, 4th Floor, C Wing, Building No.4. Nesco IT Park, WE Highway, Goregaon East, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India – 4000063

Subscribe to Our Feed

RSS Feeds

Follow Us On Google News
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Write For Us

© 2023 The Cyber Express (Cybersecurity News and Magazine) | By Cyble Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Magazine
  • Firewall Daily
  • Essentials
    • Regulations
    • Compliance
    • Governance
    • Policy Updates
  • Features
    • Cyber Warfare
    • Espionage
    • Workforce
      • Learning & Development
  • Business
    • Startups
    • Mergers & Aquisitions
    • Partnerships
    • Appointments
    • Budgets
    • Research
      • Whitepapers
      • Sponsored Content
      • Market Reports
    • Interviews
      • Podcast
  • Events
    • World CyberCon India 2023
    •  Cyber Security Webinar
    • Endorsed Events
  • Products
    • Cyble Vision
    • Cyble Hawk (LEA, Govt.)
    • Am I Breached
    • Cyble Odin (Beta)

© 2023 The Cyber Express (Cybersecurity News and Magazine) | By Cyble Inc.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Top 10 CISOs to Follow in 2023 Top 10 Ransomware Gangs in 2023 Top 5 IoT Security Risks in 2023 Top 10 CTF Platforms in 2023 Types of Risks Covered by Cyber Insurance