What is APT? The Process of an APT Attack

 

APT or Advanced Persistent Threat is a term used to describe a highly technical attack that targets system vulnerabilities. The targets of these attacks are often security agencies, government agencies, and large enterprises. The following article from  TipsMake  will help readers get an overview of APT cyber attack methods as well as the process of an APT attack.

What is APT?

APT stands for Advanced Persistent Threat - a broad term used to describe an attack campaign, often by a group of attackers, using advanced attack techniques to gain a long-term presence and existence on the Internet to exploit highly sensitive data.

According to  TipsMake  , the main targets of these attacks are often carefully chosen and researched. They often include large businesses, security organizations, and government agencies. The consequences of these attacks are huge:

1. Theft of intellectual property (e.g. trade secrets or patents…)
2. Sensitive information compromised (e.g. personal and employee data…)
3. Critical organizational infrastructure is destroyed (e.g. databases, administrative servers…)
4. Hijacking the entire organization's domain names

APT attacks require more resources than regular web application attacks. But they are often carried out by experienced and well-funded cybercriminal groups. Some APT attacks are even government-sponsored and used as weapons of cyberwarfare.

Common attack techniques such as RFI, SQL injection, XSS, and phishing are often used by attackers to establish a foothold in the target network. Next, malware is often used to expand the scope and maintain a presence in the target network.

The consequences of APT

The consequences of APT attacks are very serious and severe:

1. Financial Loss: Through data theft, ransom demands, disruption or disruption and costs surrounding investigation and remediation caused by APTs, causing heavy financial losses to businesses.
2. Impact on brand: When an APT attack is successful, it will reduce the reputation of the business, and the trust of partners and customers will also go down. 
3. Legal consequences: APT data breaches lead to legal and data protection issues. Businesses may face lawsuits, damaging their image in the eyes of customers and partners.
4. Operational Disruption: APT attacks can cripple business operations resulting in downtime, project delays, and service disruptions.
5. Loss of intellectual property: The targets of APT attacks are often intellectual property such as trade secrets, patents, research data. Businesses can lose competitive advantage over competitors and potential customers. 
6. Security risks: If APT attacks target government agencies or national infrastructure, it has the potential to affect the entire country.

The progression of an APT attack

An APT attack can be divided into three stages.

Phase 1: Infiltration

Businesses are often compromised through the following routes: web applications, network resources, and employee negligence. Attackers often attempt to upload malicious files through web vulnerabilities, network applications, or through phishing techniques, which are also threats that large organizations face. Additionally, attackers can simultaneously launch a  DDOS attack  against the target. This is often used to distract administrators, making them less vigilant.

Once inside the target network, the attacker quickly installs a backdoor for easier access, which can also be a stealthy malware that allows remote access. The malware can also come in the form of Trojans masquerading as legitimate software.

Phase 2: Expanding the scope

After establishing a foothold in the target network, the attacker moves on to expand their presence in the target network.

The attacker will scan other systems in the network, collect employee information, and spread malware to gain access to the most sensitive data. In this way, the attacker can collect important business information, including product line information, employee data, and financial records.

Depending on the ultimate attack objective, the accumulated data may be sold to a competitor, modified and destroyed a company's product line, or used to take over an entire organization. If sabotage is the motive, this stage is used to take control of critical functions and manipulate them in a sequence to cause maximum damage. For example, the attacker may delete the entire company's database and crash the network to prolong the time it takes to recover the data.

Phase 3: Exploitation

While an APT attack is underway, the stolen information is usually stored in a secure location on the network being attacked. Once enough data has been collected, the attacker must exfiltrate the data without being detected.

Typically, disruptive tactics are used to fool a company's security team so that information can be passed out. This can come in the form of DDOS attacks, website and application scans.

Detect and prevent APT attacks

Detecting and preventing APT attacks requires a multifaceted approach from network administrators, security vendors, and individual users.

Line monitoring

Monitoring inbound and outbound traffic is considered the best way to prevent backdoors and the extraction of stolen data. Examining network traffic can also help alert security personnel to any unusual behavior that may indicate an attack.

A web application firewall deployed at the gateway will help protect web applications from attacks such as RFI, SQL injection… which are often used to access the organization's network from the attacker's side.

Monitoring internal traffic, such as using a firewall, gives administrators detailed insight into how users interact within the company's network, and helps identify internal traffic anomalies.

Whitelist applications and domains

Whitelisting is a way to control which domains can be accessed from a corporate network, as well as which applications can be installed by employees within the company. This is another useful method to reduce the success rate of APT attacks by minimizing the attack surface.

However, this security measure is not easy, as even trusted domains and applications can be compromised.

To achieve effective whitelisting, you must enforce a strict update policy to ensure your users are always running the latest version of any application that appears on the list.

Access control

For attackers, employees are often the weakest and most vulnerable point because:

1. Careless employees ignore cybersecurity policies and inadvertently grant access to potential threats
2. Bad actors intentionally misuse their user credentials to grant access to perpetrators
3. Users lose confidential information and this information is used by attackers.

Developing effective control policies requires a comprehensive assessment of everyone in the organization – especially the information they have access to. Critical information should be secured with two-factor authentication (2FA). This helps keep critical information more secure.

Other recommended measures

In addition to the above measures, here are best practices to ensure your network security:

1. Patch software and operating systems as quickly as possible
2. Encrypt remote connections to prevent eavesdropping
3. Has spam filters and virus scanning for mail systems
4. Implement logging mechanisms for monitoring and investigation.

Famous APT attacks

GhostNet

GhostNet is a large-scale cyber espionage network discovered in 2009, believed to have originated in China. It has infiltrated more than 1,200 computers around the world, including the offices of the Dalai Lama, embassies and government organizations in many countries.

The attack has raised concerns about cyber espionage and global information security. GhostNet used sophisticated intrusion techniques to steal sensitive data and monitor the activities of its targets. The incident highlights the complexity and sophistication of cyber attacks and the importance of protecting information in cyberspace.

Moonlight Maze

Moonlight Maze was a 1999 United States government investigation into a major leak of classified information that began in 19964. The leak directly affected NASA, the Pentagon, military contractors, civilian academics, the DOE, and many other U.S. government agencies. By the end of 1999, the Moonlight Maze Task Force was established, consisting of 40 experts from law enforcement, military, and government agencies. 

Investigators say that if all the stolen information were printed out and stacked, it would be three times as tall as the Washington Monument. The United States has accused the Russian government of being behind the attacks, although there was initially little hard evidence. Moonlight Maze represents one of the first high-profile cyber espionage campaigns in history.

Deep Panda

Deep Panda is a notorious APT (Advanced Persistent Threat) group with ties to the Chinese government. The group is known for cyber espionage attacks targeting US companies across a variety of industries, including defense, aerospace, energy, and finance.

Deep Panda uses sophisticated hacking techniques to steal intellectual property, trade secrets, and other sensitive information. Deep Panda's attacks have caused significant damage to U.S. companies and raised concerns about economic espionage and national security. The group's activities highlight the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect against APT threats.

According to TipsMake share