Cyberattacks are becoming more complex as they try to outpace detection tools and security measures. An especially pernicious threat is when software designed to prepare you for threats falls into the wrong hands and is used to penetrate your security.
One example of this is using Cobalt Strike software. Whether an attacker is using the original tool or a knock-off, this highly sophisticated tool can wreak havoc on your applications and network.
All is not lost, however. There are countermeasures that you can implement which will help protect you from the attacks derived from this tool, and diligently using these tools can help prevent infiltration.
What is Cobalt Strike?
Designed as a penetration testing tool, It helps organizations identify vulnerabilities in their security, learn how prepared they are for advanced and long-term threats, and test their response and recovery plans. Although it was intended to be a tool for security professionals, It is not immune from misuse. Over time, it has fallen into the hands of malicious actors, and attackers have been able to use it for ransomware and other malware attacks.
How It Works
It is a powerful tool for identifying potential vulnerabilities in an organization’s systems. It uses a variety of techniques to simulate data theft and infiltration, including:
Data exfiltration. It is able to subtly extract information from your network, typically through DNS or HTTP channels, and it leverages the data it extracts to access even more data.
Tailored attack packages. Whether these attack packages are delivered by social engineering attacks, by web application tampering, or by another method depends on your environment. Either way, This tool uses downloadable code packages that can be leveraged to exploit vulnerabilities in web applications or network security.
Backdoors. It uses a payload called Beacon to connect to your server. Beacon will then allow its administrator to remotely control your server. It also enables the administrator to collect more data and information from your system.
Post-exploitation modules. After the initial attack, this tool continues to simulate attacks. Credential harvesting and privilege escalation will likely be the next steps as the software attempts to gain a stronger foothold. Following that, lateral movement is likely, and this tool will implement its command and control feature to continue purloining information and simulate continued attacker control.
Custom scripts. As attackers are adaptable, so too is Cobalt Strike. It uses custom scripts that can adapt to your environment and automate continued tasks.
Cobalt Strike Use Cases
When applied, It can be used to test a variety of weaknesses. For example, it can be configured to simulate social engineering attacks, in which human error is leveraged to gain access to your network and data. This is an effective tactic for testing how well your employees understand authentication procedures and security.
Lateral movement is another helpful use case. Because advanced attackers tend not to stay in one place and instead move between your network and connected devices, It simulates this lateral movement. The simulation helps you test your activity monitoring, access control policies, and detection capabilities.
Pros and Cons
While there are clear benefits to using this tool to test your security system, the features that make it so effective for penetration testing also make it ideal for cybercriminals. As a result, It is developing a mixed reputation, and although using it through a legitimate company may be beneficial to your security, you should also be prepared to combat it in case of attack.
While It can be very useful for testing because it simulates attacks so successfully, it also provides attackers with tools needed for effective spear-phishing and social engineering attacks, lateral movement, vulnerability exploitation, and data theft or destruction. Fundamentally, It is just a tool, but in the wrong hands it can be devastating to your organization.
Managing the Risks of Cobalt Strike
The question that remains, then, is how best to manage the risks, whether you use this tool or not. Solutions that can detect Cobalt Strike on your systems are essential, and ideally, the solution you implement will be able to react to attack patterns and block such activity.
Consider the following countermeasures:
Inspect SSL/TLS Certificates. Cobalt Strike and similar tools mask their command and control activities with false certificates, which makes them stealthy enough to be nearly undetectable without monitoring and consistent inspection.
Use monitoring and detection algorithms. Realistically, you can’t manually monitor all of your traffic and system or network activity. Instead, use automated monitoring solutions and detection algorithms to keep an eye on your system and alert you to unusual activity like failed login attempts and sudden, unexplained spikes.
Isolate sensitive information. Use access control policies to limit the number of people who can access sensitive data. You should allow employees to access data only if they need it to do their jobs. Access should always be on a need-to-know basis to limit the amount of data an impersonator can access. Additionally, segment your network to limit the places an attacker can go.
Go threat hunting. While active monitoring is essential, it’s not enough to detect all potential threats. Make sure that you and your security team are actively searching for unusual activity so that you can stop threats as soon as possible. Once they get a foothold, getting them out is tricky.
Outsource to MDR services. Managed Detection and Response (MDR) teams can help with monitoring and threat hunting, especially if you don’t have the time or expertise to do it effectively. MDR services accompanied by security tools like WAFs, RASPs, DDoS protection, and attack analytics are most effective.
When used as malware, Cobalt Strike is a high risk to your organization. However, if you implement the right security tools and dedicate time (or your MDR team’s time) to active threat hunting and monitoring, you can mitigate your risk and limit the damage attackers can do.
