Harry. a professional hacker, targets the IT infrastructure of an organization. After preparing for the attack, he attempts to enter the target network using techniques such as sending spear-phishing emails and exploiting vulnerabilities on publicly available servers. Using these techniques, he successfully deployed malware on the target system to establish an outbound connection. What is the APT lifecycle phase that Harry is currently executing?
Correct Answer:
D
After the attacker completes preparations, subsequent step is an effort to realize an edge within the target’s environment. a particularly common entry tactic is that the use of spearphishing emails containing an internet link or attachment. Email links usually cause sites where the target’s browser and related software are subjected to varied exploit techniques or where the APT actors plan to social engineer information from the victim which will be used later. If a successful exploit takes place, it installs an initial malware payload on the victim’s computer. Figure 2 illustrates an example of a spearphishing email that contains an attachment. Attachments are usually executable malware, a zipper or other archive containing malware, or a malicious Office or Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) document that exploits vulnerabilities within the victim’s applications to ultimately execute malware on the victim’s computer. Once the user has opened a malicious file using vulnerable software, malware is executing on the target system. These phishing emails are often very convincing and difficult to differentiate from legitimate email messages. Tactics to extend their believability include modifying legitimate documents from or associated with the organization. Documents are sometimes stolen from the organization or their collaborators during previous exploitation operations. Actors modify the documents by adding exploits and malicious code then send them to the victims. Phishing emails are commonly sent through previously compromised email servers, email accounts at organizations associated with the target or public email services. Emails also can be sent through mail relays with modified email headers to form the messages appear to possess originated from legitimate sources. Exploitation of vulnerabilities on public-facing servers is another favorite technique of some APT groups. Though this will be accomplished using exploits for known vulnerabilities, 0-days are often developed or purchased to be used in intrusions as required .
Gaining an edge within the target environment is that the primary goal of the initial intrusion. Once a system is exploited, the attacker usually places malware on the compromised system and uses it as a jump point or proxy for further actions. Malware placed during the initial intrusion phase is usually an easy downloader, basic Remote Access Trojan or an easy shell. Figure 3 illustrates a newly infected system initiating an outbound connection to notify the APT actor that the initial intrusion attempt was successful which it’s able to accept commands.
Lewis, a professional hacker, targeted the loT cameras and devices used by a target venture-capital firm. He used an information-gathering tool to collect information about the loT devices connected to a network, open ports and services, and the attack surface area. Using this tool, he also generated statistical reports on broad usage patterns and trends. This tool helped Lewis continually monitor every reachable server and device on the Internet, further allowing him to exploit these devices in the network. Which of the following tools was employed by Lewis in the above scenario?
Correct Answer:
A
Censys scans help the scientific community accurately study the Internet. The data is sometimes used to detect security problems and to inform operators of vulnerable systems so that they can fixed
Which of the following is the least-likely physical characteristic to be used in biometric control that supports a large company?
Correct Answer:
C
What is the minimum number of network connections in a multihomed firewall?
Correct Answer:
A
The network administrator at Spears Technology, Inc has configured the default gateway Cisco router's access-list as below:
You are hired to conduct security testing on their network.
You successfully brute-force the SNMP community string using a SNMP crack tool.
The access-list configured at the router prevents you from establishing a successful connection. You want to retrieve the Cisco configuration from the router. How would you proceed?
Correct Answer:
BD