Week 7 Posting - The Importance of Proactive Threat Hunting

Attack vectors

A feared and respected general does not necessarily rush into the battlefield with no plans in their arsenal. In order for a successful attack against their enemies, they need to plan ahead, optimize their current resources and understand the playground. Likewise, most attackers usually have an attack vector in their bag. This is a method of obtaining access to a network or system illegally. These attackers have different ways to approach them, whether it’s through malware, vulnerability exploitation, social engineering or insiders (Chapman & Maymi, p.339, 2020). Malware now days are becoming more polymorphic, meaning they adapt to their environments while on the move to infecting the system. Regarding vulnerability exploitation, zero-day attacks prove to be a massive blow to defenders and threat hunters since no one will be aware or notice any breach that occurs. Social engineering is tricking users and targets into revealing their personal and sensitive information. Because of this manipulative act, attackers will plant their malware into the network. Lastly, an insider can be anyone, which is one of the trickiest assignments for a threat hunter to exploit. This could be a former or current employee. They are literally in the network and it’s hard to figure out whether they’re doing suspicious activities or not.

 

References:

Chapman, B., & Maymi, F. (2020). CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Second Edition (Exam CS0-002). McGraw Hill Professional.