Track Common Adversary Tasks Performed Using Cobalt Strike

By Ashwin Venugopal -

 





To know more about it, you can go through my detailed document by clicking here





Cobalt Strike

Cobalt Strike introduced first time in 2012,  is commonly known as a commercial adversary simulation software which is often stolen and used by various threat groups. Its payloads used for intrusion have been detected by many network defenders. It is widely used as a post-exploitation tool containing various malware droppers like IcedID, ZLoader, Qbot, Bazar, Hancitor, etc. Threat actors use Cobalt Strike as it is easy to use and accessible. 

How does Cobalt Strike Work?

As stated above, Cobalt Strike is highly popular among threat actors because it is stealthy and customizable. First of all, it sends beacons to detect the vulnerabilities of a system and then execute the actual attack. Its beacon can also execute PowerShell scripts, carry out Keylogging activities, take screenshots, spawn other payloads, etc. 

Special Features of Cobalt Strike

Cobalt Strike also provides the following features in order to detect as well as mitigate the vulnerabilities:
  • Attack Package- It offers various attack packages like Java Applet Attacks, Microsoft Office Documents, Website Clone Tools, etc. that can easily convert a regular file into a trojan horse to simulate an attack.

  • Browser Pivoting- It's a powerful technique that can allow an exploited system an access to the browser's authenticated sessions also making it useful to demonstrate risk with a targeted attack. 

  • Spear Phishing- It is a method of targeting particular individuals or groups in an organization by detecting their weak spots like an employee more prone to security attacks. 

  • Reporting & Logging- It also provide post-exploitation reports including the timeline as well as the spots of compromise and can export them as both PDF and MS Word document.

Conclusion

All-in-all Cobalt Strike can be considered as a useful tool for both legitimate researchers and threat actors. It's a robust and effective tool which can help in siphoning data, moving laterally, and adding malware payloads. 







To know more about it, you can go through my detailed document by clicking here

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