Advanced persistent threats are cyberattacks carried out by nation-states or well-funded, skilled teams of cyber criminals that gain unauthorized access to computer systems/networks and remain undetected for extended periods. They are designed to steal confidential information and disrupt business operations.
APTs are complex, long-term attacks with three main phases: gaining access, expanding, and data exfiltration. This article will explore how APTs work and how cybersecurity defenders can protect against them.
Detecting Advanced Persistent Threats
Unlike non-persistent threats that seek to cause damage or steal data quickly, most APT attacks are designed to achieve a specific goal over time. These varieties of cyberattacks are typically carried out by well-funded and highly skilled threat actors, often sponsored by nation-states, who select high-value targets such as large corporations or critical infrastructure operators.
To gain a foothold in a network, attackers deploy malware through phishing emails with malicious attachments or application vulnerabilities that link back to an external command-and-control server. The malware exploits additional entry points and vulnerabilities in the system to gain a more robust and deep penetration level.
APTs are notoriously tricky to detect and prevent, as they can sidestep existing security solutions. They can remain undetected for months or years, allowing attackers to steal personal financial information, intellectual property, and more.
The good news is that organizations can mitigate the threat of these highly advanced cyberattacks by implementing an effective APT prevention strategy. For example, regular penetration tests can identify and address network vulnerabilities before hackers use them to gain a foothold in the organization’s network. Additionally, limiting access to resources and systems to authorized users can help mitigate the risk of malware being introduced via phishing attacks or other attack vectors. The organization can ensure that only authorized users can exploit and damage their infrastructure and data by deploying access control.
Malware
An advanced persistent threat (APT) is a cyberattack that establishes an undetected presence in a network and steals sensitive data on a prolonged basis. These attacks are more sophisticated and targeted, requiring teams of well-funded and experienced cybercriminals and substantial financial backing.
Many APT attacks are centered on sabotage or corporate espionage. Nation-states or criminal organizations back these and can be used for political or financial gain. They may involve stealing intellectual property, disrupting services, or exfiltrating personal financial information.
APT actors employ various tools to get into networks, including Trojan horses, rootkits, worms, and spyware. Some use social engineering and phishing to entice victims, while others use zero-day vulnerabilities. APT actors are highly skilled and can quickly change tactics to evade detection.
For example, one of the most famous data breaches in history – the Target breach – involved malware known as RAM scraper. RAM scraper gained access to the Target environment by exploiting a vulnerability in a third-party software vendor. Once in, it hid within the systems and extracted data for weeks, compromising 40 million credit cards.
Detecting APTs requires multi-layered malware protection, including sandboxing, process behavior monitoring, and ML-based static analysis. Fortinet provides these capabilities and continuously monitors user activity to establish a behavioral baseline, identifying deviations in behavior that can indicate a compromised account.
Social Engineering
When hackers breach your business’s network, they seek to stay undetected for months or even years. They collect valuable company data and siphon it for financial or political gain. It is what separates advanced persistent threats from traditional cyberattacks. Skilled criminal or state-sponsored threat actors carry out these sophisticated attacks and usually target businesses, governments, and industries to steal information and compromise sensitive infrastructure.
Unlike low-stakes hackers and scammers who cast a wide net to lure victims, attackers behind APTs pursue many techniques to find and exploit your specific vulnerabilities over time. It involves research/reconnaissance – probing the internet to uncover and identify weaknesses, avoiding detection – mapping out your business to determine what is most valuable to steal, and data collection and exfiltration – stealing and transferring large amounts of information from your network over time.
It would be best to have good optics and ongoing employee security awareness training to combat these highly targeted attacks. These training programs ensure employees understand the importance of spotting and not clicking on suspicious emails, a standard attack method. They should also be trained to recognize the difference between a phishing email and a spearphishing attack, where human threat actors personalize and engineer an email for maximum effectiveness.
APTs are also notable for opening multiple entry points into the targeted network, ensuring they can remain undetected if cybersecurity defenders close one entry point. Identifying the presence of these redundant points of entry can help you recognize APT activity and take prompt action.
Exploitation
Attackers often use exploitation to steal information like credit cards, financial details, or personal information. The high-profile data breaches that we hear about on the news are a perfect example of exploitation. Hackers use weaknesses like unpatched vulnerabilities and social engineering to steal the valuable information they need from their victims.
Those weaknesses can be found through various attack vectors, or entry points an attacker uses to access a computer system. Think of a house and a window to better understand these attack vectors. A vulnerability is an open window, and an exploit is a tool that allows hackers to reach out and grab something (like malware) from the inside.
The hackers can then monitor the victim’s computer or network, steal information, or access computing resources. A critical attack vector is third-party vendors that have access to sensitive information. Organizations should have strong security policies to mitigate this risk to ensure that their vendors’ cybersecurity controls are adequate.
Finally, exploitation can also be carried out by scammers who impersonate trusted entities or individuals to steal a person’s personal information. It is known as pretexting, and it’s a standard way that attackers target victims. One of the most famous examples is when they impersonate the Social Security Administration and ask people to confirm their personal information, which allows them to commit identity theft.
