Adversaries may communicate using OSI application layer protocols to avoid detection/network filtering by blending in with existing traffic. Commands to the remote system, and often the results of those commands, will be embedded within the protocol traffic between the client and server.
Adversaries may utilize many different protocols, including those used for web browsing, transferring files, electronic mail, DNS, or publishing/subscribing. For connections that occur internally within an enclave (such as those between a proxy or pivot node and other nodes), commonly used protocols are SMB, SSH, or RDP.[1]
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0660 | Clambling |
Clambling has the ability to use Telnet for communication.[2] |
| S0038 | Duqu |
Duqu uses a custom command and control protocol that communicates over commonly used ports, and is frequently encapsulated by application layer protocols.[3] |
| S0601 | Hildegard | |
| G1032 | INC Ransom |
INC Ransom has used valid accounts over RDP to connect to targeted systems.[5] |
| S0532 | Lucifer |
Lucifer can use the Stratum protocol on port 10001 for communication between the cryptojacking bot and the mining server.[6] |
| G0059 | Magic Hound |
Magic Hound malware has used IRC for C2.[7][8] |
| S0034 | NETEAGLE |
Adversaries can also use NETEAGLE to establish an RDP connection with a controller over TCP/7519. |
| S1147 | Nightdoor |
Nightdoor uses TCP and UDP communication for command and control traffic.[9][10] |
| S1084 | QUIETEXIT |
QUIETEXIT can use an inverse negotiated SSH connection as part of its C2.[1] |
| S1130 | Raspberry Robin |
Raspberry Robin is capable of contacting the TOR network for delivering second-stage payloads.[11][12][13] |
| G0106 | Rocke |
Rocke issued wget requests from infected systems to the C2.[14] |
| S0623 | Siloscape | |
| G0139 | TeamTNT |
| ID | Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1037 | Filter Network Traffic |
Use network appliances to filter ingress or egress traffic and perform protocol-based filtering. Configure software on endpoints to filter network traffic. |
| M1031 | Network Intrusion Prevention |
Network intrusion detection and prevention systems that use network signatures to identify traffic for specific adversary malware can be used to mitigate activity at the network level. |
| ID | Data Source | Data Component | Detects |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS0029 | Network Traffic | Network Traffic Content |
Monitor and analyze traffic patterns and packet inspection associated to protocol(s), leveraging SSL/TLS inspection for encrypted traffic, that do not follow the expected protocol standards and traffic flows (e.g extraneous packets that do not belong to established flows, gratuitous or anomalous traffic patterns, anomalous syntax, or structure). Consider correlation with process monitoring and command line to detect anomalous processes execution and command line arguments associated to traffic patterns (e.g. monitor anomalies in use of files that do not normally initiate connections for respective protocol(s)). |
| Network Traffic Flow |
Monitor and analyze traffic flows that do not follow the expected protocol standards and traffic flows (e.g extraneous packets that do not belong to established flows, or gratuitous or anomalous traffic patterns). Consider correlation with process monitoring and command line to detect anomalous processes execution and command line arguments associated to traffic patterns (e.g. monitor anomalies in use of files that do not normally initiate connections for respective protocol(s)). |