February 13, 2024 at 12:33AM
The ‘hunter-killer’ malware tactic, named after submarine warfare, has seen a significant rise and is expected to continue growing. This ultra-evasive and aggressive malware aims to evade detection and disable cybersecurity defenses, using techniques like process injection, command and scripting interpreter, and system information discovery. The report suggests a connection between this trend and global geopolitical tensions.
Based on the meeting notes, here are the key takeaways:
There has been a significant rise in the usage of a malware tactic known as ‘hunter-killer’ malware. This tactic involves evading detection and impairing cybersecurity defenses before deploying the malware payload. The top four most used techniques associated with hunter-killer malware are T1055 (process injection), T1059 (command and scripting interpreter), T1562 (impair defenses), and T1082 (system information discovery).
The use of each of these techniques has dramatically increased during 2023, with notable increases in defense evasion and system information discovery. Additionally, there has been a growing prevalence of techniques such as data encryption for impact and application layer protocol, which are often associated with ransomware and data exfiltration.
The report suggests that attackers are becoming more sophisticated in their methods, potentially influenced by global geopolitical tensions and the involvement of advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. Therefore, it is crucial for defenders to regularly verify the effectiveness of their security measures and be vigilant for any signs of neutralization by attackers.
The meeting notes underscore the importance of security validation as a fundamental step for organizations to assess their readiness and identify potential vulnerabilities in their defenses.