November 22, 2024 at 02:34PM
Russian state hackers APT28 breached a U.S. company by executing a “nearest neighbor attack” via its enterprise WiFi, compromising nearby organizations first. Discovered on February 4, 2022, the incident involved credential theft and sophisticated lateral movement within the target network. Enhanced WiFi security is necessary to mitigate such risks.
### Meeting Takeaways
1. **Incident Overview:**
– APT28 (also known as Fancy Bear) successfully breached a U.S. company’s enterprise WiFi network from a long distance using a novel “nearest neighbor attack.”
2. **Initial Compromise:**
– The attack began by compromising a nearby organization within WiFi range, which allowed the hackers to pivot to the target organization.
3. **Detection Event:**
– The breach was detected on February 4, 2022, by cybersecurity firm Volexity during a compromise investigation of a server in Washington, DC that was involved in Ukrainian-related work.
4. **Methodology:**
– **Credential Acquisition:**
– Credentials to the target’s WiFi were obtained through password-spraying attacks on a public-facing service.
– **Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA):**
– MFA protections blocked credentials usage over the public web, but the lack of MFA on the enterprise WiFi allowed access.
– **Pivot Strategy:**
– Hackers exploited connections to other compromised organizations to access dual-home devices capable of bridging connections to the target’s WiFi network.
5. **Lateral Movement and Data Exfiltration:**
– Using a remote desktop connection (RDP) from a non-privileged account, the attackers moved laterally within the network to collect sensitive data.
– The hackers utilized native Windows tools to maintain a low profile while exfiltrating data, specifically targeting systems of interest related to Ukraine.
6. **Investigation Insights:**
– The complexities in the investigation initially hindered attribution. However, overlap with indicators from a Microsoft report later clarified the involvement of APT28.
– It is believed that the attackers exploited the CVE-2022-38028 vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler service to escalate privileges during the attack.
7. **Security Implications:**
– APT28’s attack highlights the need for heightened security measures on corporate WiFi networks, similar to protections provided for internet-facing devices, especially considering the potential for far-reaching attacks from remote locations.
8. **Related Updates:**
– Discussion of Germany’s legislation on researcher protections, U.S. warnings about election influence ops, and recent ransomware developments involving Russia noted.
### Conclusion
This incident underscores the evolving nature of cyber threats and the essential need for robust security protocols on all access points within organizations, particularly WiFi networks.