Hunter-killer malware: How to prevent it from undermining security controls>
SC Magazine –
The Picus Red Report 2024 reveals a significant rise in hunter-killer malware, designed to impair security controls and allow threat actors to persist in networks
The report analyzed 600,000 malware samples and mapped them to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, finding that 70% of malware employ stealth tactics, and techniques targeting application layer protocol usage surged by 176%
The rise of hunter-killer malware is a top concern for security teams, as it assumes that threat actors are already in the network and employing stealth to persist
The report also highlights the 10 most prevalent MITRE ATT&CK techniques in 2023, showcasing the growing sophistication of threat actors
Highlights:
Hunter-killer malware is designed to actively seek out and eliminate specific targets, often with the intent of disrupting or destroying defensive security controls.
70% of scrutinized malware employ stealth tactics, allowing for persistence in networks
Techniques targeting application layer protocol usage surged by 176%, notably in double extortion ransomware schemes for data exfiltration
The rise of hunter-killer malware is a top concern for security teams, as it assumes that threat actors are already in the network and employing stealth to persist
The 10 most prevalent MITRE ATT&CK techniques in 2023 include Process Injection, Command and Scripting Interpreter, Impair Defenses, System Information Discovery, and Data Encrypted for Impact
To combat hunter-killer malware, organizations should adopt a defense-in-depth approach, zero-trust principals, multi-factor authentication, advanced behavioral analyses, and artificial intelligence tailored to detect anomalies
Ongoing security validation is essential to ensure that an organization’s security posture is as robust as it should be
Picus urges organizations to embrace machine learning, protect user credentials, and consistently validate their defenses against the latest tactics and techniques used by cybercriminals.
Link: https://www.scmagazine.com/resource/hunter-killer-malware-how-to-prevent-it-from-undermining-security-controls