Blog
/
/
November 6, 2022

Behind Yanluowang: Unveiling Cyber Threat Tactics

Default blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog imageDefault blog image
06
Nov 2022
Discover the latest insights into the Yanluowang leak organization, uncovering its members and tactics.

Background of Yanluowang

Yanluowang ransomware, also known as Dryxiphia, was first spotted in October 2021 by Symantec’s Threat Hunter Team. However, it has been operational since August 2021, when a threat actor used it to attack U.S. corporations. Said attack shared similar TTPs with ransomware Thieflock, designed by Fivehands ransomware gangs. This connection alluded to a possible link between the two through the presence or influence of an affiliate. The group has been known for successfully ransoming organisations globally, particularly those in the financial, manufacturing, IT services, consultancy, and engineering sectors.

Yanluowang attacks typically begin with initial reconnaissance, followed by credential harvesting and data exfiltration before finally encrypting the victim’s files. Once deployed on compromised networks, Yanluowang halts hypervisor virtual machines, all running processes and encrypts files using the “.yanluowang” extension. A file with name README.txt, containing a ransom note is also dropped. The note also warns victims against contacting law enforcement, recovery companies or attempting to decrypt the files themselves. Failure to follow this advice would result in distributed denial of service attacks against a victim, its employees and business partners. Followed by another attack, a few weeks later, in which all the victim’s files would be deleted.

The group’s name “Yanluowang” was inspired by the Chinese mythological figure Yanluowang, suggesting the group’s possible Chinese origin. However, the recent leak of chat logs belonging to the group, revealed those involved in the organisation spoke Russian. 

 Leak of Yanluowang’s chat logs

 On the 31st of October, a Twitter user named @yanluowangleaks shared the matrix chat and server leaks of the Yanluowang ransomware gang, alongside the builder and decryption source. In total, six files contained internal conversations between the group’s members. From the analysis of these chats, at least eighteen people have been involved in Yanluowang operations.

Twitter account where the leaks and decryption source were shared
Figure 1: Twitter account where the leaks and decryption source were shared

Potential members: ‘@killanas', '@saint', '@stealer', '@djonny', '@calls', '@felix', '@win32', '@nets', '@seeyousoon', '@shoker', '@ddos', '@gykko', '@loader1', '@guki', '@shiwa', '@zztop', '@al', '@coder1'

Most active members: ‘@saint’, ‘@killanas’, ‘@guki’, ‘@felix’, ‘@stealer’. 

To make the most sense out of the data that we analyzed, we combined the findings into two categories: tactics and organization.

Tactics 

From the leaked chat logs, several insights into the group’s operational security and TTPs were gained. Firstly, members were not aware of each other’s offline identities. Secondly, discussions surrounding security precautions for moving finances were discussed by members @killanas and @felix. The two exchanged recommendations on reliable currency exchange platforms as well as which ones to avoid that were known to leak data to law enforcement. The members also expressed paranoia over being caught with substantial amounts of money and therefore took precautions such as withdrawing smaller amounts of cash or using QR codes for withdrawals.

Additionally, the chat logs exposed the TTPs of Yanluowang. Exchanges between the group’s members @stealer, @calls and @saint, explored the possibilities of conducting attacks against critical infrastructure. One of these members, @call, was also quick to emphasise that Yanluowang would not target the critical infrastructure of former Soviet countries. Beyond targets, the chat logs also highlighted Yanluowang’s use of the ransomware, PayloadBIN but also that attacks that involved it may potentially have been misattributed to another ransomware actor, Evil Corp.

Further insight surrounding Yanluowang’s source code was also gained as it was revealed that it had been previously published on XSS.is as a downloadable file. The conversations surrounding this revealed that two members, @killanas and @saint, suspected @stealer was responsible for the leak. This suspicion was supported by @saint, defending another member whom he had known for eight years. It was later revealed that the code had been shared after a request to purchase it was made by a Chinese national. @saint also used their personal connections to have the download link removed from XSS.is. These connections indicate that some members of Yanluowang are well embedded in the ransomware and wider cybercrime community.

Another insight gained from the leaked chat logs was an expression by @saint in support of Ukraine, stating, “We stand with Ukraine” on the negotiation page of Yanluowang’s website. This action reflects a similar trend observed among threat actors where they have taken sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Regarding Yanluowang’s engagement with other groups, it was found that a former member of Conti had joined the group. This inference was made by @saint when a conversation regarding the Conti leak revolved around the possible identification of the now Yanluowang member @guki, in the Conti files. It was also commented that Conti was losing a considerable number of its members who were then looking for new work. Conversations about other ransomware groups were had with the mentioning of the REVIL group by @saint, specifically stating that five arrested members of the gang were former classmates. He backed his statement by attaching the article about it, to which @djonny replies that those are indeed REVIL members and that he knows it from his sources.

Organization 

When going through the chat logs, several observations were made that can offer some insights into the group's organizational structure. In one of the leaked files, user @saint was the one to publish the requirements for the group's ".onion" website and was also observed instructing other users on the tasks they had to complete. Based on this, @saint could be considered the leader of the group. Additionally, there was evidence indicating that a few users could be in their 30s or 40s, while most participants are in their 20s.

More details regarding Yanluowang's organizational structure were discussed deeper into the leak. The examples indicate various sub-groups within the Yanlouwang group and that a specific person coordinates each group. From the logs, there is a high probability that @killanas is the leader of the development team and has several people working under him. It is also possible that @stealer is on the same level as @killanas and is potentially the supervisor of another team within the group. This was corroborated when @stealer expressed concerns about the absence of certain group members on several occasions. There is also evidence showing that he was one of three people with access to the source code of the group. 

Role delineation within the group was also quite clear, with each user having specific tasks: DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks, social engineering, victim negotiations, pentesting or development, to mention a few. When it came to recruiting new members, mostly pentesters, Yanluowang would recruit through XSS.is and Exploit.in forums.

Underground analysis and members’ identification 

From the leaked chat logs, several “.onion” URLs were extracted; however, upon further investigation, each site had been taken offline and removed from the TOR hashring. This suggests that Yanluowang may have halted all operations. One of the users on XSS.is posted a picture showing that the Yanluowang onion website was hacked, stating, “CHECKMATE!! YANLUOWANG CHATS HACKED @YANLUOWANGLEAKS TIME’S UP!!”.

Figure 2: The screenshot of Yanluowang website on Tor (currently offline)

After learning that Yanluowang used Russian Web Forums, we did an additional search to see what we could find about the group and the mentioned nicknames. 

By searching through XSS.Is we managed to identify the user registered as @yanluowang. The date of the registration on the forum dates to 15 March 2022. Curiously, at the time of analysis, we noticed the user was online. There were in total 20 messages posted by @yanluowang, with a few publications indicating the group is looking for new pentesters.

Figure 3: The screenshot of Yanluowang profile on XSS.is 

Figure 4: The screenshot of Yanluowang posts about pentester recruitment on XSS.is 

While going through the messages, it was noticed the reaction posted by another user identified as @Sa1ntJohn, which could be the gang member @saint.

Figure 5: The screenshot of Sa1ntJohn’s profile on XSS.is

Looking further, we identified that user @Ekranoplan published three links to the website doxbin.com containing information about three potential members of the YanLuoWang gang: @killanas/coder, @hardbass and @Joe/Uncle. The profile information was published by the user @Xander2727.

Figure 6: The screenshot of Yanlouwang member-profile leak on XSS.is
Figure 7: The screenshot of @hardbass Yanlouwang member profile leak
Figure 8: The screenshot of @killanas/coder Yanlouwang member profile leak.

If the provided information is correct, two group members are Russian and in their 30s, while another member is Ukrainian and in his 20s. One of the members, @killanas, who was also referenced in chat logs, is identified as the lead developer of the Yanluowang group; giving the interpretation of the chat leaks a high-level of confidence. Another two members, who were not referenced in the logs, took roles as Cracked Software/Malware provider and English translator/Victim Negotiator.

Implications for the wider ransomware landscape

To conclude with the potential implications of this leak, we have corroborated the evidence gathered throughout this investigation and employed contrarian analytical techniques. The ascertained implications that follow our mainline judgement, supporting evidence and our current analytical view on the matter can be categorized into three key components of this leak:

Impact on the ransomware landscape

The leak of Yanluowang’s chat logs has several implications for the broader ransomware landscape. This leak, much like the Conti leak in March, spells the end for Yanluowang operations for the time being, given how much of the group’s inner workings it has exposed. This could have an adverse effect. While Yanluowang did not control as large of a share of the ransomware market as Conti did, their downfall will undoubtedly create a vacuum space for established groups for their market share. The latter being a consequence of the release of their source code and build tools. 

Source code

The release of Yanluowang’s source code has several outcomes. If the recipients have no malintent, it could aid in reverse engineering the ransomware, like how a decryption tool for Yanluowng was released earlier this year. An alternative scenario is that the publication of the source code will increase the reach and deployment of this ransomware in the future, in adapted or modified versions by other threat actors. Reusing leaked material is notorious among ransomware actors, as seen in the past, when Babuk’s source code was leaked and led to the development of several variants based on this leak, including Rook and Pandora. This could also make it harder to attribute attacks to one specific group.

Members

The migration of unexposed Yanluowang members to other ransomware gangs could further add to the proliferation of ransomware groups. Such forms of spreading ransomware have been documented in the past when former Conti members repurposed their tactics to join efforts with an initial access broker, UAC-0098. Yet, the absence of evidence from members expressing and/or acting upon this claim requires further investigation and analysis. However, as there is no evidence of absence – this implication is based on the previously observed behavior from members of other ransomware gangs.

Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Author
Taisiia Garkava
Security Analyst
Dillon Ashmore
Security and Research
Book a 1-1 meeting with one of our experts
Share this article

More in this series

No items found.

Blog

/

Network

/

March 21, 2025

Cyberhaven Supply Chain Attack: Exploiting Browser Extensions

Default blog imageDefault blog image

The evolution of supply chain attacks

Supply chain attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. As network defenses improve, threat actors continuously adapt and refine their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to achieve their goals. In recent years, this has led to a rise in the exploitation of trusted services and software, including legitimate browser extensions. Exploitation of these extensions can provide adversaries with a stealthy means to infiltrate target networks and access high-value accounts undetected.

A notable example of this trend was the compromise of the Cyberhaven Chrome extension at the end of 2024. This incident appeared to be part of a broader campaign targeting multiple Chrome browser extensions, highlighting the evolving nature of supply chain attacks [1].

What is Cyberhaven?

Cyberhaven, a US-based data security organization, experienced a security breach on December 24, 2024, when a phishing attack reportedly compromised one of their employee's credentials [2]. This allowed attackers to publish a malicious version of the Cyberhaven Chrome extension, which exfiltrated cookies and authenticated sessions from targeted websites. The malicious extension was active from December 25 to December 26 – a time when most businesses and employees were out of office and enjoying the festive period, a fact not lost on threat actors. The attackers, likely a well-organized and financially motivated group, compromised more than 30 additional Chrome extensions, affecting more than 2.6 million users [3]. They used sophisticated phishing techniques to authorize malicious OAuth applications, bypassing traditional security measures and exploiting vulnerabilities in OAuth authorizations. The primary motive appeared to be financial gain, targeting high-value platforms like social media advertising and AI services [4].

In late December 2024, multiple Darktrace customers were compromised via the Cyberhaven Chrome extension; this blog will primarily focus on Darktrace / NETWORK detections from one affected customer.

Darktrace’s coverage of Cyberhaven compromises

On December 26, 2024, Darktrace identified a series of suspicious activities across multiple customer environments, uncovering a structured attack sequence that progressed from initial intrusion to privilege escalation and data exfiltration. The attack was distributed through a malicious update to the Cyberhaven Chrome extension [2]. The malicious update established a foothold in customer environments almost immediately, leading to further anomalies.

As with other Chrome browser extensions, Cyberhaven Chrome extensions were updated automatically with no user interaction required. However, in this instance, the automatic update included a malicious version which was deployed to customer environments. This almost immediately introduced unauthorized activity, allowing attackers to establish a foothold in customer networks. The update allowed attackers to execute their objectives in the background, undetected by traditional security tools that rely on known indicators of compromise (IoCS) rather than identifying anomalies.

While multiple customer devices were seen connecting to cyberhaven[.]io, a legitimate Cyberhaven domain, Darktrace detected persistent beaconing behavior to cyberhavenext[.]pro, which appeared to be attempting to masquerade as another legitimate Cyberhaven domain. Darktrace recognized this activity as unusual, triggering several model alerts in Darktrace / NETWORK to highlight the persistent outbound connections to the suspicious domain.

Further analysis of external connectivity patterns indicated  an increase in anomalous HTTP requests alongside this beaconing activity. Multiple open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources also suggest that the cyberhavenext[.]pro endpoint is associated with malicious activities [5].

Darktrace / NETWORK’s detection of beaconing activity to cyberhavenext[.]pro
Figure 1: Darktrace / NETWORK’s detection of beaconing activity to cyberhavenext[.]pro

Analysis using Darktrace’s Advanced Search revealed that some of these connections were directed to the suspicious external IP address 149.28.124[.]84. Further investigation confirmed that the IP correlated with two SSL hostnames, including the malicious cyberhavenext[.]pro, further reinforcing its connection to the attack infrastructure.

Darktrace Advanced Search analysis showing the IP address 149.28.124[.]84 correlating to two SSL hostnames, one of which is cyberhavenext[.]pro.
Figure 2: Darktrace Advanced Search analysis showing the IP address 149.28.124[.]84 correlating to two SSL hostnames, one of which is cyberhavenext[.]pro.

Between December 23 and December 27, Darktrace observed sustained beaconing-like activity from affected devices on the customer’s network.

Darktrace’s detection of beaconing activities from a customer device to the endpoint 149.28.124[.]84 between December 23 and December 27.
Figure 3: Darktrace’s detection of beaconing activities from a customer device to the endpoint 149.28.124[.]84 between December 23 and December 27.

Darktrace observed 27 unique devices connecting to the malicious command-and-control (C2) infrastructure as far back as December 3. While most connections were brief, they represented an entry point for malicious activity. Over a two-day period, two devices transmitted 5.57 GiB of incoming data and 859.37 MiB of outgoing data, generating over 3 million log events across SSL, HTTP, and connection data.

Subsequent analysis identified a significant increase in unauthorized data transfers to the aforementioned 149.28.124[.]84 IP on another customer network, highlighting the potential broader impact of this compromise. The volume and frequency of these transfers suggested that attackers were leveraging automated data collection techniques, further underscoring the sophistication of the attack.

Darktrace’s detection of the likely exfiltration of 859.37 MiB to the endpoint 149.28.124[.]84.
Figure 4: Darktrace’s detection of the likely exfiltration of 859.37 MiB to the endpoint 149.28.124[.]84.

External research suggested that once active, the Cyberhaven extension would begin silently collecting session cookies and authentication tokens, specifically targeting high-value accounts such as Facebook Ads accounts [4]. Darktrace’s analysis of another affected customer noted many HTTP POST connections directed to a specific URI ("ai-cyberhaven"), while GET requests contained varying URIs prefixed with "/php/urlblock?args=AAAh....--redirect." This activity indicated an exfiltration mechanism, consistent with techniques observed in other compromised Chrome extensions. By compromising session cookies, attackers could potentially gain administrative access to connected accounts, further escalating their privileges [4].

Conclusion

This incident highlights the importance of monitoring not just endpoint security, but also cloud and browser-based security solutions, as attackers increasingly target these trusted and oft overlooked vectors.

Ultimately, by focusing on anomaly detection and behavioral analysis rather than static signatures and lists of ‘known bads’, Darktrace was able to successfully detect devices affected by the Cyberhaven Chrome browser extension compromise, by identifying activity that would likely have been considered legitimate and benign by traditional security solutions.

This compromise also serves as a reminder that supply chain attacks are not limited to traditional software vendors. Browser extensions, cloud-based applications, and SaaS services are equally vulnerable, as evidenced by Darktrace's detection of Balada Injector malware exploiting WordPress vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized network access [6]. Therefore, increased targeting of browser-based security tools, and a greater exploitation of OAuth and session hijacking techniques are to be expected. Attackers will undoubtedly refine their methods to infiltrate legitimate vendors and distribute malicious updates through trusted channels. By staying informed, vigilant, and proactive, organizations can mitigate exposure to evolving supply chain threats and safeguard their critical assets from emerging browser-based attack techniques.

Credit to Rajendra Rushanth (Cyber Analyst) Justin Torres (Senior Cyber Analyst) and Ryan Traill (Analyst Content Lead)

Appendices

Darktrace Model Detections

·       Compromise / Beaconing Activity To External Rare (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / Beacon for 4 Days (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / HTTP Beaconing to Rare Destination (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Device / Suspicious Domain (AP: C2 Comms, AP: Tooling)

·       Compromise / Sustained TCP Beaconing Activity To Rare Endpoint (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Anomalous Server Activity / Rare External from Server (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Anomalous Connection / Multiple Failed Connections to Rare Endpoint (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Anomalous Server Activity / Anomalous External Activity from Critical Network Device (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / Slow Beaconing Activity To External Rare (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / Repeating Connections Over 4 Days (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Anomalous Connection / Multiple HTTP POSTs to Rare Hostname (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Anomalous Server Activity / Outgoing from Server (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / High Volume of Connections with Beacon Score (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / Large Number of Suspicious Failed Connections (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Email Nexus / Connection to Hijacked Correspondent Link

·       Compromise / Suspicious TLS Beaconing To Rare External (AP: C2 Comms)

·       Compromise / Quick and Regular Windows HTTP Beaconing (AP: C2 Comms)

List of IoCs

IoC - Type - Description + Confidence

cyberhavenext[.]pro - Hostname - Used for C2 communications and data exfiltration (cookies and session tokens)

149.28.124[.]84 - IP - Associated with malicious infrastructure

45.76.225[.]148 - IP - Associated with malicious infrastructure

136.244.115[.]219 - IP - Associated with malicious infrastructure

MITRE ATT&CK Mapping

Tactic – Technique – Sub-Technique

INITIAL ACCESS - T1176 - Browser Extensions

EXECUTION - T1204.002 - Malicious Browser Extensions

PERSISTENCE - T1176 - Browser Extensions

COMMAND AND CONTROL - T1071.001 - Web Protocols

COMMAND AND CONTROL - T1001 - Data Obfuscation

CREDENTIAL ACCESS - T1539 - Steal Web Session Cookie

DISCOVERY - T1518.001 - Security Software Discovery

LATERAL MOVEMENT - T1557.003 - Man-in-the-Browser

EXFILTRATION - T1041 - Exfiltration Over C2 Channel

EXFILTRATION - T1567.002 - Exfiltration to Cloud Storage

IMPACT - T1583.006 - Session Hijacking

References

[1] https://thehackernews.com/2024/12/16-chrome-extensions-hacked-exposing.html

[2] https://www.cyberhaven.com/blog/cyberhavens-chrome-extension-security-incident-and-what-were-doing-about-it

[3] https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/chrome-browser-extensions-hijacked/

[4] https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/28/24330758/chrome-extension-cyberhaven-hijack-phishing-cyberattack-facebook-ads-authentication-theft

[5] https://www.virustotal.com/gui/domain/cyberhavenext.pro

[6] https://darktrace.com/blog/balada-injector-darktraces-investigation-into-the-malware-exploiting-wordpress-vulnerabilities

Continue reading
About the author
Rajendra Rushanth
Cyber Analyst

Blog

/

Email

/

March 19, 2025

Global Technology Provider Transforms Email Threat Detection with Darktrace

Default blog imageDefault blog image

At a glance

  • Within just one month of using Darktrace / EMAIL, the volume of suspicious emails requiring analyst attention dropped by 75%, saving analysts 45 hours per month on analysis and investigation.
  • By offloading most manual, repetitive tasks to Darktrace / EMAIL, the company’s skilled security analysts can focus on developing new capabilities and tackling more complex, rewarding projects.
  • Darktrace recently detected and blocked a highly sophisticated and personalized phishing email that spoofed a Microsoft SharePoint and Teams website and used advanced engineering to impersonate the school of an employee’s family member.
  • The transition from the incumbent solution to Darktrace / EMAIL was seamless and undetectable to the company’s vast of customers and partners, reinforcing the security organization’s role as a business enabler—protecting the company and reducing risk without adding friction.

Securing a complex, distributed business without disruption

The company remains at the forefront of technological innovation and transformation; however, its success and ambitions come with the challenges of managing a distributed global business—balancing digital advancements, existing technology investments, and evolving compliance requirements.

Optimizing a complex tech stack for scalable growth

The organization operates a diverse technology stack spanning Windows, Mac, Linux, and multiple cloud environments, creating a complex and challenging IT landscape. The company’s Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) emphasizes the need for efficiency and agility. “Our goal is to scale and deliver new capabilities without increasing headcount, ensuring that costs remain proportionate to growth.”

Balancing security, governance, and business agility

Committed to responsible practices, this industry leader prioritizes secure and trustworthy technology for its customers who rely on its solutions. “Balancing business agility with governance is a constant challenge," said the CISO. "There’s always a natural push and pull, which I believe is healthy—but achieving the right balance is delicate.”

Protecting critical workflows without impacting productivity

For the organization, email is much more than just a communication tool. “Email plays a critical role in our engineering workflows and is fundamental to how we build our products.” Because of this, the company is extremely cautious about implementing any solution that could introduce friction or disrupt productivity. “There is zero tolerance for disruption, which is why we take a deliberate and methodical approach when evaluating, selecting, and deploying our tools and solutions,” he said.  

More than a vendor: A security partner invested in success

To ensure an optimal security infrastructure, the enterprise security team regularly evaluates market technologies to their existing solutions. With the rapidly evolving threat landscape, the CISO said they “wanted to validate whether we still had best-in-class protection and the right controls in place to secure our organization. It was about assessing whether we could do better in our ongoing effort to fine-tuning our approach to achieve the best possible outcome.”

The team evaluated 15 different email security vendors based on the following criteria:

  1. Efficacy to detect threats
  2. Ability to integrate with existing tooling
  3. Ease of use
  4. A vendor’s approach to partnership  

They initially narrowed the list to five vendors, conducting demo sessions for deeper evaluations before selecting three finalists for a proof of value (POV). We analyzed actual malicious emails with each vendor to assess the accuracy of their detections, allowing for an objective comparison,” said the CISO. Through this rigorous process, the Darktrace / EMAIL security solution emerged as the best fit for their business. “Darktrace’s product performed well and showed a genuine commitment to partnering with us in the long-term to ensure our success.”

The team objectively understood where there were gaps across the different vendors, where they were strong, and where they could use improvement. “Based on the analysis, we knew that Darktrace / EMAIL could deliver as the data supported it, in our specific use cases.  

Partnership, integrity and respect

Throughout the evaluation process, the importance of partnership and mutual respect remained an essential factor to the CISO. “I wanted a company we could develop a long-term strategic partnership with, one that could extend far deeper than just email.” A key factor in choosing Darktrace was the commitment and engagement of its team at every level of the organization. “Darktrace showed integrity, patience and a genuine investment in building a strong relationship with my team.  That's why we're here today.”

“Together, we've delivered some fantastic outcomes”

For the organization, Darktrace / EMAIL has played a crucial role in reducing risk, empowering analysts, and enabling a lean, effective security strategy. “Together, we've delivered some fantastic outcomes,” said the CISO.  

Reducing risk. Empowering analysts

“Within that first month, we saw a 75% drop in suspicious emails that that required manual review, which reduced the time my team spent analyzing and investigating by 45 hours per month,” said the CISO. The security team values Darktrace / EMAIL not only for its ease of use but also for the time it frees up for more meaningful work. “Giving my team the opportunity to tackle complex challenges they enjoy and find more stimulating is important to me.” As they continue to fine-tune and optimize balance levels within Darktrace / EMAIL, he expects even greater efficiency gains in the coming months.

Maximizing protection while staying lean

It’s important for the security group to be proportionate with their spending, said the CISO. “It's all about what is enough security to enable the business. And that means, as our organization grows, it's important that we are as lean and as efficient as possible to deliver the best outcomes for the business.”  Embracing an AI-powered automated approach is an essential component to achieving that goal. By offloading most manual, repetitive tasks to Darktrace / EMAIL, the company’s skilled security analysts can focus on more strategic and proactive initiatives that enable the business.  

Protecting employees from advanced social engineering threats

Recently, Darktrace detected a malicious email targeting an employee, disguised as a spoofed Microsoft SharePoint and Teams website. What made this attack particularly sophisticated was its personalization — it impersonated the school where the employee’s family member attended. Unlike mass malicious emails sent to thousands of people, this was a highly targeted attack, leveraging advanced social engineering tactics to exploit connections within the education system and between family members.  

Protecting without disrupting

A seamless migration is often overlooked but is critical to success for any organization, said the CISO. With a wide ecosystem of partners, email is a highly visible, business-critical function for the organization — "any friction or downtime would have an immediate impact and could throttle the entire business,” he said. However, the transition from their previous solution to Darktrace / EMAIL was exceptionally smooth. “No one realized we changed providers because there was no disruption — no incidents at all. I cannot emphasize just how important that is when I'm trying to position our security organization as an enabling function for the business that protects and reduces risk without adding friction.”

A security partnership for the future

“To survive as a business over the next few years, adopting AI is no longer optional—it’s essential,” said the CISO. However, with the cybersecurity market becoming increasingly saturated, selecting the right solutions and vendors can be overwhelming. He stresses the importance of choosing strategic partners who not only deliver the outcomes you need, but also deeply understand your organization’s unique environment. “You’re only as strong as your partners. Technology innovation and the cybersecurity market are always changing.  At some point every solution will face a challenge—it’s inevitable. The differentiator will be how people respond when that happens.”  

Continue reading
About the author
The Darktrace Community
Your data. Our AI.
Elevate your network security with Darktrace AI