AI reveals 2018’s biggest cyber-threats: Part one — the rise of nontraditional IT
27
Jan 2019
In the first installment of a two-part series, Darktrace’s Max Heinemeyer reviews the IoT, Cloud, and SaaS trends of last year and forecasts what he expects to see in 2019.
Once confined to just a handful of primitive PCs, today the internet has become so deeply integrated into all facets of our lives — from sensors in public trash cans to app-controlled Batmobiles — that the line between physical and virtual has begun to disappear.
Yet this rapid proliferation of nontraditional IT has rendered traditional cyber security strategies insufficient, and the result has been highly damaging. Cyber-crime cost the world more than half a trillion dollars last year, in large part because conventional security tools are rarely compatible with IoT devices, while perimeter defenses struggle to protect the borderless networks engendered by the cloud. In fact, even visualizing these new forms of IT — much less safeguarding them against sophisticated cyber-attacks — has proven to be a daunting challenge for companies and governments around the world. As a result, cloud services and IoT appliances have become key security blind spots.
By monitoring and analyzing raw traffic from all our clients’ internet-connected devices and cloud deployments, we saw a number of trends emerge in 2018. As the first installment of a two-part series, this article will review the IoT, Cloud, and SaaS trends of last year and forecast what we expect to see in 2019.
IoT attacks have increased by 100%
Figure 1: The Internet of Things is projected to undergo major expansion.
Internet of Things devices now far outnumber human beings, further contributing to the challenge of identifying all such devices on an organization’s network. On average, upwards of 15% of the devices visualized by our cyber AI were unknown to our clients, and given that a single compromise can cost companies millions in damages and reputational harm, failing to comprehensively monitor the entire digital infrastructure is to play with fire. Indeed, Darktrace has discovered threats in everything from corporate CCTV cameras to parking payment kiosks to smart lockers at an amusement park. All of these devices were connected to the corporate network, and none were previously known to the security team.
This lack of visibility into the Internet of Things has enabled cyber-attackers to manipulate and exploit it as low-hanging fruit, with our cyber AI detecting a 100% increase in IoT attacks over the last year. And as innovative businesses and smart cities continue to adopt connected devices at an alarming rate, these attacks will almost certainly multiply in 2019. To address the fundamental limitations of IoT cyber hygiene, organizations must be willing to rethink their security tactics, both to gain visibility over their networks and to neutralize IoT attacks that have already breached weak perimeter defenses.
28% rise in cloud and SaaS threats
Figure 2: Cloud services will become increasingly ubiquitous in the coming years.
The global migration to cloud and SaaS infrastructures only intensified in 2018, while no less than 83% of enterprise workloads are projected to be run in the cloud by 2020. This development is hardly surprising: not only does the cloud cut expenses for organizations, it provides scalable and flexible services that can evolve as needed. But as these organizations take the next step in cloud innovation, they must also consider the evolution of their security stacks.
Security teams must now cope with an environment wherein they have limited visibility and control. Attackers are aware of the weaknesses inherent to most cloud security systems, and over the last year Darktrace has discovered 28% more threats within Cloud and SaaS than observed in 2017. In fact, the Gartner Risk Management Council identified cloud computing as the most significant emerging cyber-risk of 2018, since even CASBs and native security controls fail to identify the entire spectrum of cyber-threat.
The future of nontraditional IT attacks
Although the perpetual evolution of the cyber-threat landscape prevents anyone from forecasting tomorrow’s attacks with total confidence, we can use these insights to predict some major trends this year and beyond. One overarching trend is the increasing automation of attacks on IoT devices and in the cloud, while there is every reason to suspect that more automated, even artificial intelligence-powered attacks are on the horizon.
For the same reasons that cloud environments are a challenge to protect, they can also be difficult to infiltrate, since they expose attack surfaces that are expansive and constantly shifting. Malware equipped with AI elements, meanwhile, could continuously scan a company’s cloud deployment until it spots a vulnerability, and then use its own ‘judgment’ to exploit that vulnerability before it disappears — without having to ‘phone home’ to the criminals behind the attack for instructions. And when targeting an IoT device, this kind of AI malware could leverage contextualization to blend in to its surroundings, sitting passively while learning to emulate the device’s normal behavior.
The blind spots introduced by the explosion of IoT devices and cloud services — as well as the difficulty of securing the network perimeter given the vulnerabilities that these technologies present — will undoubtedly rank among the most severe security challenges of 2019. And as AI-powered attacks become a fact of life, securing such nontraditional IT will require thinking beyond traditional cyber defenses.
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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
Max Heinemeyer
Chief Product Officer
Max is a cyber security expert with over a decade of experience in the field, specializing in a wide range of areas such as Penetration Testing, Red-Teaming, SIEM and SOC consulting and hunting Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. At Darktrace, Max is closely involved with Darktrace’s strategic customers & prospects. He works with the R&D team at Darktrace, shaping research into new AI innovations and their various defensive and offensive applications. Max’s insights are regularly featured in international media outlets such as the BBC, Forbes and WIRED. Max holds an MSc from the University of Duisburg-Essen and a BSc from the Cooperative State University Stuttgart in International Business Information Systems.
Decrypting the Matrix: How Darktrace Uncovered a KOK08 Ransomware Attack
What is Matrix Ransomware?
Matrix is a ransomware family that first emerged in December 2016, mainly targeting small to medium-sized organizations across the globe in countries including the US, Belgium, Germany, Canada and the UK [1]. Although the reported number of Matrix ransomware attacks has remained relatively low in recent years, it has demonstrated ongoing development and gradual improvements to its tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).
How does Matrix Ransomware work?
In earlier versions, Matrix utilized spam email campaigns, exploited Windows shortcuts, and deployed RIG exploit kits to gain initial access to target networks. However, as the threat landscape changed so did Matrix’s approach. Since 2018, Matrix has primarily shifted to brute-force attacks, targeting weak credentials on Windows machines accessible through firewalls. Attackers often exploit common and default credentials, such as “admin”, “password123”, or other unchanged default settings, particularly on systems with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) enabled [2] [3].
Darktrace observation of Matrix Ransomware tactics
In May 2024, Darktrace observed an instance of KOK08 ransomware, a specific strain used by Matrix actors, in which some of these ongoing developments and evolutions were observed. Darktrace detected activity indicative of internal reconnaissance, lateral movement, data encryption and exfiltration, with the affected customer later confirming that credentials used for Virtual Private Network (VPN) access had been compromised and used as the initial attack vector.
Another significant tactic observed by Darktrace in this case was the exfiltration of data following encryption, a hallmark of double extortion. This method is employed by attacks to increase pressure on the targeted organization, demanding ransom not only for the decryption of files but also threatening to release the stolen data if their demands are not met. These stakes are particularly high for public sector entities, like the customer in question, as the exposure of sensitive information could result in severe reputational damage and legal consequences, making the pressure to comply even more intense.
Darktrace’s Coverage of Matrix Ransomware
Internal Reconnaissance and Lateral Movement
On May 23, 2024, Darktrace / NETWORK identified a device on the customer’s network making an unusually large number of internal connections to multiple internal devices. Darktrace recognized that this unusual behavior was indicative of internal scanning activity. The connectivity observed around the time of the incident indicated that the Nmap attack and reconnaissance tool was used, as evidenced by the presence of the URI “/nice ports, /Trinity.txt.bak”.
Although Nmap is a crucial tool for legitimate network administration and troubleshooting, it can also be exploited by malicious actors during the reconnaissance phase of the attack. This is a prime example of a ‘living off the land’ (LOTL) technique, where attackers use legitimate, pre-installed tools to carry out their objectives covertly. Despite this, Darktrace’s Self-Learning AI had been continually monitoring devices across the customers network and was able to identify this activity as a deviation from the device’s typical behavior patterns.
Figure 1: The ‘Device / Attack and Recon Tools’ model alert identifying the active usage of the attack and recon tool, Nmap.
Figure 2: Cyber AI Analyst Investigation into the ‘Scanning of Multiple Devices' incident.
Darktrace subsequently observed a significant number of connection attempts using the RDP protocol on port 3389. As RDP typically requires authentication, multiple connection attempts like this often suggest the use of incorrect username and password combinations.
Given the unusual nature of the observed activity, Darktrace’s Autonomous Response capability would typically have intervened, taking actions such as blocking affected devices from making internal connections on a specific port or restricting connections to a particular device. However, Darktrace was not configured to take autonomous action on the customer’s network, and thus their security team would have had to manually apply any mitigative measures.
Later that day, the same device was observed attempting to connect to another internal location via port 445. This included binding to the server service (srvsvc) endpoint via DCE/RPC with the “NetrShareEnum” operation, which was likely being used to list available SMB shares on a device.
Over the following two days, it became clear that the attackers had compromised additional devices and were actively engaging in lateral movement. Darktrace detected two more devices conducting network scans using Nmap, while other devices were observed making extensive WMI requests to internal systems over DCE/RPC. Darktrace recognized that this activity likely represented a coordinated effort to map the customer’s network and identity further internal devices for exploitation.
Beyond identifying the individual events of the reconnaissance and lateral movement phases of this attack’s kill chain, Darktrace’s Cyber AI Analyst was able to connect and consolidate these activities into one comprehensive incident. This not only provided the customer with an overview of the attack, but also enabled them to track the attack’s progression with clarity.
Furthermore, Cyber AI Analyst added additional incidents and affected devices to the investigation in real-time as the attack unfolded. This dynamic capability ensured that the customer was always informed of the full scope of the attack. The streamlined incident consolidation and real-time updates saved valuable time and resources, enabling quicker, more informed decision-making during a critical response window.
Figure 3: Cyber AI Analyst timeline showing an overview of the scanning related activity, while also connecting the suspicious lateral movement activity.
File Encryption
On May 28, 2024, another device was observed connecting to another internal location over the SMB filesharing protocol and accessing multiple files with a suspicious extension that had never previously been observed on the network. This activity was a clear sign of ransomware infection, with the ransomware altering the files by adding the “KOK08@QQ[.]COM” email address at the beginning of the filename, followed by a specific pattern of characters. The string consistently followed a pattern of 8 characters (a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers), followed by a dash, and then another 8 characters. After this, the “.KOK08” extension was appended to each file [1][4].
Figure 4: Cyber AI Analyst Investigation Process for the 'Possible Encryption of Files over SMB' incident.
Figure 5: Cyber AI Analyst Encryption Information identifying the ransomware encryption activity.
Data Exfiltration
Shortly after the encryption event, another internal device on the network was observed uploading an unusually large amount of data to the rare external endpoint 38.91.107[.]81 via SSH. The timing of this activity strongly suggests that this exfiltration was part of a double extortion strategy. In this scenario, the attacker not only encrypts the target’s files but also threatens to leak the stolen data unless a ransom is paid, leveraging both the need for decryption and the fear of data exposure to maximize pressure on the victim.
The full impact of this double extortion tactic became evident around two months later when another ransomware group claimed possession of the stolen data and threatened to release it publicly. This development suggested that the initial Matrix ransomware attackers had sold the exfiltrated data to a different group, which was now attempting to monetize it further, highlighting the ongoing risk and potential for exploitation long after the initial attack.
Figure 6: External data being transferred from one of the involved internal devices during and after the encryption took place.
Unfortunately, because Darktrace’s Autonomous Response capability was not enabled at the time, the ransomware attack was able to escalate to the point of data encryption and exfiltration. However, Darktrace’s Security Operations Center (SOC) was still able to support the customer through the Security Operations Support service. This allowed the customer to engage directly with Darktrace’s expert analysts, who provided essential guidance for triaging and investigating the incident. The support from Darktrace’s SOC team not only ensured the customer had the necessary information to remediate the attack but also expedited the entire process, allowing their security team to quickly address the issue without diverting significant resources to the investigation.
Conclusion
In this Matrix ransomware attack on a Darktrace customer in the public sector, malicious actors demonstrated an elevated level of sophistication by leveraging compromised VPN credentials to gain initial access to the target network. Once inside, they exploited trusted tools like Nmap for network scanning and lateral movement to infiltrate deeper into the customer’s environment. The culmination of their efforts was the encryption of files, followed by data exfiltration via SSH, suggesting that Matrix actors were employing double extortion tactics where the attackers not only demanded a ransom for decryption but also threatened to leak sensitive information.
Despite the absence of Darktrace’s Autonomous Response at the time, its anomaly-based approach played a crucial role in detecting the subtle anomalies in device behavior across the network that signalled the compromise, even when malicious activity was disguised as legitimate. By analyzing these deviations, Darktrace’s Cyber AI Analyst was able to identify and correlate the various stages of the Matrix ransomware attack, constructing a detailed timeline. This enabled the customer to fully understand the extent of the compromise and equipped them with the insights needed to effectively remediate the attack.
Credit to Christina Kreza (Cyber Analyst) and Ryan Traill (Threat Content Lead)
Appendices
Darktrace Model Detections
· Device / Network Scan
· Device / Attack and Recon Tools
· Device / Possible SMB/NTLM Brute Force
· Device / Suspicious SMB Scanning Activity
· Device / New or Uncommon SMB Named Pipe
· Device / Initial Breach Chain Compromise
· Device / Multiple Lateral Movement Model Breaches
· Device / Large Number of Model Breaches from Critical Network Device
· Device / Multiple C2 Model Breaches
· Device / Lateral Movement and C2 Activity
· Anomalous Connection / SMB Enumeration
· Anomalous Connection / New or Uncommon Service Control
· Anomalous Connection / Multiple Connections to New External TCP Port
· Anomalous Connection / Data Sent to Rare Domain
· Anomalous Connection / Uncommon 1 GiB Outbound
· Unusual Activity / Enhanced Unusual External Data Transfer
Introducing ‘Defend Beyond’: Our promise to customers in the face of evolving threats
There’s a global paradigm shift underway, as we enter the era of AI, that is changing both the way businesses operate and the landscape that they operate within. Our customers are dealing with the impact that AI and automation, as well as the commodification of cybercrime-as-a-service, are having on the threat landscape. Attacks that once took a human weeks or months to propagate can now be done much faster, more effectively, and on a greater scale. Earlier this year, we released our 2024 State of AI Cybersecurity Report which found that 74% of security professionals surveyed agree that AI-powered cyber threats are already having a significant impact on their organizations.
On the other hand, we’ve never been more optimistic that the application of AI in cybersecurity is an essential enabler of innovation. That’s why Darktrace has been building a new model for cybersecurity since our founding in 2013. We remain squarely focused on innovating at the crossroads of AI and cybersecurity to better help our customers build resilience and stay one step ahead of changing threats. We’ve seen first-hand how AI can transform security operations by automating alert triage and freeing up valuable human time to focus on proactively hardening defenses.
As we continue this journey in support of our customers, it’s important that our corporate identity keep pace with our ambitions. We know that the world is a dynamic place, and we believe that a proactive approach to security is the best way to help our customers realize their innovation potential in this new era. To achieve this, we’ve refocused our mission to be the essential cybersecurity platform using AI to proactively defend against novel and known threats.
This week, we introduce a bold new brand promise that encapsulates our focus on championing the defenders who protect companies every day, while also pushing beyond the boundaries of conventional thinking to innovate ahead of current challenges. Defend Beyond – our new brand platform -- achieves just that. More than a brand tagline, Defend Beyond embodies the essence of Darktrace’s ability to harness the power of AI to help our customers to stay ahead of constantly changing cyber threats and threat actors. Take a closer look at this promise through our Defend Beyond brand video.
In addition to this redefined corporate positioning, Darktrace has continued to innovate for our customers. In April, we announced the Darktrace ActiveAI Security Platform™ – an industry leading, AI-native offering that can visualize and correlate threats across the entire enterprise, provide more complete visibility to help mitigate risk, and automate time-intensive tasks to support a preventative and proactive approach to delivering cyber resilience. This platform-based approach allows our customers to be on the leading edge of AI in cybersecurity, while also reducing operational costs through security stack consolidation. Finally, as security operations teams struggle to keep up with the sheer volume of alerts, the Darktrace platform delivers industry-leading, investigative AI to automate the triaging of incidents, and further save human time in the process.
This week, we go a step further as we unveil additional changes to our product portfolio including packaging and product naming. After extensive analysis and customer feedback, we’ve taken steps to streamline and simplify our product packaging. Specifically, our flagship products of Darktrace DETECT™ and Darktrace RESPOND™, along with Cyber AI Analyst™, have now been combined and serve as the foundation of the Darktrace ActiveAI Security platform. This approach ensures that customers benefit from the breadth of our real-time detection, autonomous response, and investigative AI capabilities in the easiest approach possible.
These foundational capabilities can be purchased through any one of the Darktrace primary products, which have been renamed as follows to better align to the challenges our customers are seeking to solve:
Darktrace / CLOUD™, delivering cyber resilience through real-time and intelligent multi-cloud security
Darktrace / EMAIL™, stopping sophisticated threats up to 13 days faster through revolutionary email security.
Darktrace / NETWORK™, combatting unknown threats with one of the most advanced Network Detection and Response.
Darktrace / OT™, redefining risk management with one of the most comprehensive solutions, purpose- built for critical infrastructure.
Darktrace / IDENTITY™, unifying visibility and control of identity threats across your entire digital enterprise.
Darktrace / ENDPOINT™, providing advanced threat detection and response across devices, anywhere.
Customers can start their Darktrace journey with any of these primary products, realizing the additive benefits of the platform as their deployment grows. Cross platform products deliver value across the platform while also providing unique capabilities within their specific categories. We have renamed these products to better reflect the functionality of our offerings:
At Darktrace, supporting our 9,700+ customers is the heart of our purpose and mission. We are inspired by the work they do every day to keep their organizations, and the world, moving in the face of constant change. Over the last year, we've continuously innovated across our products, services, and go-to-market strategy to enable them to stay ahead. The new positioning we're unveiling today is designed to simplify the experience for our customers and reflects our bold ambition to enable defenders today and for the future. I hope you join me in celebrating this evolution as we strive to defend beyond.
