Hackers leverage legitimate programmes in cyber attacks

Hackers often utilise a technique where they abuse the legitimate applications on the victim's systems to execute an attack. This technique is called "living off the land". It is effective and can be used by hackers to attain the same goals as they would have in attack using malware.

This threat assessment focuses on the behaviour of the attackers, after they have breached the network of an organisation. This includes how they can use legitimate applications to attain their goal. The technique is hard to detect, because the attackers use tools that are a legitimate part of the system, and any malicious activity is often not detected by antivirus software.

There are known examples of hackers using this technique in targeted cyber attacks, which has caused significant financial loses for organisations. However, it is possible to counter this type of attack with a proactive and holistic approach to network protection. This is addressed in the advisory section of the assessment.