text
stringlengths
4
429
repeated against a changing
target space till enough
computers are compromised.
Attachment types used
Half of all the attachments
analyzed used an extension that
would run directly when double
clicked. This old method is still
the most common scheme used.
Of all attachments analyzed,
38 percent were .exe and 12
percent were .src files. In total
only 6 percent used double
extensions like .pdf.exe to fool
the user. It should also be noted Figure 4: Average number of mail accounts targeted per company
that 23 percent were Microsoft
Word documents using some exploit to execute custom code on the computer.
There were also some more exotic
extensions used like AutoIt scripts
(.au3) and ZX-Edit files (.zed), but
these are the exception rather
than the rule. It might be that the
attackers tried to bypass some email
filtering software by experimenting
with different attachment types.
Sometimes even older exploits like
the Microsoft DirectX DirectShow
Length Record Remote Code
Execution Vulnerability (CVE-
2009-1539) in .mp4 files are still
occasionally used. This indicates
that either not all attackers have
the knowhow to use newer exploits
that are publicly available or they
speculate that the target has not
patched all computers. Some of
the attackers do not seem to be too
sophisticated. For example they used
www.[COMPANY-NAME].com.exe
an attachment name, clearly missing
that the
.com
at the end would be
sufficient to run it and the additional
.exe
was not needed.
Figure 5: Extensions used in targeted attack emails
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Targeted Attacks Against the Energy Sector
B. Visualization with TRIAGE
To identify a series of targeted attacks that are likely performed by the same individuals, we have used a novel attack
attribution methodology named TRIAGE.
Developed by Symantec Research Labs,
TRIAGE is data mining software that
relies on
multi-criteria decision analysis and intelligent data fusion algorithms to reliably link different attacks to the
same source. This framework has been
developed in order
to automate cyberintelligence tasks and reduce the time
needed to get insights into organized cybercrime activities. By enabling rapid analysis of large security data sets,
Symantec analysts can then quickly and more efficiently attribute various waves of cyberattacks to a specific attack
campaign likely run by the same individuals.
Figure 6: Graph view of attack wave against company targeted in the New Year
s campaign
The TRIAGE framework was recently enhanced with novel visualizations
thanks to VIS-SENSE, a European research
project aiming at developing visual analytics technologies for network security applications.
Page 24
Targeted Attacks Against the Energy Sector
Figure 7: Visualization graph of the Greek oil campaign
Since its original conception,
TRIAGE has been
successfully used to analyze the behavior of
cybercriminals involved in various types of Internet
attack activities, such as rogue antivirus websites [1],
spam botnets operations [2], scam campaigns [3] and
targeted attacks performed via spear phishing emails
[4,5].
C. Phases of targeted attacks
As with any other targeted attacks, attacks against
the energy sector often follow the same pattern. It
can be broken down in different phases of attack. It
should be noted that we have seen attackers modify
their behavior and exceptions from the norm and this
is possible especially if the target company has special
circumstances or security measures in place.
Figure 8: Typical phases of targeted attacks
Page 25
Targeted Attacks Against the Energy Sector
Reconnaissance phase
During this phase the attacker tries to learn as much as possible about the targeted organization.
Information sources often include social networks, job posting sites and press releases. This enables the attacker
to learn the contact details of possible target individuals as well as context that can be used in social engineering
scenarios. The attacker will often create a list of implemented security software used at the targeted company
from whatever information is available. These investigations often start completely passively without any direct
contact with the company, since there are many data sources publicly available. Subsequently the attacker can use
more interaction if needed. Some attackers go through all the effort of creating a fake social media account and
befriending key employees. After a period of small talk, to create a false sense of security, such a connection can
then be used to pass on an infected document or find out about some key information. Depending on the targeted
location, physical reconnaissance and eavesdropping may also be used.