Attack Chain

1. Initial Access via Cloud Misconfiguration: The attacker gains initial access through a misconfigured cloud service access key.
2. Cloud Console Manipulation: The attacker manipulates the cloud console to hide their tracks from endpoint detection.
3. Pivot to Cloud-Hosted Server: From the cloud console, the attacker pivots to a cloud-hosted server to begin discovery.
4. Credential Theft (Covert C2): The attacker utilizes DNS tunneling to a cloud storage location for C2 communication and steals credentials to use legitimate applications.
5. Lateral Movement: The attacker moves laterally using the stolen credentials, triggering impossible travel alerts across SaaS apps.
6. Rogue Asset Introduction: The attacker introduces a rogue device into the network, bypassing traditional endpoint security measures.
7. Persistence: The attacker maintains persistence through the rogue device, using it for covert movement and access.
8. Data Exfiltration: The attacker exfiltrates sensitive data, taking advantage of the gaps in security visibility.

Impact

Organizations are increasingly vulnerable to rapid data exfiltration due to the expanded attack surface and reliance on endpoint-centric security. The inability to correlate telemetry across diverse IT zones allows attackers to operate undetected, leading to significant data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage. Unit 42’s research shows that attackers are moving 4x faster to exfiltration, exacerbating the impact of successful intrusions. The attacks target cloud environments, identity systems, and networks, creating a complex threat landscape for security teams to navigate.

Recommendation

• Ingest and correlate telemetry from all IT zones (IAM, cloud, OT/IoT, AI workloads) into a single repository, as described in the overview, to eliminate data silos and gain holistic visibility.
• Implement User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) as mentioned in the overview, to detect anomalous behavior indicative of compromised credentials by using a centralized workbench.
• Deploy Cortex XSIAM, as discussed in the overview, to leverage AI-driven alert stitching, ML-based incident scoring, and UEBA for automated detection, investigation, and response.
• Implement continuous network monitoring and external attack surface management to detect and manage rogue assets, as highlighted in the attack chain.
• Evaluate your current visibility through a formal assessment as recommended in the conclusion, to identify gaps in security coverage.

Attack Chain

This brief focuses on incident response readiness and service procurement, rather than a specific attack chain. The described service aims to improve an organization’s ability to respond to a variety of attacks.

1. Initial Compromise: (This step is hypothetical but included for context) An attacker gains initial access to a target network via phishing, exploiting a vulnerability, or other means.
2. Detection: The organization detects suspicious activity on its network, possibly through existing security tools.
3. Engagement of CrowdStrike Services: The organization utilizes CrowdStrike Flex for Services to engage incident response experts. This step involves drawing down from the pre-arranged services entitlement.
4. Incident Response: CrowdStrike’s experts begin investigating the incident, identifying the scope of the breach, and containing the threat.
5. Remediation: CrowdStrike assists with remediation efforts, which may include patching systems, removing malware, and restoring data.
6. Proactive Services: After the incident, the organization uses the remaining Flex for Services hours for proactive security assessments, vulnerability management, and training to improve future defenses.
7. Ongoing Monitoring and Improvement: The organization uses the lessons learned from the incident and proactive services to continuously improve its security posture.

Impact

A successful attack, without adequate incident response readiness, can lead to data breaches, financial losses, reputational damage, and disruption of business operations. The CrowdStrike Flex for Services aims to mitigate these impacts by providing rapid access to expert support, reducing the time it takes to respond to incidents, and improving overall security preparedness. This model enables organizations to align services consumption with actual security requirements, particularly beneficial for organizations needing expert support before broader platform commitments.

Recommendation

• Evaluate CrowdStrike Flex for Services to improve incident response readiness and access expert support (all sections).
• If eligible, explore the Zero Dollar Flex Fund for initial access to CrowdStrike Services (all sections).
• Use proactive service hours to assess readiness, improve defenses, and strengthen operational preparedness (Attack Chain, Step 6).

Attack Chain

This brief describes a service offering that enables rapid incident response, rather than a specific attack chain. Therefore, the typical attack chain steps do not apply. However, the service is designed to improve resilience against attacks, which can be described as follows:

1. Initial Access: An attacker gains initial access to the target environment through various means such as phishing, vulnerability exploitation, or stolen credentials (not directly mentioned in the source).
2. Lateral Movement: The attacker attempts to move laterally within the network, escalating privileges to gain control over critical systems (not directly mentioned in the source).
3. Data Exfiltration: The attacker identifies and exfiltrates sensitive data from the compromised systems (not directly mentioned in the source).
4. Impact: The attacker deploys ransomware or causes other damage to disrupt business operations (not directly mentioned in the source).
5. Detection: The organization detects the intrusion, potentially through existing security tools or alerts (not directly mentioned in the source).
6. Activation of CrowdStrike Services: The organization leverages CrowdStrike Flex for Services to engage incident response experts.
7. Incident Response: CrowdStrike experts rapidly assess the scope of the breach, contain the attacker’s activities, and begin remediation efforts.
8. Remediation and Recovery: CrowdStrike assists in recovering compromised systems, patching vulnerabilities, and implementing security enhancements to prevent future incidents.

Impact

The successful utilization of CrowdStrike Flex for Services can significantly reduce the impact of a cyberattack by enabling rapid incident response and minimizing downtime. Organizations can pre-arrange incident response coverage, providing access to elite expertise and a more adaptable approach to consuming cybersecurity services over time. The Zero Dollar Flex Fund provides a direct path to CrowdStrike expertise for first-time services customers, offering a standalone 12-month agreement with flexibility in applying proactive services to readiness and consulting priorities. This results in improved preparedness, faster containment of threats, and more effective recovery from incidents, minimizing potential financial losses, reputational damage, and operational disruptions.

Recommendation

• Evaluate the CrowdStrike Falcon Flex for Services model to determine its suitability for your organization’s incident response and cybersecurity service needs (Reference: CrowdStrike Flex for Services).
• For qualifying new services customers, explore the Zero Dollar Flex Fund to gain initial access to CrowdStrike Services for incident response and proactive security measures (Reference: Zero Dollar Flex Fund).
• Integrate CrowdStrike’s incident response capabilities with existing security tools and processes to streamline incident handling and improve overall security posture (Reference: CrowdStrike Services).

Attack Chain

This brief describes a service offering designed to improve incident response. Therefore, the following attack chain describes the response to an attack, not the attack itself.

1. Initial Compromise: An organization experiences a security incident (e.g., malware infection, data breach) through unspecified means.
2. Detection & Triage: Internal security teams identify the incident and determine the need for external incident response support.
3. Service Engagement: The organization engages CrowdStrike through the Falcon Flex for Services program. This step bypasses traditional procurement delays.
4. Incident Assessment: CrowdStrike incident responders conduct an initial assessment to understand the scope and impact of the incident. This includes analyzing logs, network traffic, and endpoint data.
5. Containment & Eradication: Based on the assessment, responders implement containment measures to prevent further damage and eradicate the threat from the environment. This may involve isolating affected systems, removing malicious software, and patching vulnerabilities.
6. Recovery: Systems are restored to a secure state, and business operations resume. This phase involves validating the effectiveness of remediation efforts and implementing preventative measures to avoid recurrence.
7. Post-Incident Analysis: CrowdStrike provides a detailed report outlining the incident’s root cause, the attacker’s tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and recommendations for improving security posture.
8. Proactive Hardening: Leveraging the findings from the incident response, the organization utilizes the 40 hours of proactive services to assess readiness, improve defenses, and strengthen operational preparedness, further enhancing the security posture and minimizing future risks.

Impact

The Falcon Flex for Services model aims to reduce the impact of security incidents by providing organizations with rapid access to expert incident response and proactive security services. Successful engagement leads to faster incident containment, reduced downtime, and improved security posture. The Zero Dollar Flex Fund lowers the barrier to entry for new customers, enabling them to benefit from CrowdStrike’s expertise without upfront costs. This can be especially beneficial for smaller organizations or those with limited security resources.

Recommendation

• Evaluate the Falcon Flex for Services program to determine its suitability for your organization’s incident response needs (refer to the “CrowdStrike Flex for Services Expands Access to Elite Security Expertise” blog post).
• For first-time CrowdStrike services customers, explore eligibility for the Zero Dollar Flex Fund to gain access to initial incident response and proactive services hours.
• Review CrowdStrike’s offerings for incident response, proactive security services, advisory, platform services, and training to understand the full range of available expertise.