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"Remember, the best defense is often a proactive offense - and that's where threat hunting shines." In the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity, conventional security measures are vital but may fall short in detecting emerging threats. Enter threat hunting – a proactive cybersecurity technique designed to root out lurking threats that traditional security monitoring might overlook. Understanding Threat Hunting Defining the Technique: At its core, threat hunting involves a search for potential threats that evade routine security measures. Unlike penetration testing, it's a less intrusive approach aimed at preemptively identifying threats before they manifest into security breaches. Commencing the Hunt: Establishing a Hypothesis: Derived from threat modeling, hypotheses revolve around potential events with high impact and likelihood. This includes identifying potential threat actors, their methods, and likely attack paths. Profiling Threat Actors and Activities: Creating scenarios akin to an attacker's tactics can help anticipate intrusion attempts and objectives. Leveraging existing security monitoring tools, such as log analysis, registry examination, and SIEM tools, forms the crux of this phase. The Hunt in Action Relying on Failure Assumptions: Threat hunting operates under the assumption that existing security measures might have failed to detect an intrusion. This involves: Analyzing network traffic for anomalies. Scrutinizing the list of running processes. Investigating other potentially infected hosts. Tracing the execution path of malicious processes Benefits and Outcomes While resource-intensive, threat hunting reaps substantial rewards: Enhanced Detection Capabilities: Bolstering the ability to detect threats early in their lifecycle. Integrating Intelligence: Merging threat intelligence into security measures. Reducing Attack Surface: Identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities. Fortifying Attack Vector Blockage: Thwarting potential intrusion paths. Critical Asset Identification: Prioritizing protection for essential assets. Join the conversation. Stay vigilant. Stay secure. Akash Patel

Nmap, short for Network Mapper, is an open-source network scanning tool developed by Gordon Lyon. Since its inception in September 1997, Nmap has been a go-to solution for cybersecurity professionals, hackers, and network administrators worldwide. Nmap's Noisy Nature Nmap's effectiveness often comes at a cost—it's easily detected by defender tools due to its probing nature. Its aggressive scans and comprehensive analyses generate noticeable footprints that alert vigilant security systems. Essential Nmap Commands and Techniques 1. Basics of Scanning: -sT and -sS for TCP and SYN scans respectively, uncovering open ports and services. Fast mode -F for quick scans. -iL to read targets from a file. 2. Advanced Scanning Techniques: Aggressive scans (-A) for extensive information, including service versions and OS detection. Decoy flags (-D) to obfuscate your identity while scanning. 3. Port Scanning: Command variations for scanning specific ports or port ranges. Differentiation between service-specific scans like -p http or -p http,ftp,mysql. 4. Miscellaneous Techniques: Traceroute (--traceroute) to discover the route packets take to reach the target. Saving results to a file (-oN). Nmap's Role in Cybersecurity In the arsenal of cybersecurity, Nmap plays a pivotal role. It helps security professionals understand network configurations, identify potential vulnerabilities, and create a robust defense strategy against potential threats. For more commads Click Here Akash Patel

Travelling, exploring new places, and immersing oneself in diverse experience is not just an escape; its a pathway to rejuvenation. Embrace the unknow, wander freely and allow the neauty to discover to ease your mind. The world is canvas of endless possibilities- painting your adventures accross it is the most liberating therapy for the soul

In today's hyper-connected digital landscape, the battle between cybersecurity professionals and threat actors continues to escalate. Threat research plays a pivotal role in understanding, detecting, and mitigating potential risks that loom over networks and systems. Reputation Data: Unveiling the Known Threats One of the foundational pillars of threat research is reputation data. This includes blacklists encompassing known threat sources like malware signatures, malicious IP address ranges, and suspicious DNS domains. These repositories act as a first line of defense, enabling proactive identification and prevention of potential threats. Indicators of Compromise (IoC): Traces of Attacks Indicators of Compromise serve as residual signs that an asset or network might have fallen victim to an attack. These indicators include. ▪ Suspicious emails ▪ Suspicious registry and file system changes ▪ Unknown port and protocol usage ▪ Excessive bandwidth usage ▪ Rogue hardware ▪ Service disruption and defacement ▪ Suspicious or unauthorized account usage Recognizing IoCs is crucial as they indicate successful or ongoing attacks. Indicators of Attack (IoA): Evidence of Intrusion Attempts IoAs signify evidence of intrusion attempts that are in progress, indicating ongoing threats that require immediate attention and mitigation strategies. Behavioral Threat Research: Connecting the Dots Behavioral threat research involves correlating IoCs to identify attack patterns. This method aids in understanding the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) employed by adversaries. Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs): Understanding Adversary Actions TTPs encapsulate behavior patterns used in historical cyber-attacks. From DDoS attacks to sophisticated Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), understanding TTPs helps in strategizing defense mechanisms against various attack vectors. Example: Advanced Persistent Threats are sophisticated and relentless. Techniques like port hopping and Fast Flux DNS are employed to maintain persistence and evade detection. Port hopping involves APTs using various ports for communication and jump between them to avoid detection, while Fast Flux DNS rapidly changes IP addresses linked with domains. In conclusion, comprehending threat research, IoCs, IoAs, TTPs, and APT techniques is critical in the ongoing battle against cyber threats. It enables security experts to stay vigilant, anticipate evolving tactics, and fortify defenses to protect digital assets from the ever-evolving threat landscape. Akash Patel

Microsoft's Log Parser is a powerful command-line utility that can streamline this process, providing efficient querying capabilities to extract specific information from logs Getting Started with Log Parser for Windows Security Event Logs: In a typical scenario, suppose we have logs placed in the directory from single system : To run Log Parser for a specific log file, say 'Security.evtx' with EventID '5038', the command appears as follows: C:\Users\User\Desktop\Tools\Logs\> "C:\Program Files (x86)\Log Parser 2.2\LogParser.exe" -stats:OFF -i:EVT "SELECT * FROM 'Security.evtx' WHERE EventID = '5038'" If we see above example C:\Users\User\Desktop\Tools\Logs> this is where Logs are placed "C:\Program Files (x86)\Log Parser 2.2\LogParser.exe" this is where log parser is present -stats:OFF -i:EVT "SELECT * FROM 'Security.evtx' WHERE EventID = '5038'" (this basically a sql query) Complexities in Parsing Multiple Logs: However, complexities arise when dealing with multiple directories(example we have collected logs from 300 systems ), each containing 'Security.evtx' logs. Manually changing directories and running the same query for each system becomes arduous and time-consuming. A PowerShell Solution: To streamline this process and efficiently parse logs across multiple directories, PowerShell comes to the rescue. By combining PowerShell's directory traversal capability with Log Parser's querying prowess, we can create a script that navigates through directories and executes Log Parser queries. For example: Get-ChildItem -recurse | where {$_.name -eq "Security.evtx"} | foreach { cd $_.DirectoryName; pwd; & 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Log Parser 2.2\LogParser.exe' -stats:OFF -i:EVT -q:ON "SELECT * FROM 'Security.evtx' WHERE EventID = '5038'" } Breaking Down the Script Get-ChildItem -Recurse: Recursively searches through all directories. Where-Object {$_.name -eq "Security.evtx"}: Filters files to find 'Security.evtx'. ForEach : Executes commands for each located file. cd $_.DirectoryName: Changes the directory to the log file's location. pwd; : Use for printing Path & 'LogParser.exe' -i:EVT -q:ON "SELECT * FROM 'Security.evtx' WHERE EventID = '5038'": Executes Log Parser query. But still keep in mind as per query this will parse only all security.evtx file from all 300 systems. This make things little bit difficult for parsing logs and not simple as hayabusa but this help you learn how to create script or SQL query: BONUS:- To streamline Log Parser operations and simplify the process of querying Windows Security Event logs. I have compiled a set of Log Parser commands for your convenience. These commands can be edited and customized to suit your specific log analysis requirements. Commands file attached:- Click me Akash Patel

Knowledge is power, and access to robust threat intelligence is pivotal in fortifying defenses against an array of cyber threats.. Open-source threat intelligence encompasses data repositories and feeds that are freely available for use by the cybersecurity community. open-source threat intelligence sources: US-CERT: The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team shares advisories, alerts, and resources to enhance the nation's cybersecurity posture. https://www.cisa.gov/ UK’s NCSC: The National Cyber Security Centre of the United Kingdom provides cybersecurity guidance and threat intelligence aimed at protecting the UK's critical services. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ AT&T Security (OTX): AT&T's Open Threat Exchange furnishes a collaborative platform for sharing threat information and signatures. https://otx.alienvault.com/ MISP: The Malware Information Sharing Platform is an open-source threat intelligence sharing platform designed to improve the sharing of structured threat information. https://www.misp-project.org/ VirusTotal: A widely used online service that analyzes files and URLs for malware detection using multiple antivirus engines. https://www.virustotal.com/ Spamhaus: An organization that tracks spam and related cyber threats, offering real-time threat intelligence on spamming entities and malware distribution networks. https://www.spamhaus.org/ SANS ISC Suspicious Domains: Maintained by the SANS Internet Storm Center, this list identifies suspicious domains based on observed malicious activities. Akash Patel

Known Threats Known threats are those that cybersecurity experts can identify using basic signature or pattern matching. Security systems armed with established signatures or patterns can efficiently detect and mitigate these known threats, providing a robust line of defense against commonly recognized attacks. Unknown Threats On the other end of the spectrum lie unknown threats. These threats present a significant challenge as they remain elusive to traditional detection mechanisms, making them harder to detect and neutralize promptly. Known Unknowns The realm of known unknownsThis classification involves malware that employs sophisticated obfuscation techniques, deliberately designed to circumvent signature-matching and evade detection. Despite being acknowledged as a potential threat, these entities lack established signatures or patterns for precise identification, thus posing a formidable challenge for security experts. Unknown Unknowns The unknown unknowns represent an even more daunting category in the threat landscape. This classification encompasses malware that introduces completely new attack vectors and exploits, leveraging innovative techniques and tactics. These threats are stealthy, possessing attack vectors and methods that remain completely unfamiliar and undetected by existing security measures, making them a potent menace. Unknown Knowns (Blind) An intriguing classification, the unknown knowns or "blind" threats, refers to threats that are known to security communities but remain unidentified or unrecognized within a specific system or organization. This blind spot poses a risk as the threat may exist, yet the system lacks the knowledge or detection capabilities to identify it. Akash Patel

During my pursuit of the CYSA (Cybersecurity Analyst) certification, I gained insights into the pivotal role played by the Security Intelligence Cycle. 1. Requirements (Planning & Direction) The initial phase sets the stage by defining the goals for intelligence gathering. It outlines what needs to be collected, the resources (time and money) to be allocated, and considers legal restrictions guiding the data collection process. 2. Collection (& Processing) This phase involves the implementation of software tools like SIEMs, which gather data and prepare it for later analysis. Protecting these tools is imperative; encryption and hashing techniques are deployed to safeguard sensitive information within SIEMs. 3. Analysis Armed with collected data, analysis commences against predefined use cases from the planning phase. Modern analysis techniques, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, help discern between good, bad, and unknown entities within the data. 4. Dissemination The dissemination phase refers to publishing information produced by analysis to consumers who need to act on the insights developed. Three levels—strategic, operational, and tactical—determine the relevance and urgency of the information. Strategic intelligence looks at long-term impacts, operational intelligence aids day-to-day decisions, and tactical intelligence guides real-time responses to alerts. 5. Feedback This phase is a reflective journey aiming to enhance the entire intelligence cycle. It seeks to refine requirements, improve data collection and analysis, and streamline information dissemination. Reviewing lessons learned, measuring success, and keeping pace with evolving threats drive continuous improvement. Factor for Value of intelligence Sources:- Timeliness, Relevancy, Accuracy Evaluation of source reliability ● Risk Management Identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes threats and vulnerabilities to reduce their negative impact ● Incident Response An organized approach to addressing and managing the aftermath of a security breach or cyberattack ● Vulnerability Management The practice of identifying, classifying, prioritizing, remediating, and mitigating software vulnerabilities ● Detection and Monitoring The practice of observing activity to identify anomalous patterns for further analysis Akash Patel

CIA triad is a foundational concept in both information security and cybersecurity.. Full Form of CIA: Confidential, Integrity, Availability.. CIA Triad ensure that information remains secure (confidential), accurate and unaltered (integrity), and accessible to authorized users (availability) throughout its lifecycle. Lets take an example to understand: Confidentiality: (Protect from unauthorized access) (Encryption) You use a strong password to prevent unauthorized access to your computer. Additionally, you encrypt sensitive documents to ensure that even if someone gains access to your files, they can't read them without the decryption key. Integrity: (Protect from unauthorized modification) (Hashing) To maintain the integrity of your documents, you regularly check their digital signatures. If someone tries to tamper with a document, the digital signature won't match, indicating that the file has been altered. Availability: (Always Accessible to Authorized Users) (Backup) You regularly back up your documents to an external hard drive or cloud storage. In case your computer fails or is compromised, you can access your documents from the backup, ensuring their availability. Akash Patel

I will try to explain in easiest way. Cyber Kill Chain and the MITRE ATT&CK® Framework, stand as fundamental models in this arena, each offering unique perspectives and insights into the world of cyber threats. Cyber Kill Chain: Origin and Purpose: Developed by Lockheed Martin, the Cyber Kill Chain offers a breakdown of a cyber attack, mapping out the stages from an attacker's viewpoint. Focus and Application: It aids security teams in understanding the flow of an attack, potentially allowing for proactive defense strategies at various stages. MITRE ATT&CK® Framework: Origin and Purpose: Created by MITRE Corporation, the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by adversaries during different stages of an attack. Tactics and Techniques: This framework delineates various behaviors and procedures followed by attackers across multiple stages of an attack. It assists defenders in understanding adversary behavior more comprehensively. Comparison: Cyber Kill Chain: Focuses on attack stages, aiding in understanding the attack lifecycle. MITRE ATT&CK® Framework: Provides an extensive library of real-world adversary behaviors and tactics employed within those stages Cyber Kill Chain: Understanding the Attacker's Game Plan Imagine you're playing a game where the bad guys are trying to break into your house. The Cyber Kill Chain is like a playbook that shows how these intruders plan their moves. It breaks down their strategy into steps: Step 1: (Reconnaissance): Attackers gather info about your house (or network) using Google Maps (or online tools) to find weak points. Step 2: (Weaponization): They gather tools like crowbars (or malware) to break in. Step 3: (Delivery): They send a package (or email) with something sneaky hidden inside. Step 4: (Exploitation): Using their tools, they break open your back door (or exploit system vulnerabilities). Step 5: (Installation): Once inside, they settle down and make sure they can come back later. Step 6: (Command and Control): They call their buddies (or set up secret communication channels) to coordinate their next moves. Step 7: (Actions on Objectives): Finally, they grab what they came for, like your TV (or your valuable data) MITRE ATT&CK® Framework: Understanding the Sneaky Tactics Now, think of the MITRE ATT&CK® Framework like a secret spy manual that explains all the sneaky tricks attackers might use while they're in your house: Trick 1: (Persistence): Attackers might hide spare keys outside ( ways to stick around in your network). Trick 2: (Evasion): They might use tricks to hide from your security cameras (avoid getting caught by antivirus). Trick 3: (Privilege Escalation): They could mess with your locks to gain more access inside your house (or get more control over your computer system). Akash Patel

Hayabusa, the log analysis tool developed by the Yamato Security group, promises an unparalleled depth of investigation into Windows event logs. This blog explores key commands vital for harnessing Hayabusa’s potential in conducting thorough log analyses. Hayabusa Command Arsenal for Deep Analysis: 1. CSV Timeline Generation: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d {Log Path} Use -d for directory path(where multiple logs stored) Use -f for single event log file. 2. Predefined Rules Usage: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d {Log Path} -r rules/hayabusa/ Utilize predefined rules located in the "hayabusa" folder. Use -r for rules 3. Utilizing Sigma Rules: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d {Log Path} -r rules/sigma/ Apply Sigma rules located in the "sigma" folder for analysis. Use -r for rules 4. UTC Timezone Adjustment: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d -U {Log Path} Utilize -U for time zone adjustment to UTC. 5. Live Analysis with Administrator Privileges: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -l -m low Perform live analysis with minimum rule levels using -l and -m. 6. Verbose Information Printing: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d -v {Log Path} Print detailed information including processing time and parsing errors with -v. 7. Logon Summary and Metrics: Command: hayabusa.exe logon-summary -d {Log Path} Generate logon information summaries. Utilize Command: hayabusa.exe metrics -d {Log Path} for Event ID metrics. 8. Pivot Keywords Listing: Command: hayabusa.exe pivot-keywords-list -d {Log Path} -m critical Create a list of unique pivot keywords, aiding in identifying abnormalities or correlation between events. (you can use high, low, medium depends on need) 9. HTML Report Generation: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d {Log Path} -H hayabusa_report Create HTML reports for in-depth analysis using -H. 10. Export to CSV for Further Analysis: Command: hayabusa.exe csv-timeline -d {Log path} -o results.csv -p super-verbose Export log data to a single CSV file for additional analysis -p super-verbose can be ignored. 11. Search Command Usage: Command: hayabusa.exe search -d {Log path} -i -k "mimikatz" Conduct keyword searches within logs. Use -i for case-insensitive search and -k for keywords. Note :- you can use search for IP or to search event for particular workstation. 12. Rule Updates: Command: hayabusa.exe update-rules Stay updated with the latest rules by executing the update-rules command. These commands equip users to delve deeply into log analyses, enabling sophisticated investigations and comprehensive threat detection within Windows event logs using Hayabusa. Akash Patel

If presented with the choice between a chainsaw or any other log analysis tool versus Hayabusa, I would opt for Hayabusa. This preference is based on my strong confidence and trust in the capabilities and effectiveness of the Hayabusa tool within the realm of log analysis. In the realm of log analysis tools, Hayabusa stands out as an indispensable asset, particularly in deep investigations following initial analyses. This tool holds an unparalleled significance due to its user-friendly interface and comprehensive threat detection capabilities. Unveiling Hayabusa: Hayabusa, crafted by the Yamato Security group in Japan, serves as a fast forensics timeline generator and threat hunting tool tailored for Windows event logs. Versatile Capabilities: 1. Extensive Rule Set: Hayabusa boasts an extensive rule repository, encompassing over 2500 Sigma rules and more than 150 built-in detection rules with more rules being added regularly, continually expanding to keep pace with evolving threats. 2. Color-Coded Analysis: The tool employs a color-coded system, marking critical log entries in red, high-priority in yellow, medium in blue, and low in green. This aids in focusing on critical areas within the logs for efficient analysis. 3. Report Generation: Hayabusa facilitates the creation of HTML reports, allowing users to present findings comprehensively and professionally. 4. Export and Analysis Options: The tool supports exporting data in .csv format for analysis on other platforms or tools like Timeline Explorer. Additionally, it offers integration with Elastic Dashboard for further analysis. Unmatched Functionality: Hayabusa's functionality surpasses expectations, enabling to streamline investigations and detect potential threats swiftly. Its user-friendly interface and diverse range of features make it a standout choice among log analysis tools. For example:- Hayabusa emerges as the tool of choice among various options, offering an unparalleled combination of simplicity and robust threat detection capabilities. In the next post, we'll delve deeper into running the tool and explore a few commands to kickstart your analysis. Akash Patel