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The Complete Guide to Advanced Persistent Threats

As the world moves forward, cyber threats have become much more complex and targeted than ever. One of the most dangerous of these is Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), a prolonged form of cyberattack that infiltrates high-value systems over time.

This guide will explore all things APT – how they work, progress and how you can implement strategies to stop different types of Advanced Persistent Threat attacks from occurring.

What is an APT?

An Advanced Persistent Threat is a highly organised cyberattack, which lets an unauthorised party gain access to a network and remain undetected for a large period of time. APTs are normally carried out by professional cybercriminals and are sponsored by states or government officials.

Some key characteristics:

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  • Attackers use advanced techniques to exploit vulnerabilities, they may use malware or social engineering to conduct this.
  • The attackers may have established a long-term presence over the network, slowly gaining valuable data.
  • APTs typically cover critical infrastructure such as government agencies or healthcare.

How Advanced Persistent Threat Attacks Progress

Infiltration

During this phase, attackers will find an entry point into the system. Through phishing or gaining access through credited credentials, for example, malicious uploads or a DDoS attack are ways in which a breach can occur.

Attackers, once access is achieved, can install a backdoor shell, which is malware that grants access and allows for stealth operations.

Expansion

Once the foothold in the system is established, the attackers will broaden their presence into the internal systems.
This involves bypassing staff members to access critical business details such as financial records, employee data and product line data. Obviously, it all depends on the attacker’s motives, for example, selling the data to a competing enterprise, or just attempting to bring down the company for ransom.

Extraction

During the process where the APT is extracting data from the system into a secure location, this must be done without being detected during extraction.

White noise tactics may be utilised in order to distract the security team, while the extraction takes place.

Measures You Can Take To Prevent APT

Thorough APT detection and protection is vital, and knowing the correct steps to take to achieve this can indeed protect your company in the future.

Monitoring of traffic

Proper Network Traffic Monitoring is crucial for detecting patterns that may indicate a breach is taking place. Implementing systems such as IDS or IPS can help locate suspicious behaviour.

Control of access

Proper access control is important as it limits an attacker’s ability to move laterally throughout the network. Enforcing multifactor authentication and regularly reviewing who has access to certain documents/data sheets can ensure you stay on top of who is navigating through your backend system.

Application Whitelisting

Application whitelisting implies that only authorised software can run on the organisation’s network. This prevents malware or unauthorised software from breaching access.

How CWSI Can Help With APTs

At CWSI we help organisations strengthen their security posture, particularly in safeguarding critical company information from cybercriminals utilising APTs. We have a wide range of professional, managed and technical services tailored to protect you and your company’s data.


If you’re interested in discovering how we can help secure your organisation against the latest cyber threats, contact us today. Our team of experts are ready to provide tailored solutions designed to meet your business needs.

Advanced Persistent Threats FAQs

What are the warning signs of an APT?

There are certainly key indicators that an APT may be occurring:

  • Unusual activity or spikes in data
  • Access from random locations that have no relation to you
  • Changes in file structures

Can an APT be completely removed once detected?

While APTs are designed to be resilient and permanent, they can certainly be prevented. However, eradication requires:

  • Removing malware
  • Forensic investigation to track any movements laterally through the system
  • Boosting of companies security measures using security associations such as CWSI

How do APTs evade detection?

APTs evade detection by using advanced techniques that help them blend into regular network activity. Attackers often encrypt exfiltrated data, making it harder to identify its true nature, and they use tools or mimic normal traffic patterns to avoid raising red flags.

They can also establish multiple backdoors and redundant communication channels to maintain access, even if one route is detected.

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