Threat Actor Interest

5 automated security scanners

Cybercriminal Forum Attention

Purpose: The Cybercriminal Forum Attention Scanner is designed to identify and analyze mentions of specific domains, company names, or keywords within dark web forums. It aims to detect the frequency of discussions related to potential threats and vulnerabilities, helping organizations assess their exposure to cyber risks.

What It Detects:

Dark Web Discussion Frequency: Identifies mentions of the target domain, company name, or keyword in dark web forums and counts the number of occurrences to gauge interest level.
Exploit Kit Inclusion: Searches for known exploit kit signatures and patterns within dark web discussions, helping identify potential targets for specific exploit kits.
Threat Indicators: Looks for common threat indicators such as CVE numbers, malware types, command and control references, and phishing activities.
Exposure Indicators: Identifies exposure indicators like data breaches, unauthorized access, and data dumps that may indicate a higher risk of cyber threats.
Vulnerability References: Searches for references to known vulnerabilities listed in the CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities) database, cross-referencing with NVD/CVE entries for further analysis.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): The primary domain to analyze, such as “acme.com”.
company_name (string): A company name used for statement searching, like “Acme Corporation”.
keyword (string): A specific keyword or phrase that the scanner searches for within dark web discussions.

Business Impact: This tool is crucial for organizations looking to proactively identify and mitigate potential cyber threats posed by active discussions on the dark web. By detecting early mentions of vulnerabilities, exploit kits, and other threat indicators, organizations can take immediate action to secure their systems and data, minimizing damage from potential attacks.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Findings include CVE numbers that are actively exploited or have a high impact on security posture.
High: Discussions indicate the presence of known exploit kits targeting the organization, posing significant risks.
Medium: Vulnerabilities identified but not yet confirmed as actively exploited; still requires monitoring and mitigation efforts.
Low: Informal mentions without clear evidence of exploitation or high impact.
Info: General discussions about the domain, company name, or keyword with no specific threat indicators detected.

If risk levels are not explicitly defined in the README, they can be inferred based on the severity of the findings and their potential impact on security.

Example Findings:

A discussion thread mentions “CVE-2021-44228”, indicating a critical vulnerability actively exploited by threat actors.
Dark web posts reference specific exploit kits known to target Acme Corporation, posing a high risk for unauthorized access and data breaches.

Zero-Day Broker Activities

Purpose: The Zero-Day Broker Activities Scanner is designed to detect exploit acquisition patterns and technology valuation trends by analyzing domain activity, company communications, and dark web sources. This tool helps in identifying potential zero-day broker activities that could indicate malicious intent or unauthorized access to vulnerabilities.

What It Detects:

Identifies mentions of specific CVE numbers (e.g., CVE-2023-1234) related to malware, ransomware, and trojans.
Detects keywords related to potential broker activities such as command and control (C2) server references and phishing and credential harvesting activities.
Analyzes domain reputation using the VirusTotal API and checks for known exploited vulnerabilities listed in CISA KEV.
Evaluates IP reputation through AbuseIPDB and scans for exposed services and vulnerabilities via Shodan API.
Searches dark web forums and marketplaces for mentions of the domain or company name, identifying discussions related to zero-day exploits, malware, and other threats.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): Primary domain to analyze (e.g., acme.com) - This is necessary to gather information about the specific online presence that needs to be monitored for potential broker activities.
company_name (string): Company name for statement searching (e.g., “Acme Corporation”) - Providing this helps in focusing the search on relevant company communications and incident disclosures related to cybersecurity events.
keyword (string): Specific keyword related to the threat actor or technology of interest - This input allows users to tailor the scanner’s focus according to their particular concerns, whether it be a specific vulnerability or type of malicious activity.

Business Impact: Identifying potential broker activities is crucial for any organization as unauthorized access to vulnerabilities can lead to significant security breaches and data theft. Monitoring such activities helps in proactive defense against cyber threats and enhances the overall cybersecurity posture by enabling timely mitigation strategies.

Risk Levels:

Critical: The scanner identifies specific CVE numbers or mentions of malware, ransomware, trojans directly related to broker activities that are known to be highly critical for immediate attention due to their potential impact on sensitive data and systems.
High: Vulnerabilities identified through the scanner that could potentially lead to unauthorized access or significant damage if exploited by malicious actors, requiring high alertness and rapid response.
Medium: Findings that suggest ongoing or potential broker activities but do not necessarily pose an immediate threat, still requiring attention for strategic planning in cybersecurity management.
Low: Informational findings that may indicate general cyber threats or trends rather than specific broker activities, typically less critical unless they escalate in severity over time.
Info: Non-critical information that provides background knowledge about the domain’s online activity but does not directly impact security operations significantly.

Example Findings:

The scanner flags a mention of CVE-2023-1234 in company communications, indicating potential exposure to a known exploit for malware.
A discussion on a dark web forum about zero-day exploits related to recently disclosed vulnerabilities suggests active broker involvement that requires immediate investigation and mitigation measures.

APT Group Technology Focus

Purpose: The APT Group Technology Focus Scanner is designed to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities associated with specific technologies used by advanced persistent threat (APT) groups. By analyzing domain, company name, and keyword patterns across various threat intelligence feeds, this scanner helps in identifying nation-state actor tool development and target technology selection.

What It Detects:

CVE Pattern Detection: Identifies Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) mentioned in the domain content using a pattern like CVE-[0-9]{4}-[0-9]+.
Malware and Ransomware Indicators: Detects mentions of malware, ransomware, or trojans using patterns such as malware|ransomware|trojan.
Command and Control (C2) References: Identifies references to command and control servers with patterns like command\\s*(?:and|&)\\s*control|c2|c&c.
Phishing and Credential Harvesting Indicators: Detects mentions of phishing attacks or credential harvesting activities using patterns such as phishing|credential\\s+harvesting.
Exposure Indicators: Identifies terms related to data exposure, leaks, or breaches with patterns like exposed|leaked|breached.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): Primary domain to analyze (e.g., acme.com)
company_name (string): Company name for statement searching (e.g., “Acme Corporation”)
keyword (string): Specific keyword related to technology or threat actor focus

Business Impact: This scanner is crucial in the cybersecurity landscape as it helps organizations identify potential vulnerabilities and threats associated with specific technologies used by advanced persistent threat groups, enabling proactive measures to mitigate risks.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Conditions that directly lead to severe security breaches or significant data exposure are critical. These include identified CVEs exploited in a network, command and control server references, and high-confidence phishing or credential harvesting activities.
High: High-risk findings involve malware mentions, ransomware indicators, and exposed data which can significantly impact business operations and reputation.
Medium: Medium-severity risks pertain to less critical vulnerabilities that could be exploited but do not pose immediate severe threats. These include general exposure indicators and some C2 server references.
Low: Informational findings are generally non-critical mentions of keywords related to technology or threat actor focus, which may indicate ongoing activities but does not necessarily represent significant risks.
Info: This category includes purely informational detections such as mentions of CVEs in the domain content that do not directly impact security posture but could be indicative of broader risk exposure.

Example Findings:

“CVE-2021-44228 was exploited in our network.”
“We identified a command and control server at 192.168.1.1.”
“Phishing attempts were detected targeting our employees.”

Ransomware Group Targeting Patterns

Purpose: The Ransomware Group Targeting Patterns Scanner is designed to analyze organizations against known ransomware group targeting patterns in order to identify potential vulnerabilities and risks. It aims to help security teams proactively mitigate threats by understanding how targeted ransomware groups might attack their industry.

What It Detects:

Industry-Specific Preferences: The scanner identifies specific industries that ransomware groups prefer, such as manufacturing, healthcare, education, government, and legal sectors. These targets typically include large and medium-sized organizations in North America, Europe, and Asia with annual revenues exceeding $50 million. Additionally, Conti ransomware group is noted for targeting financial, retail, and other high-value industries globally with revenue thresholds over $100 million.
Attack Surface Indicators: Ransomware groups often use phishing emails, exploit Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), leverage Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as a preferred entry point, and target vulnerabilities in the supply chain to spread malware.
Technical Attack Surface: The scanner analyzes public website content for industry-specific keywords and technical indicators that might suggest potential attack vectors. It also converts company names into likely domain names for further analysis.

Inputs Required:

company_name (string): A string representing the company name, such as “Acme Corporation”, which is used for searching and analyzing against known ransomware targeting patterns.

Business Impact: Understanding how targeted ransomware groups might attack an organization’s industry is crucial for developing a proactive security posture. This knowledge enables organizations to prioritize their risk management efforts effectively, ensuring that critical assets are protected from potential threats posed by these sophisticated cyber-attacks.

Risk Levels:

Critical: The scanner identifies conditions where the vulnerability could lead directly to significant financial loss or severe damage to organizational reputation and operations.
High: Conditions that pose a high risk of ransomware infection, leading to substantial disruptions or data losses.
Medium: Conditions that indicate moderate risk, potentially resulting in some level of disruption or exposure.
Low: Conditions suggesting minimal risk, with little likelihood of significant harm.
Info: Informational findings that do not necessarily pose an immediate threat but could be indicative of potential vulnerabilities worth monitoring.

Example Findings: The scanner might flag instances where a company’s website contains industry-specific keywords or technical indicators that are typical for ransomware groups, suggesting possible exposure to attacks.

Attack Tool Development Direction

Purpose: The Attack Tool Development Direction Scanner is designed to detect and analyze emerging threats by identifying indicators of malware capability evolution, exploitation framework enhancements, command and control (C2) activity, known exploited vulnerabilities (KEV), and phishing and credential harvesting activities. This tool helps in the identification of potential vulnerabilities and malicious practices used by threat actors in their attack tools.

What It Detects:

Malware Capability Evolution Indicators: Identifies mentions of malware types such as ransomware and trojan, indicating the development or use of new malicious software capabilities.
Exploitation Framework Enhancements: Detects references to exploitation frameworks and vulnerabilities that suggest improvements in attack methods.
Command and Control (C2) Activity: Looks for mentions of command and control infrastructure crucial for maintaining persistent attacks.
Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV): Identifies Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures that are known to be exploited by threat actors.
Phishing and Credential Harvesting: Detects activities related to phishing attacks and the harvesting of credentials, which are common initial vectors for malware deployment.

Inputs Required:

domain (string): The primary domain to analyze, such as acme.com, used to search for relevant communications and incidents.
company_name (string): The company name for statement searching, like “Acme Corporation”, which helps in identifying specific mentions within the organization’s communications.
keyword (string): A specific keyword related to the threat actor or attack tool, such as “ransomware”, used to focus detection on relevant malicious activities.

Business Impact: This scanner is crucial for organizations aiming to secure their digital assets and prevent cyber threats. By identifying emerging threats early, organizations can better prepare defenses against potential attacks, reducing the risk of data breaches and other security incidents.

Risk Levels:

Critical: Conditions that directly lead to significant damage or disruption, such as critical vulnerabilities being actively exploited without patches.
High: Conditions where unauthorized access is possible but mitigated by strong authentication mechanisms, such as known exploits targeting systems with default passwords.
Medium: Conditions involving common vulnerabilities that are widely known but not necessarily exploited, requiring regular patching and security updates.
Low: Informal or non-critical findings, such as unpatched software versions, which do not pose immediate threats but should be addressed for overall security improvement.
Info: General information about the environment or system configurations, providing basic insights without significant impact on security posture.

If specific risk levels are not detailed in the README, they can be inferred based on typical severity assessments of cybersecurity risks.

Example Findings:

“Detected mention of ransomware in a recent data breach announcement, indicating potential increased activity in this type of malware.”
“Found reference to exploit framework in a company press release suggesting ongoing development and use of advanced attack techniques.”