Network Attacks and Exploitation: A Framework
4/5
()
About this ebook
Network Attacks and Exploitation provides a clear, comprehensive roadmap for developing a complete offensive and defensive strategy to engage in or thwart hacking and computer espionage. Written by an expert in both government and corporate vulnerability and security operations, this guide helps you understand the principles of the space and look beyond the individual technologies of the moment to develop durable comprehensive solutions. Numerous real-world examples illustrate the offensive and defensive concepts at work, including Conficker, Stuxnet, the Target compromise, and more. You will find clear guidance toward strategy, tools, and implementation, with practical advice on blocking systematic computer espionage and the theft of information from governments, companies, and individuals.
Assaults and manipulation of computer networks are rampant around the world. One of the biggest challenges is fitting the ever-increasing amount of information into a whole plan or framework to develop the right strategies to thwart these attacks. This book clears the confusion by outlining the approaches that work, the tools that work, and resources needed to apply them.
- Understand the fundamental concepts of computer network exploitation
- Learn the nature and tools of systematic attacks
- Examine offensive strategy and how attackers will seek to maintain their advantage
- Understand defensive strategy, and how current approaches fail to change the strategic balance
Governments, criminals, companies, and individuals are all operating in a world without boundaries, where the laws, customs, and norms previously established over centuries are only beginning to take shape. Meanwhile computer espionage continues to grow in both frequency and impact. This book will help you mount a robust offense or a strategically sound defense against attacks and exploitation. For a clear roadmap to better network security, Network Attacks and Exploitation is your complete and practical guide.
Related to Network Attacks and Exploitation
Related ebooks
Linux Security Fundamentals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsImplementing SSL / TLS Using Cryptography and PKI Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCompTIA Network+ Review Guide: Exam N10-006 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLPIC-1 Linux Professional Institute Certification Study Guide: Exam 101-500 and Exam 102-500 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSolarWinds Server & Application Monitor : Deployment and Administration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPenetration Testing For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMalware Analyst's Cookbook and DVD: Tools and Techniques for Fighting Malicious Code Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHacking Multifactor Authentication Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPenetration Testing with Kali Linux: Learn Hands-on Penetration Testing Using a Process-Driven Framework (English Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWireshark for Security Professionals: Using Wireshark and the Metasploit Framework Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kali Linux Cookbook Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Web Penetration Testing with Kali Linux Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mastering Kali Linux for Advanced Penetration Testing - Second Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPenetration Testing with Raspberry Pi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Kali Linux Intrusion and Exploitation Complete Self-Assessment Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKali Linux CTF Blueprints Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLearn Kali Linux 2019: Perform powerful penetration testing using Kali Linux, Metasploit, Nessus, Nmap, and Wireshark Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Antivirus Hacker's Handbook Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPenetration Testing Bootcamp Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wireshark Network Security Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Kali Linux 2 – Assuring Security by Penetration Testing - Third Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMastering Kali Linux for Web Penetration Testing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SELinux System Administration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHACKING WITH KALI LINUX PENETRATION TESTING: Mastering Ethical Hacking Techniques with Kali Linux (2024 Guide for Beginners) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKali A Complete Guide - 2021 Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCompsec: For the Home User Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPenetration Testing with the Bash shell Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Security For You
How to Become Anonymous, Secure and Free Online Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cybersecurity: The Beginner's Guide: A comprehensive guide to getting started in cybersecurity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Make Your Smartphone 007 Smart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-601 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tor and the Dark Art of Anonymity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Remote/WebCam Notarization : Basic Understanding Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mike Meyers' CompTIA Security+ Certification Guide, Third Edition (Exam SY0-601) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hacking For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5CompTIA Network+ Review Guide: Exam N10-008 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCybersecurity All-in-One For Dummies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCompTIA Network+ Practice Tests: Exam N10-008 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWireless Hacking 101 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5CompTIA Security+ Study Guide with over 500 Practice Test Questions: Exam SY0-701 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIAPP CIPP / US Certified Information Privacy Professional Study Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cyber Attack Survival Manual: Tools for Surviving Everything from Identity Theft to the Digital Apocalypse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHacking: Ultimate Beginner's Guide for Computer Hacking in 2018 and Beyond: Hacking in 2018, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Hack Like a Pornstar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Codes and Ciphers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Practical Ethical Hacking from Scratch Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5CompTia Security 701: Fundamentals of Security Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNmap Essentials Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wireless and Mobile Hacking and Sniffing Techniques Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCompTIA CySA+ Practice Tests: Exam CS0-002 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUltimate Guide for Being Anonymous: Hacking the Planet, #4 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Network Attacks and Exploitation
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Network Attacks and Exploitation - Matthew Monte
Network Attacks & Exploitation
Published by
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
10475 Crosspoint Boulevard
Indianapolis, IN 46256
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-1-118-98712-4
ISBN: 978-1-118-98708-7 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-118-98723-0 (ebk)
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748-6011, fax (201) 748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
For general information on our other products and services please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (877) 762-2974, outside the United States at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print-on-demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e-books or in print-on-demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015941933
Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates, in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.
To those who toil in the shadows
About the Author
Matthew Monte is a security expert with 15 years' experience developing computer security tools and strategies for corporations and the U.S. government. His career includes technical and leadership positions in industry and the U.S. Intelligence Community. He holds a Master of Engineering in Computer Science from Cornell University.
About the Technical Editor
Dave Aitel started work for the NSA at age 18, long before anyone named Edward Snowden was a thing. Following that, he worked for @stake, and then started a company focused on offensive information security, Immunity, Inc.
Credits
Executive Editor
Carol Long
Project Editor
Tom Dinse
Technical Editor
Dave Aitel
Production Editor
Dassi Zeidel
Copy Editor
San Dee Phillips
Manager of Content Development & Assembly
Mary Beth Wakefi eld
Marketing Director
David Mayhew
Professional Technology & Strategy Director
Barry Pruett
Business Manager
Amy Knies
Associate Publisher
Jim Minatel
Project Coordinator, Cover
Brent Savage
Proofreader
Kathy Pope, Word One New York
Indexer
John Sleeva
Cover Designer
Michael E. Trent/Wiley
Cover Image
© iStock.com/Mak_Art
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thank you to my beautiful wife Jessica. From the initial idea through the last review, this book would not have been possible without her encouragement and support. Thank you for being my sounding board and for taking on so much while I hid away behind my laptop.
Thank you to my children Annabelle and Levi, just for being you. You are the best kids a father could hope to have. Thank you for your smiles, patience, understanding, and welcome interruptions.
Thanks to my mother and departed father for their ever-present encouragement, including helping start my journey into the digital world long ago with a Commodore 64 and a guide to BASIC.
Thanks to everyone who contributed their time and effort including:
Dave Aitel, for agreeing to review this book and using his extensive experience to provide feedback and examples. This is a clearer, richer, and all-around better book for his challenging critiques and suggestions.
Carol Long, for seeing the potential in the early manuscript; to Tom Dinse for his guidance throughout the editing and publication process, and to the rest of the staff at Wiley for their diligent efforts.
David Nadwodny, for his thoughts and encouragement, and for demonstrating what can be accomplished with duct tape and string given ingenuity and initiative.
Dave N., for his thoughtful feedback early on that helped shape many of the presented ideas.
Finally, thank you to the people I did not name, those that I've worked with and learned so much from over the years, and those whose countless hours of research and analysis I relied upon. My gratitude to those that toil in the shadows, that try not, but do.
Introduction
Why are you arming, brother? And have you thought of sending someone to spy on the Trojans?
—Menelaus, the Iliad
Remember, hacking is more than just a crime. It's a survival trait.
—Hackers (1995)
This is not a book about Cyberwar, Cyber 9/11, or Cybergeddon. These terms are thrown about to generate page hits or to secure funding or business. They are designed to grab attention or shock you into action, and perhaps for that there is a use, but they are not particularly helpful in framing what to actually do about computer security. If Digital Pearl Harbor, a reference to a massive devastating surprise attack, is imminent, what must you do to prevent it? Update antivirus software? Be careful with attachments? Make sure your password has at least two n3mber5? The comparison to such events does not help you understand an attack or illuminate a strategy to prevent it.
Depending on what definition you use and who you ask, Cyberwar will never happen, is about to happen, or is already happening. Yet regardless of what verb tense is used for describing the state of Cyberwar, there is no question that cyber espionage is real and ongoing. Computer security companies meticulously detail immense spying campaigns with names such as Red October, Flame, or Aurora. Meanwhile the media runs story after story about the alleged capabilities of the National Security Agency and different Chinese PLA Units. While the meaning of Cyberwar is debated, the latest incarnation of an old profession is in full swing.
The sheer number of reported intrusions makes exploiting computer networks sound easy. The attackers are unattributable and unstoppable, the victims unwitting and powerless. In reading the news, you would think that every time a company loses its credit card data, discloses sensitive internal e-mails, or loses military secrets, the compromise was inevitable.
This attitude is lazy. The reasons given are invariably the same: an outdated system was neglected, a warning sign was missed, or a careless user exercised poor judgment. If only XYZ had been done, the attack would not have succeeded. And yet as countless companies and government agencies are repeatedly penetrated, it becomes clear that explaining what tactics were used is not good enough.
To understand the failure of computer security, you must move beyond analyzing a specific event to understanding the inherent properties of computer operations. Is there an intrinsic offensive advantage? What contributes or detracts from this advantage? What strategy must an attacker employ to remain successful? How can this strategy be countered? How can you keep pace with rapid technological change?
These are not easy questions. Answering them requires a framework for reasoning about the strategies, technologies, and methods for executing or defending against computer operations. This book attempts to form such a framework to address these and other questions, inferring and identifying those aspects of the subject that are enduring.
Computer espionage is increasing in frequency, sophistication, and impact. Political, military, intellectual property, personal, and financial information is being siphoned off at an unprecedented rate. As the legal and moral doctrines for dealing with this predicament emerge from infancy, the onslaught will continue. It is therefore critical for business leaders, IT professionals, and policy makers to start addressing the issues at a strategic level, and to do this, you first must understand the principles of network attack and exploitation.
Chapter 1
Computer Network Exploitation
A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kickboxing.
—Emo Philips
Since Sun Tzu's The Art of War, historians and analysts have searched for guiding theories and principles of conflict. Their purpose was not always to create some academic treatise to be beheld or to provide an endless stream of pithy quotes for marketing presentations. Rather, in exploring the principles of conflict, the goal is to confer an advantage in training, planning, research and development, execution, and defense—in short, to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of a fighting force in all aspects.
Information systems are a new area of conflict; one in which the incursions are virtual and the violations of sovereignty are abstracted. Yet the stakes are tangible. There may be no land involved, but both sides seek to attack and protect a territory and property.
Information systems are integrated into all aspects of the global economy and modern nation-states. Of course, there is e-mail and the Web, but less visible are the inventory, ordering, and payment systems that drive business. You barely notice when the grocery store prints out coupons based on your shopping habits, while simultaneously noting the inventory loss for later restocking. All this data is shared over a network and stored in a data center in…well…you actually have no idea. Yet this unseen database can reveal not only your favorite item from aisle 10, but also whether you are married, have kids, own pets, like to drink, or are out of town right now.
Now the flavor of ice cream you prefer may not be much of a secret worth stealing, but there is a wealth of information that is. Interested in how to log in to a bank by spoofing someone's supposedly secure login token? Looking to know which of your neighbors are dissidents and are inciting subversion of the state
? Curious about what an aspiring U.S. vice presidential candidate writes in e-mails? Do you find the source code to the computer systems on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter appealing? My mint chocolate chip preference is the only untouched thing on this list; though that too is questionable.
Given the huge potential economic and military benefits of acquiring this information, it's no surprise that the act of stealing computer information has become a well-funded profession. And like any profession, it has developed its own set of terminology. So before getting too deep, let's start with the basics.
Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) is computer espionage, the stealing of information. It encompasses gaining access to computer systems and retrieving data. An old analogy is that of a cold war spy who picks the lock on a house, sneaks in, takes pictures of documents with his secret camera, and gets out without leaving a trace. A more modern analogy would be a drone that invades a hostile country's airspace to gather intelligence on troop strength.
Computer Network Attack (CNA) is akin to a traditional military attack or sabotage. It applies the four D's of disrupt, deny, degrade, or destroy
to computer networks. Now, the cold war spy smashes a few artifacts as he leaves or maybe Fight Club-style, he introduces a gas leak so that the whole place explodes sometime later. Meanwhile, the drone rains hellfire missiles. CNA is the computer equivalent. It describes actions and effects that range from the subtle to the catastrophic.
Non-kinetic Computer Network Attack is a term this book uses to describe the subset of CNA conducted virtually, that is, any disruption, denial, degradation, or destruction initiated and performed via computers or computer networks. Although sending a missile into a data center is a rather effective form of CNA that fits well within the definition, physically initiated acts are outside the scope of this book.
Non-kinetic CNA therefore describes damage with virtual causes; though there very well may be physical effects. To continue with the analogy, instead of breaking anything, the spy remotely shuts off the heat during an extremely cold night causing the water pipes to burst. The cause was virtual, but the effect was not.
Computer Network Defense (CND) is protecting your networks from being exploited or attacked. It's the locks, doors, walls, and windows on the house and the police officer that walks by once a day on her beat, or the radar sweeps and antiaircraft missile systems that line the border.
Like CNA, there are both physical and virtual aspects to CND, but the term generally applies only to virtual security and is therefore used that way in this book.
Finally, Computer Network Operations (CNO) is the umbrella term that is composed of all the previous terms: Computer Network Exploitation (CNE), Computer Network Attack (CNA), and Computer Network Defense (CND).
CNE is the key subject necessary for understanding all aspects of the topic. As shown in Figure 1.1, the effective parts of each discipline are rooted in CNE.
Figure 1.1 CNO disciplines
Effective non-kinetic CNA requires at least a measure of access to the target. Generally, the more access you have, the wider the range of options available. With minimal access, you might temporarily take a website offline. With extensive access, you can erase the data on tens of thousands of computers and take the company down for a week, as was done to the oil company Saudi Aramco, allegedly by Iran.
CND, or defense, does not rely directly on CNE (at least not while it remains illegal to counterattack), but trying to craft a successful network defense without understanding the offense is like trying to design a flak jacket without any knowledge of ballistics. Either way, the exercise is going to end with something full of holes.
CNE is central and therefore worth formally defining. The U.S. Department of Defense defines CNE as
Enabling operations and intelligence collection capabilities conducted through the use of computer networks to gather data from target or adversary automated information systems or networks.
—Joint Publication 3-13
The first thing to note is that CNE is directed. There is a target or adversary.
This is a differentiating factor. Many a computer worm or virus, such as Michelangelo, Code Red, Melissa, or SQL Slammer, has gained access to computer systems. And yet, these infections were not CNE because there was no intended target and no intent to gather information.
An indiscriminate worm is more like the flu. There is no conscious choice of victim, and whether a particular person gets sick is a combination of natural defenses, preparation, and luck. CNE is more like biological warfare, leveraged with a particular target in mind.
This is not to say that a CNE operation is always precision targeted or that it will never compromise a collateral computer. Counterexamples exist. Stuxnet was a wormlike attack that infiltrated Iranian nuclear facilities and then went on to infect other companies. Worms, like those created to exploit the Linux Shellshock vulnerability, can be leveraged to deposit backdoors in preparation for later access. Every action need not be deterministic, but on balance, the bulk of a CNE operation is intended to be focused, targeted, and invisible.
The rest of the Department of Defense's definition provides a good basis for discussion but requires one significant point of emphasis. To understand the missing nuance, you must first understand computer operations.
Operations
A CNE operation is a series of coordinated actions directed toward a target computer or network in furtherance of a mission objective. The mission objective may be anything ranging from political intelligence, design plans, company strategies, or plain-old financial information.
Let's parse this definition because several words take on different meanings in a CNE context.
The word target has an intentional duality. Whether target systems, target networks, target data, or target employees, target
simultaneously refers to both the goal and the obstacles to reaching it. Target includes both the data you want to acquire and the forces in place to protect it.
Though the word attacker is commonly used to describe the offensive actor, the corresponding defender is notably absent from this definition. A target might defend, but it might not. A target may not even know if and when it is attacked.
Now everyone knows what a computer is, right? It's a desktop, laptop, or smartphone. True. But it's also your television, alarm system, building air conditioning system, and increasingly your car. So you must consider a computer in general terms. A computer is any device that contains or can be leveraged to access wanted data.
A computer can be a target, an attacker, or both at the same time. The same computer can run a defensive security product and a program designed to circumvent that very product. Computers are not on one side of the attacker/target relationship any more than a chessboard is on the side of the black or white pieces. Certain squares start out under the control of one side or the other, but as the game progresses, it is not going to stay that way.
A computer network is a hierarchy of connected computers controlled by one entity. Computer networks can be simple or complex, ranging from two computers connected by a single cable to millions connected across satellite links and oceans.
Networks are made up of both computers and network devices. A network device is any device whose purpose is to facilitate or inhibit communication. Simple network devices are like a house circuit breaker. Electricity, or in this case data, comes in, is potentially transformed, and routed out the appropriate path. Examples include cable modems, DSL converters, and Wi-Fi access points.
More sophisticated network devices not only route data, but also can selectively grant, monitor, or deny access based on the type of data and its destination. Examples include smart switches, routers, and firewalls. These network devices are sophisticated enough that they can be considered just a specialized class of computers.
One final definition needed, though not explicitly included in operations, is the Internet. The Internet is a large system of networks linked together, but with no common entity controlling access. It is a series of contradictions: simultaneously concentrated and dispersed, interconnected and segmented, and established but under constant change. It is conceptually simple yet enormously complex in architecture, design, and regulation.
Within a CNE operation, an attacker is not concerned about the entirety of the Internet, but only the attacker's own network, the target network, and any intermediary devices, networks, or services connecting the two. Thus, you can view the Internet as a means of communication for carrying out a mission's objective.
Operational Objectives
All CNE operations have an operational objective, or put simply, a goal. The specific objectives vary widely with the actors and their capabilities, but the types of objectives