How does the Cyber Kill Chain Work?

Cyber kill chain gives the overview of cyber attacks so that organizations have an understanding of each stage and recover their businesses from attack. Each phase gives the overview of a specific type of attack in the cyber kill chain model. The cyber kill chain is the step-by-step techniques that identify, detects, and stops the vulnerable activity. It starts with the phase of reconnaissance and each phase represents the activities of cyber attacks. Organizations use various security tools to identify and detect these attacks.

Here are the phases that represent the working of the cyber kill chain:

• Reconnaissance: It is the first phase in the cyber kill chain framework. It is also known as cyber intelligence gathering. It is a way of collecting data or information about vulnerabilities and potential targets. Attackers use reconnaissance as a tool that helps with their actual attack. There are two types of reconnaissance. The first one is active reconnaissance, and the second is passive reconnaissance. In active reconnaissance, attackers connect directly with computers and steal information by using techniques like manual testing and tools like ping, netcat, etc. The process is faster but creates more noise in the system. In passive reconnaissance, hackers do not interact with the system. It collects the information that is available publicly.

• Weaponization: In this phase, hackers use weaponization as a tool to attack their users. They send the malicious file in the mail, and when the user opens that file, hackers steal the information from their users. Hackers send the fake email to either businesses or vendors. The email looks real, but when the user opens that link, a hacker steals the information. Sometimes, hackers send a fake bank web page link when the user opens, and when they enter the username and password, hackers steal the information about the user’s account.

• Delivery: In the delivery phase, hackers wait for all the information they send to the user, like fake email attachment links, and when the user opens those links, they steal the information of the user.

• Exploitation: In the exploitation phase, hackers target the users, and after targeting the system, they execute the malware code on the target system. After executing successfully, the hackers have access to the target system and gather all the information.

• Installation: In the installation phase, hackers install software that connects the victim’s computer. In this phase, hackers take control of the victim’s account. Hackers install malware software that takes control of the user’s system and gains user information. They install malware via trojan horses, backdoors, etc.

• Command and control: In the command and control phase, the hackers took full control of the user system. Attackers establish command and control over the access and control of the target user network, which means hackers have full control of the user’s system and can perform any task in the user’s system.

• Actions on the objective phase: After the command and control phase, the next step or objective is to steal data and destroy the target user’s system. For example, the hacker withdraws the money from the user’s account or steals the credit card information.

The Cyber Kill Chain is a concept in cyber security. It is the process of stopping cyber attacks. In this article, we will learn about what is cyber kill chain and its types, and role of it’s in cybersecurity, how the cyber kill chain works and concerns related to it. Also, it covers the weaknesses of the cyber kill chain.