Disruptive Cybersecurity Strategy: Chain of Kill approach
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, the Kill Chain cybersecurity model has emerged as a powerful tool for understanding, identifying, and combating cyber threats. Originally developed by Lockheed Martin, this 8-phase process has been adapted from a military process for target identification, engagement, and neutralization.
The Kill Chain model, now known as the Cyber Kill Chain, provides a systematic approach to counter-attacks, starting with the adversary's initial target scanning and ending with the ultimate action phase. It is dynamic, adapting to the changing tactics, techniques, and procedures of attackers, and is evolving to accommodate multiple parallel chains running concurrently due to the complexity of evolving hacker techniques.
The phases of the Cyber Kill Chain model are: Reconnaissance, Weaponization, Delivery, Exploitation, Installation, Command & Control, Actions on Objectives, and Lateral Movement. By employing this model, cybersecurity professionals can dissect attacks, identify potential gaps in defense, and strategically position countermeasures at any stage in the chain.
One of the key advantages of the Cyber Kill Chain model is its ability to provide early detection of cyber threats, allowing potential targets to disrupt the progression of an attack before serious damage is done. For instance, by understanding the seven stages of a cyberattack, security teams can monitor and identify suspicious activities early, such as reconnaissance efforts or the delivery of malicious payloads, and intervene before the attack progresses.
Organizations use various practical implementations of the Kill Chain model in real-world scenarios to proactively detect, analyse, and disrupt cyberattacks at various stages. For example, early threat detection and prevention strategies involve monitoring for phishing attempts or malicious email attachments at the Delivery stage.
Cyber attack simulations mapped to Kill Chain stages help test the effectiveness of security defenses. Simulating attacks like phishing, ransomware, and credential theft exposes vulnerabilities in a controlled manner and improves readiness to respond to real attacks.
Deception technologies, such as Fidelis Deception, create realistic decoys that lure attackers during their reconnaissance or exploitation attempts, helping detect attacker behaviours inside the network quickly and reducing response time.
Incident response and threat hunting also benefit from the Kill Chain model. Security operations centers (SOCs) and incident responders use the model to categorise and analyse attacker techniques, enabling a structured approach to investigating incidents and hunting for threats.
The Kill Chain framework guides security architects in placing layered defenses targeted at each attack stage, such as network segmentation to block lateral movement during Installation, or endpoint protections to detect Exploitation. This reduces the attack surface and increases resilience.
The future of the Kill Chain model includes the growth of Decentralized Cybersecurity models that incorporate Kill Chain principles, empowering each node with actionable threat intelligence and tailored responses. The digital future calls for an ingenious blend of awareness and adaptability in cybersecurity mechanisms, making the Kill Chain framework a cornerstone in our pursuit against cyber adversaries.
[1] https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/cybersecurity/kill-chain.html [2] https://www.fidelissecurity.com/resources/white-papers/using-the-kill-chain-to-improve-your-security-posture/ [3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/04/29/the-importance-of-the-cyber-kill-chain-in-todays-threat-landscape/?sh=3c57a91a3f8d [4] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/03/06/how-to-break-the-kill-chain-and-stop-cyber-attacks/?sh=5c2693343738 [5] https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/about/resources/reports/rp-cyber-threat-reports.html
- In the realm of cybersecurity, the encyclopedia could incorporate a section on the Cyber Kill Chain, a systematic approach derived from the Kill Chain model, which provides threat intelligence on the 8-phase process for detecting and combating cyber threats.
- During an audit of an organization's cybersecurity measures, specialists may employ the Kill Chain model to assess the effectiveness of counter-attack strategies across various stages, such as Weaponization, Exploitation, or Installation, helping identify potential gaps in defense.
- In the future, technology developments may lead to Decentralized Cybersecurity models that embody Kill Chain principles, delivering actionable threat intelligence to each node and customized responses, demonstrated in the implementation of deception technologies like Fidelis Deception to disrupt adversarial activities during reconnaissance or exploitation stages.
