Summary
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conducted a red team assessment (RTA) at the request of a critical infrastructure organization. During RTAs, CISA’s red team simulates real-world malicious cyber operations to assess an organization’s cybersecurity detection and response capabilities. In coordination with the assessed organization, CISA is releasing this Cybersecurity Advisory to detail the red team’s activity—including their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and associated network defense activity. Additionally, the advisory contains lessons learned and key findings from the assessment to provide recommendations to network defenders and software manufacturers for improving their organizations’ and customers’ cybersecurity posture. Within this assessment, the red team (also referred to as ‘the team’) gained initial access through a web shell left from a third party’s previous security assessment. The red team proceeded to move through the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and into the network to fully compromise the organization’s domain and several sensitive business system (SBS) targets.