A comprehensive Red Team Assessment (RTA) was conducted recently by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) on a critical infrastructure organization in the United States.

This assessment, which spanned approximately three months, aimed to evaluate the organization’s cybersecurity d e tection and response capabilities by simulating real-world threat actors.

The CISA red team operated without prior knowledge of the organization’s technology assets and began by conducting open-source research on the target organization.

Besides this, cybersecurity researchers discovered that their initial attempts at spearphishing were unsuccessful, but they eventually gained access through a web shell left from a previous Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP).

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Technical Analysis

Phase I: Red Team Cyber Threat Activity

Initial Access

The red team exploited an internet-facing Linux web server after unsuccessful spearphishing attempts. They discovered a preexisting web shell on the organization’s Linux web server, allowing them to run arbitrary commands.

Linux Infrastructure Compromise

The team escalated privileges on the web server and discovered an NFS share with no_root_squash enabled, giving them access to sensitive data across all user files.

Windows Domain Controller Compromise

Approximately two weeks after initial access, the red team compromised a Windows domain controller, allowing lateral movement to all domain-joined Windows hosts.

Post-Exploitation Activity

The team gained access to various Sensitive But Unclassified (SBS) systems, including admin workstations and critical infrastructure administrator workstations.

Command and Control

The red team used third-party owned and operated infrastructure and services throughout the assessment, including Sliver, Mythic, Cobalt Strike, and other commercial C2 frameworks.

Defense Evasion and Victim Network Defense Activities

The red team employed various techniques to evade detection, such as reordering process identifiers and modifying processes. Network defenders identified some of the team’s presence in their Linux environment but largely failed to detect activity in the Windows environment.

Phase II: Measurable Events

The red team executed 13 measurable events designed to provoke a response from the organization’s defenses. These events included internal port scans, Active Directory enumeration, data exfiltration attempts, and malicious traffic generation.

This assessment shows the importance of continuous improvement in cybersecurity practices for critical infrastructure organizations.

By addressing the vulnerabilities and gaps identified in this red team exercise, organizations can better protect themselves against real-world cyber threats.

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