ECCouncil 212-82 - Certified Cybersecurity Technician (CCT)

TCP/UDP is the protocol that has been used to apply the rule to block the web application www.abchacker.com in the above scenario. pfSense is a firewall and router software that can be installed on a computer or a device to protect a network from various threats and attacks. pfSense can be configured to block or allow traffic based on various criteria, such as source, destination, port, protocol, etc. pfSense rules are applied to traffic in the order they appear in the firewall configuration . To perform an analysis on the rules set by the admin, one has to follow these steps:

Open a web browser and type 20.20.10.26

Press Enter key to access the pfSense web interface.

Enter admin as username and admin@l23 as password.

Click on Login button.

Click on Firewall menu and select Rules option.

Click on LAN tab and observe the rules applied to LAN interface.

The rules applied to LAN interface are:

The first rule blocks any traffic from LAN interface to www.abchacker.com website using TCP/UDP protocol. The second rule allows any traffic from LAN interface to any destination using any protocol. Since the first rule appears before the second rule, it has higher priority and will be applied first. Therefore, TCP/UDP is the protocol that has been used to apply the rule to block the web application www.abchacker.com. POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) is a protocol that allows downloading emails from a mail server to a client device. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a protocol that allows transferring files between a client and a server over a network. ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is a protocol that resolves IP addresses to MAC (Media Access Control) addresses on a network. 

The attacker is a user from the image file in the above scenario. A file system is a method or structure that organizes and stores files and data on a storage device, such as a hard disk, a flash drive, etc. A file system can have different types based on its format or features, such as FAT, NTFS, ext4, etc. A file system can be analyzed to extract various information, such as file names, sizes, dates, contents, etc. A Linux image is an image file that contains a copy or a snapshot of a Linux-based file system . A Linux image can be analyzed to extract various information about a Linux-based system or device . To analyze the file system of a Linux image captured from a device that has been attacked recently and identify a user from the image file, one has to follow these steps:

Navigate to Documents folder of Attacker Machine-1.

Right-click on Evidenced.img file and select Mount option.

Wait for the image file to be mounted and assigned a drive letter.

Open File Explorer and navigate to the mounted drive.

Open etc folder and open passwd file with a text editor.

Observe the user accounts listed in the file.

The user accounts listed in the file are:

root:x:0:0:root:/root:/bin/bash daemon:x:1:1:daemon:/usr/sbin:/usr/sbin/nologin bin:x:2:2:bin:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin sys:x:3:3:sys:/dev:/usr/sbin/nologin sync:x:4:65534:sync:/bin:/bin/sync games:x:5:60:games:/usr/games:/usr/sbin/nologin man:x:6:12:man:/var/cache/man:/usr/sbin/nologin lp:x:7:7:lp:/var/spool/lpd:/usr/sbin/nologin mail:x:8:8:mail:/var/mail:/usr/sbin/nologin news:x:9:9:news:/var/spool/news:/usr/sbin/nologin uucp:x:10:10:uucp:/var/spool/uucp:/usr/sbin/nologin proxy:x:13:13:proxy:/bin:/usr/sbin/nologin www-data:x:33:33:www-data:/var/www:/usr/sbin/nologin backup:x:34:34:backup:/var/backups:/usr/sbin/nologin list:x:38:38:Mailing List Manager:/var/list:/usr/sbin/nologin irc:x:39:39:ircd:/var/run/ircd:/usr/sbin/nologin gnats:x:41:41:Gnats Bug-Reporting System (admin):/var/lib/gnats:/usr/sbin/nologin nobody:x:65534:65534:nobody:/nonexistent:/usr/sbin/nologin systemd-timesync:x:100: systemd-network:x: systemd-resolve:x:systemd-bus-proxy:x: syslog:x: _apt:x: messagebus:x: uuidd:x: lightdm:x: whoopsie:x: avahi-autoipd:x: avahi:x: dnsmasq:x: colord:x: speech-dispatcher:x: hplip:x: kernoops:x: saned:x: nm-openvpn:x: nm-openconnect:x: pulse:x: rtkit:x: sshd:x: attacker::1000

The user account that is not a system or service account is attacker, which is a user from the image file.

The testing tier of a secure application development lifecycle involves checking the performance of the application on the client’s network to determine whether end users are facing any issues in accessing the application. Testing is a crucial phase of software development that ensures the quality, functionality, reliability, and security of the application. Testing can be done manually or automatically using various tools and techniques, such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, regression testing, performance testing, usability testing, security testing, and acceptance testing

Strong Security:

EAP-TLS provides strong security by using certificate-based authentication. This ensures that both the client and server are authenticated before a connection is established.

Stuxnet is the malware signature of the suspicious file in the above scenario. Malware is malicious software that can harm or compromise the security or functionality of a system or network. Malware can include various types, such as viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, etc. Malware signature is a unique pattern or characteristic that identifies a specific malware or malware family. Malware signature can be used to detect or analyze malware by comparing it with known malware signatures in databases or repositories. To analyze the suspicious file and identify the malware signature, one has to follow these steps:

Navigate to Documents folder of Attacker Machine-1.

Right-click on security_update.exe file and select Scan with VirusTotal option.

Wait for VirusTotal to scan the file and display the results.

Observe the detection ratio and details.

The detection ratio is 59/70, which means that 59 out of 70 antivirus engines detected the file as malicious. The details show that most antivirus engines detected the file as Stuxnet, which is a malware signature of a worm that targets industrial control systems (ICS). Stuxnet can be used to sabotage or damage ICS by modifying their code or behavior. Therefore, Stuxnet is the malware signature of the suspicious file. KLEZ is a malware signature of a worm that spreads via email and network shares. KLEZ can be used to infect or overwrite files, disable antivirus software, or display fake messages. ZEUS is a malware signature of a trojan that targets banking and financial systems. ZEUS can be used to steal or modify banking credentials, perform fraudulent transactions, or install other malware. Conficker is a malware signature of a worm that exploits a vulnerability in Windows operating systems. Conficker can be used to create a botnet, disable security services, or download other malware 

Group-based account is the type of account created by Giovanni in this scenario. An account is a set of credentials, such as a username and a password, that allows a user to access a system or network. An account can have different types based on its purpose or usage. A group-based account is a type of account that allows multiple users to access a system or network with the same credentials and permissions. A group-based account can be used to simplify the management of users and resources by assigning them to groups based on their roles or functions. In the scenario, Giovanni was tasked with configuring permissions for employees working on a new project. His organization used active directories (ADs) to grant/deny permissions to resources. Giovanni created a folder for AD users with the required permissions and added all employees working on the new project in it. This means that he created a group-based account for those employees. A third-party account is a type of account that allows an external entity or service to access a system or network with limited permissions or scope. Ashared account is a type of account that allows multiple users to access a system or network with the same credentials but different permissions. An application account is a type of account that allows an application or software to access a system or network with specific permissions or functions.

To address the issue of the AI-based fraud detection system flagging genuine transactions as fraudulent due to data poisoning, the primary focus should be on:

Retraining the AI Model:

Verified Data: Use only verified, clean transaction data to retrain the model. This helps to eliminate any compromised data that might be skewing the AI's decision-making process.

Model Integrity: Ensure the integrity of the training data to prevent future data poisoning attempts.

Real-Time Monitoring:

Detection Systems: Implement real-time monitoring to detect any attempts at data poisoning as they happen. This involves setting up alerts for abnormal patterns that could indicate malicious activity.

Continuous Learning: Integrate continuous learning systems that can adapt and respond to new threats in real-time, ensuring the AI system remains robust against evolving attack vectors.

References:

NIST guidelines on AI and data integrity:NIST AI

Research on data poisoning and mitigation techniques:IEEE Xplore

Isolating Affected Systems:

Containment: Immediately isolate compromised systems to prevent further data exfiltration and limit the spread of the attack.

Minimize Impact: This step helps to mitigate ongoing damage and protect unaffected systems.

Analyzing Network Traffic:

Identify Anomalies: Analyze network traffic to identify any anomalies or patterns indicative of the attack. This helps to understand the attack vector and extent of the breach.

Gather Evidence: Collect evidence that can be used to trace the attacker's methods and identify vulnerabilities.

Additional Steps:

After containment and analysis, the incident response team can proceed with notifying law enforcement, conducting a system audit, and managing public relations.

References:

Incident response best practices:NIST Computer Security Incident Handling Guide

Strategies for cyber incident containment: SANS Institute

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To identify and connect to the Trojan server and explore available files on the workstation located at172.30.20.75, follow these steps:

Locate the Tools: Navigate to the directory"Z:\CCT-Tools\CCT Module 01 Information Security Threats and Vulnerabilities\Remote Access Trojans (RAT)"on Attacker Machine-1.

Select a RAT Client: Choose a Trojan client application from the available tools (e.g., EchoStrike).

Configure the Client: Open the RAT client application and configure it to connect to the IP address172.30.20.75.

Establish Connection: Connect to the Trojan server. This typically involves entering the target IP address and any necessary credentials or settings specific to the Trojan being used.

Explore Files: Once connected, navigate to thePicturesfolder on the workstation.

Identify the VBScript File: Look for the VBScript file located in thePicturesfolder.

Given the options, the correct VBScript file in this context is identified asEchoStrike.

References:

EC-Council materials on RAT tools and their usage.

Practical experience in ethical hacking and penetration testing methodologies.

/var/log/wtmp is the Linux log file accessed by Gideon in this scenario. /var/log/wtmp is a log file that records information related to user login/logout, such as username, terminal, IP address, and login time. /var/log/wtmp can be used to determine the current login state of users in a Linux system. /var/log/wtmp can be viewed using commands such as last, lastb, or utmpdump1.

References: Linux Log Files