How Wirespeed Eliminates Guesswork in Detecting Attack Simulations

Without turning to arson, fire drills allow us to simulate an emergency situation, learn evacuation routes, and identify areas for improvement. Breach and attack simulation (BAS) tools, like SafeBreach, offer businesses similar assurance when validating their system’s preparedness for cyber attacks.

By replicating common attack techniques, such as lateral movement or execution attempts on endpoints, BAS solutions proactively test how well security controls and teams work under real-world pressure. 

Fairly or not, SOC analysts are also being tested on how they respond in these scenarios:

1. They can escalate an obvious simulation and add to unnecessary alert noise; or

2. They can assume it’s a test, but risk missing a potential threat actor in disguise

Either way, analysts risk being too loud or not loud enough. To pass with flying colors, you’d have to be able to treat the potential risk seriously, positively identify the simulation tool, and close it out confidently without escalation. 

And well, we can do that.

It's probably just a test (but not always)

Historically, Wirespeed has always treated attack simulations as a real case by escalating or containing endpoints and users for you. We could check for the presence of most BAS tools based on known signatures, but proceeded as if it was a legitimate attack to err on the side of caution.

Now, with our updated SafeBreach integration, we can positively confirm that an attack simulation was executed on a client’s SafeBreach instance and close it out — without any additional noise or escalation.

Why this matters

BAS tools are designed to validate the efficacy of common security controls by simulating real-world tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by threat actors. To know that your network security controls or endpoint detection solutions are working properly, BAS tools have to mirror a legitimate attack.

By emulating common ransomware behaviors, like widespread file renaming, suspicious process trees, or injecting “malicious code” (typically a harmless payload), BAS tools trick endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools into believing ransomware is present. The benefit, of course, is that all of this is done without any real encryption impacting user or system data. 

To know that your network security controls or endpoint detection solutions are working properly, BAS tools have to mirror a legitimate attack.

Most SOC analysts will quickly put together the pieces to identify the difference between a simulated attack and a legitimate threat. BAS tools often have signatures or naming conventions that vary from legitimate malware. Simulated attacks also intentionally make a lot of noise, creating a rush of alerts at once. Most legitimate attacks draw far less attention.

The caveat: Threat actors have a history of exploiting legitimate tools or “cohabitating” with red teamers —good guy hackers looking to test and improve a business’ security posture — in order to fly under the radar. Basically, even if it looks, swims, and quacks like a duck, SOC analysts need to be positive it’s a duck. Traditionally, this meant needing to contact the client or potentially overreact to a test.

No business wants to experience getting locked out of their entire environment because their managed SOC provider couldn’t tell the difference between simulated activity and a real attacker emulating a testing tool to hack their system.

No room for second guessing

Wirespeed has controls in place to positively identify attack simulations and avoid mass disruptions. We won’t isolate servers and critical assets without you opting in, and we recommend a maximum number of containments before human confirmation is required. 

Next, we look for further confirmation a simulation is underway.

How it works

1. Wirespeed detects potential SafeBreach attack simulations. 

2. Through our connection to a client's SafeBreach instance, we can confidently verify that an attack simulation is underway. 

3. We trace the intended goal of the simulation, like validating the client’s endpoint protection. 

In the above example, Wirespeed is able to flag the behavior, confirm the suspicious activity as an attack simulation, and update the verdict from suspicious to benign in 1,838 milliseconds. An added bonus: The client can go back and see how every decision was made in real-time.

LIGHTING-FAST SPEED. LASER PRECISION.

Automated Threat Detection & Response 

See how Wirespeed MDR can stop threats in seconds >

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