Pyramid Of Pain: Every ATTACKER'S Worst NIGHTMARE

Just imagine this: You’re Mr. Sneaky, an attacker/hacker who’s just spent weeks gathering intel, crafting the perfect phishing email, and setting up your command-and-control infrastructure. You’re feeling confident, maybe even invincible like theirs no way you can be caught. But just as you’re about to launch your masterpiece, your life’s work, your target pulls a fast one and hits you with, “Congratulations, you played yourself.”DJ Khaled's voice”.

• Welcome to the Pyramid of Pain, where defenders ruin your day by making every move you’ve made utterly useless. Let’s break it down, shall we?

  Hash Values (Bottom of the Pyramid):
  Mr. Sneaky uses a known malware file. You block it by its hash value.
  Impact: He quickly recompiles the malware, generating a new hash. It’s like changing a password—easy and fast.

• IP Addresses:
  Mr. Sneaky uses a specific IP address to communicate with his command-and-control server. You block it.
  Impact: Annoyed but undeterred, he switches to another IP or proxies his traffic through a different service. Minor inconvenience.

• Domain Names:
  His malicious domain sneakyhacks.com is now blacklisted.
  Impact: He must register a new domain, change his configurations, and ensure it doesn’t raise suspicion. (Crying in silence)

• Network/Host Artifacts:
  You detect his use of specific file names, registry keys, or log entries and block them.
  Impact: He has to rewrite scripts and update his tools to avoid detection. This takes time and effort. The frustration begins.

• Tools:
  Mr. Sneaky’s custom toolkit gets flagged and blocked by your defenses.
  Impact: He’s forced to develop or buy new tools, costing him time and possibly money. His evil plans are starting to unravel.

• Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) (Top of the Pyramid):
  You understand how Mr. Sneaky operates—his preferred attack methods, timing, and targets. You adjust your defenses accordingly.
  Impact: Now he must rethink his approach, abandoning old strategies and starting from scratch.

The higher up the Pyramid of Pain you go, the more miserable you make life for attackers. Targeting TTPs isn’t just a win; it’s the cybersecurity equivalent of a mic drop. So next time you’re setting up your defenses, remember: If they’re not questioning their career choices, you’re not trying hard enough.