Masquerading:  Masquerade File Type

During the 2016 Ukraine Electric Power Attack, Sandworm Team masqueraded executables as `.txt` files.(Citation: Dragos Crashoverride 2018)

During Operation Dream Job, Lazarus Group disguised malicious template files as JPEG files to avoid detection.(Citation: McAfee Lazarus Jul 2020)(Citation: ESET Lazarus Jun 2020)

Volt Typhoon has appended copies of the ntds.dit database with a .gif file extension.(Citation: Secureworks BRONZE SILHOUETTE May 2023)

Kapeka masquerades as a Microsoft Word Add-In file, with the extension `.wll`, but is a malicious DLL file.(Citation: Microsoft KnuckleTouch 2024)(Citation: WithSecure Kapeka 2024)

BlackByte masqueraded configuration files containing encryption keys as PNG files.(Citation: FBI BlackByte 2022)

The QakBot payload has been disguised as a PNG file and hidden within LNK files using a Microsoft File Explorer icon.(Citation: Group IB Ransomware September 2020)(Citation: Trend Micro Black Basta October 2022)

Raspberry Robin has historically been delivered via infected USB drives containing a malicious LNK object masquerading as a legitimate folder.(Citation: RedCanary RaspberryRobin 2022)

ANDROMEDA has been delivered through a LNK file disguised as a folder.(Citation: Mandiant Suspected Turla Campaign February 2023)

Brute Ratel C4 has used Microsoft Word icons to hide malicious LNK files.(Citation: Palo Alto Brute Ratel July 2022)

Lumma Stealer has used payloads that resemble benign file extensions such as .mp3, .accdb, and .pub, though the files contained malicious JavaScript content.(Citation: Netskope LummaStealer 2025)

AvosLocker has been disguised as a .jpg file.(Citation: Trend Micro AvosLocker Apr 2022)

MagicRAT can download additional executable payloads that masquerade as GIF files.(Citation: Cisco MagicRAT 2022)

OSX_OCEANLOTUS.D has disguised it's true file structure as an application bundle by adding special characters to the filename and using the icon for legitimate Word documents.(Citation: Trend Micro MacOS Backdoor November 2020)

StrelaStealer has been distributed as a DLL/HTML polyglot file.(Citation: DCSO StrelaStealer 2022)(Citation: IBM StrelaStealer 2024)

Behavior Prevention on Endpoint refers to the use of technologies and strategies to detect and block potentially malicious activities by analyzing the behavior of processes, files, API calls, and other endpoint events. Rather than relying solely on known signatures, this approach leverages heuristics, machine learning, and real-time monitoring to identify anomalous patterns indicative of an attack. This mitigation can be implemented through the following measures: Suspicious Process Behavior: - Implementation: Use Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools to monitor and block processes exhibiting unusual behavior, such as privilege escalation attempts. - Use Case: An attacker uses a known vulnerability to spawn a privileged process from a user-level application. The endpoint tool detects the abnormal parent-child process relationship and blocks the action. Unauthorized File Access: - Implementation: Leverage Data Loss Prevention (DLP) or endpoint tools to block processes attempting to access sensitive files without proper authorization. - Use Case: A process tries to read or modify a sensitive file located in a restricted directory, such as /etc/shadow on Linux or the SAM registry hive on Windows. The endpoint tool identifies this anomalous behavior and prevents it. Abnormal API Calls: - Implementation: Implement runtime analysis tools to monitor API calls and block those associated with malicious activities. - Use Case: A process dynamically injects itself into another process to hijack its execution. The endpoint detects the abnormal use of APIs like `OpenProcess` and `WriteProcessMemory` and terminates the offending process. Exploit Prevention: - Implementation: Use behavioral exploit prevention tools to detect and block exploits attempting to gain unauthorized access. - Use Case: A buffer overflow exploit is launched against a vulnerable application. The endpoint detects the anomalous memory write operation and halts the process.

Antivirus/Antimalware solutions utilize signatures, heuristics, and behavioral analysis to detect, block, and remediate malicious software, including viruses, trojans, ransomware, and spyware. These solutions continuously monitor endpoints and systems for known malicious patterns and suspicious behaviors that indicate compromise. Antivirus/Antimalware software should be deployed across all devices, with automated updates to ensure protection against the latest threats. This mitigation can be implemented through the following measures: Signature-Based Detection: - Implementation: Use predefined signatures to identify known malware based on unique patterns such as file hashes, byte sequences, or command-line arguments. This method is effective against known threats. - Use Case: When malware like "Emotet" is detected, its signature (such as a specific file hash) matches a known database of malicious software, triggering an alert and allowing immediate quarantine of the infected file. Heuristic-Based Detection: - Implementation: Deploy heuristic algorithms that analyze behavior and characteristics of files and processes to identify potential malware, even if it doesn’t match a known signature. - Use Case: If a program attempts to modify multiple critical system files or initiate suspicious network communications, heuristic analysis may flag it as potentially malicious, even if no specific malware signature is available. Behavioral Detection (Behavior Prevention): - Implementation: Use behavioral analysis to detect patterns of abnormal activities, such as unusual system calls, unauthorized file encryption, or attempts to escalate privileges. - Use Case: Behavioral analysis can detect ransomware attacks early by identifying behavior like mass file encryption, even before a specific ransomware signature has been identified. Real-Time Scanning: - Implementation: Enable real-time scanning to automatically inspect files and network traffic for signs of malware as they are accessed, downloaded, or executed. - Use Case: When a user downloads an email attachment, the antivirus solution scans the file in real-time, checking it against both signatures and heuristics to detect any malicious content before it can be opened. Cloud-Assisted Threat Intelligence: - Implementation: Use cloud-based threat intelligence to ensure the antivirus solution can access the latest malware definitions and real-time threat feeds from a global database of emerging threats. - Use Case: Cloud-assisted antivirus solutions quickly identify newly discovered malware by cross-referencing against global threat databases, providing real-time protection against zero-day attacks. **Tools for Implementation**: - Endpoint Security Platforms: Use solutions such as EDR for comprehensive antivirus/antimalware protection across all systems. - Centralized Management: Implement centralized antivirus management consoles that provide visibility into threat activity, enable policy enforcement, and automate updates. - Behavioral Analysis Tools: Leverage solutions with advanced behavioral analysis capabilities to detect malicious activity patterns that don’t rely on known signatures.

Prevent the execution of unauthorized or malicious code on systems by implementing application control, script blocking, and other execution prevention mechanisms. This ensures that only trusted and authorized code is executed, reducing the risk of malware and unauthorized actions. This mitigation can be implemented through the following measures: Application Control: - Use Case: Use tools like AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC) to create whitelists of authorized applications and block unauthorized ones. On Linux, use tools like SELinux or AppArmor to define mandatory access control policies for application execution. - Implementation: Allow only digitally signed or pre-approved applications to execute on servers and endpoints. (e.g., `New-AppLockerPolicy -PolicyType Enforced -FilePath "C:\Policies\AppLocker.xml"`) Script Blocking: - Use Case: Use script control mechanisms to block unauthorized execution of scripts, such as PowerShell or JavaScript. Web Browsers: Use browser extensions or settings to block JavaScript execution from untrusted sources. - Implementation: Configure PowerShell to enforce Constrained Language Mode for non-administrator users. (e.g., `Set-ExecutionPolicy AllSigned`) Executable Blocking: - Use Case: Prevent execution of binaries from suspicious locations, such as `%TEMP%` or `%APPDATA%` directories. - Implementation: Block execution of `.exe`, `.bat`, or `.ps1` files from user-writable directories. Dynamic Analysis Prevention: - Use Case: Use behavior-based execution prevention tools to identify and block malicious activity in real time. - Implemenation: Employ EDR solutions that analyze runtime behavior and block suspicious code execution.