Leviathan - Command and Control Communications on Planet Earth

Explore the current state of malicious command and control (CnC) infrastructure across the globe in this Black Hat conference presentation. Delve into the findings from a year-long examination of nearly a million unauthorized CnC communications. Discover how hackers utilize illegal, compromised infrastructure to remotely manage thousands of compromised networks worldwide, enabling them to constantly change attack points and create jurisdictional challenges for network security personnel, law enforcement, and counterintelligence services. Learn about the tools and networks behind this worldwide malware infrastructure and discuss its strategic impact on both cyber and national security. Examine the tactical techniques malicious actors use to hide their communications within traditional web traffic, including identifiable patterns of activity, use of spoofed domain names, and preferred port numbers for leaving victim machines. Analyze the variations in domain name usage, compare free domain names to hacked sites used for CnC purposes, and explore methods attackers employ to conceal their communications from corporate targets. Gain insights into the FireEye Leviathan worldwide malware ecosystem, industry vertical ownership, callback patterns, and geopolitical reflections on cyber incidents related to the Ukraine crisis and Israel-Gaza conflict.