Why Do Compromised Credentials Dominate in Data Breaches?
Compromised credentials have emerged as the cornerstone of modern cyber threats, pivotal in data breaches across various industries. The Verizon DBIR 2024 Report indicates that approximately 77% of web application breaches involve stolen credentials, underscoring the extent to which cyber criminals rely on these credentials to execute their attacks.
Cyber attackers use credential stuffing, where stolen usernames and passwords are automated across multiple sites, capitalizing on the widespread practice of password reuse. Additionally, password spraying — where a handful of common passwords are tested across many accounts — further increases the likelihood of a breach. Whether obtained via phishing, brute force methods, or leaks on the dark web, compromised credentials provide attackers with a direct route to infiltrate systems, escalate privileges, and access sensitive data.
How Are Threat Actors Turning Compromised Credentials into Weapons?
Cybercriminals have mastered the art of transforming compromised credentials into powerful tools, enabling them to bypass security measures and achieve their malicious goals. Weaponizing these credentials involves a series of sophisticated tactics, allowing attackers to exploit system vulnerabilities, gain unauthorized access, and conduct further attacks. Here’s how they’re doing it:
What Is Credential Stuffing?
Credential stuffing involves attackers using many stolen username and password combinations — often sourced from previous data breaches — and employing automated tools to attempt logins across multiple websites and services. This method leverages the common practice of password reuse. Once a valid combination is discovered, attackers access user accounts, potentially exposing sensitive personal information, financial data, or administrative privileges.
How Does Privilege Escalation Occur?
After gaining initial access to a network via compromised credentials, attackers frequently seek to escalate their privileges. Using lateral movement tactics, they attempt to control more critical system components. By leveraging administrator accounts or other high-privilege credentials, attackers can move from one compromised account to another, expanding their control and potential to inflict damage.
What Role Does Business Email Compromise (BEC) Play?
In a Business Email Compromise (BEC) attack, cybercriminals use compromised credentials from corporate email accounts to impersonate executives or employees. They then send fraudulent emails from these accounts, often directing recipients to transfer funds, disclose sensitive information, or approve invoices. The legitimacy of the email — originating from a genuine account — makes the deception highly convincing and often successful.
How Do Compromised Credentials Lead to Ransomware Deployment?
Compromised credentials can also be the gateway for more devastating attacks, such as ransomware. Attackers use stolen credentials to access a network and deploy ransomware, encrypting critical data. The ability to bypass security defenses using legitimate credentials allows ransomware to spread more quickly and efficiently, often leading to significant operational disruptions and financial losses.
What Is Account Takeover (ATO)?
Account Takeover (ATO) is another common exploitation method for compromised credentials. Once attackers gain control of an account, they can change passwords, lock out the legitimate user, and use the account for various malicious purposes — such as making fraudulent transactions, sending phishing emails, or exfiltrating data. This can be particularly damaging for organizations relying on cloud services or remote access systems.
How Is Phishing Used for Further Exploitation?
After gaining initial access via compromised credentials, attackers may conduct phishing campaigns within the compromised environment to gather more credentials or deploy malware. By sending phishing emails from the compromised account, attackers increase their chances of success, as the email comes from a trusted internal source.
Can Compromised Credentials Be Used in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks?
In some instances, threat actors use compromised credentials to take control of accounts, which are then used to build botnets for large-scale DDoS attacks.
How Can You Detect Compromised Credentials?
Detecting compromised credentials before cybercriminals can weaponize them is crucial for preventing data breaches and safeguarding your organization’s assets. Given the increasing sophistication of cyberattacks, organizations must employ proactive detection strategies to identify compromised credentials swiftly. Here’s how you can effectively detect compromised credentials:
What Is Dark Web Monitoring?
The dark web is a notorious marketplace for selling and trading stolen credentials. Utilizing tools that continuously monitor dark web forums, marketplaces, and other hidden online spaces can provide early warnings if your organization’s credentials are exposed. SOCRadar’s Advanced Dark Web Monitoring excels in this area, scanning the surface, deep, and dark web for mentions of your organization’s credentials, providing immediate alerts and actionable intelligence to prevent unauthorized access.
How Does Credential Stuffing Detection Work?
Credential stuffing attacks are rampant, and detecting these attacks is essential. Implementing systems that monitor unusual login attempts, such as repeated failed logins from different IP addresses or locations, can help identify credential stuffing attempts. SOCRadar XTI integrates advanced analytics to detect and analyze suspicious login patterns in real time, helping to prevent credential stuffing attacks before they can cause significant damage. You can check out our detailed blog post for further information on detecting and preventing credential-stuffing attacks with SOCRadar XTI.
How Does Identity and Access Intelligence Help?
Identity and Access Intelligence tools play a pivotal role in detecting compromised credentials. These tools can flag unusual access attempts that may indicate credential compromise by analyzing login patterns, device fingerprints, and user behavior. SOCRadar XTI’s Identity & Access Intelligence Module provides deep insights into compromised credentials, helping identify the root cause of the breach and enabling organizations to respond swiftly and effectively.
How Can You Detect and Prevent Phishing?
Phishing remains a leading method for stealing credentials. Training employees to recognize phishing attempts and implementing robust email security solutions can significantly reduce the risk. SOCRadar Extended Threat Intelligence offers comprehensive phishing detection services that analyze and identify phishing attempts before they reach your employees, helping to protect your organization from credential theft.
What Role Does Behavioral Analytics Play?
Behavioral analytics is essential for identifying compromised credentials based on system user interactions. By establishing baseline behavior patterns for each user, any deviation from the norm — such as unusual login times, access from unfamiliar devices, or abnormal account activity — can trigger alerts for potential credential compromise.
How Can MFA Alerts Detect Compromised Credentials?
Implementing MFA adds an extra layer of security, but it’s also a valuable detection tool. If an MFA request is triggered unexpectedly or from an unusual location, it could indicate that credentials have been compromised. Monitoring and analyzing these alerts can help identify potential breaches early.
Why Are Regular Security Audits and Penetration Testing Important?
Regular security audits and penetration testing can help identify vulnerabilities that could lead to credential compromise. These practices allow you to simulate attacks and discover weak points in your system before a breach occurs. They also ensure that your detection systems are functioning correctly and efficiently.
How Can You Leverage Compromised Credential Databases?
Several databases of known compromised credentials can be used to cross-reference your organization’s credentials. SOCRadar XTI provides access to extensive databases of compromised credentials, enabling you to cross-check and identify if any of your employees’ or customers’ credentials have been exposed, allowing you to take preemptive action.
How Can You Stay Ahead of Compromised Credential Threats?
Detecting compromised credentials requires advanced technology, proactive monitoring, and human intelligence. SOCRadar XTI offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help organizations detect, respond to, and prevent the exploitation of compromised credentials. By employing these strategies and leveraging SOCRadar Extended Threat Intelligence’s capabilities, organizations can significantly reduce the risk of credential-based attacks and enhance their overall cybersecurity posture. Vigilance and responsiveness to potential threats are crucial to maintaining the integrity and security of your digital environment.
Published initially on SOCRadar, August 25, 2024
https://socradar.io/the-dominant-role-of-compromised-credentials-in-data-breaches/
