What are living off the land attacks?

Living off the land attacks are when hackers use built-in tools and software already present on a computer to carry out malicious activities stealthily.

What are living off the land attacks? 

Living off the land attacks involve hackers using common, everyday software and tools already installed on a victim's computer to carry out malicious activities. According to the Science and Technology Press, the attack strategy gets its name because it uses “...binaries and tools that are often part of the base operating system (OS) distribution to perform reconnaissance, privilege escalation and lateral movement. Because it leverages what is already present in the system, this technique is called living off the land...” Instead of creating and installing harmful software, attackers exploit legitimate applications like PowerShell, Windows Management Instrumentation, or basic system scripts. 

In healthcare, living off the land attacks pose a risk because the sector relies on digital tools for data management and sensitive operations. Hackers may use legitimate healthcare management software or administrative tools to access confidential patient records, alter drug prescription details, or disrupt medical equipment functions. For example, an attacker could use PowerShell scripts, commonly used by IT teams for automation and management, to extract patient data from secured databases or deploy ransomware without triggering traditional antivirus defenses. 

Solutions to living off the land attacks 

1. Deploying behavioral analytics tools that focus on user and entity behavior can help detect anomalies in how administrative tools are used. These tools analyze baseline normal activities and flag deviations that might suggest malicious intent, such as a nonadministrative user executing high-level commands or accessing sensitive patient data at unusual times.
2. Implementing network segmentation to separate areas of the network, like patient records and payment systems, from the broader network limits the spread of an attack. 
3. Strengthening audit trails ensures that access and system modifications are logged with sufficient detail for forensic analysis. In case of an attack, these logs can trace the steps of an attacker to help IT departments understand the scope of the breach.
4. Adopting a zero-trust security model ensures that no entity or user is trusted by default from inside or outside the network. By requiring authorization, security configurations are continuously authenticated.
5. Limiting the use of powerful administrative tools to dedicated administrative terminals that do not have access to the internet reduces the risk of these tools being used maliciously. 

See also: HIPAA Compliant Email: The Definitive Guide

FAQs

What is a cyberattack? 

A cyberattack is a deliberate attempt to breach the information system of an individual or organization.

What is ransomware? 

Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts a victim's files and demands payment for the decryption key.

What is cybersecurity automation? 

Cybersecurity automation involves using technology to perform security tasks with minimal human intervention to increase efficiency and reduce the likelihood of errors.