name: Command and Control
id: 943773c6-c4de-4f38-89a8-0b92f98804d8
version: 1
date: '2018-06-01'
author: Rico Valdez, Splunk
type: batch
description: Detect and investigate tactics, techniques, and procedures leveraged
  by attackers to establish and operate command and control channels. Implants installed
  by attackers on compromised endpoints use these channels to receive instructions
  and send data back to the malicious operators.
narrative: 'Threat actors typically architect and implement an infrastructure to use
  in various ways during the course of their attack campaigns. In some cases, they
  leverage this infrastructure for scanning and performing reconnaissance activities.
  In others, they may use this infrastructure to launch actual attacks. One of the
  most important functions of this infrastructure is to establish servers that will
  communicate with implants on compromised endpoints. These servers establish a command
  and control channel that is used to proxy data between the compromised endpoint
  and the attacker. These channels relay commands from the attacker to the compromised
  endpoint and the output of those commands back to the attacker.\

  Because this communication is so critical for an adversary, they often use techniques
  designed to hide the true nature of the communications. There are many different
  techniques used to establish and communicate over these channels. This Analytic
  Story provides searches that look for a variety of the techniques used for these
  channels, as well as indications that these channels are active, by examining logs
  associated with border control devices and network-access control lists.'
references:
- https://attack.mitre.org/wiki/Command_and_Control
- https://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/feature/Command-and-control-servers-The-puppet-masters-that-govern-malware
tags:
  analytic_story: Command and Control
  category:
  - Adversary Tactics
  product:
  - Splunk Enterprise
  - Splunk Enterprise Security
  - Splunk Cloud
  usecase: Security Monitoring
