Advanced Persistent Threat

We tend to think of cyberattacks as sudden events, quickly executed. Malware infects a computer and data is immediately stolen, for example, or hackers shut down a business’s IT systems in seconds.  

There is another kind of cyberattack, though, that acts more like a bomb with a very long fuse. This is known as an Advanced Persistent Threat, and it needs to be handled with particular care.  

What is an Advanced Persistent Threat?

If you’ve never encountered an APT attack before, this is what you need to know:   

Definition of advanced persistent threat

Instead of an attacker penetrating an organization’s network defenses, stealing data and getting out as quickly as possible, an advanced persistent threat is more like a covert operation.   

Imagine a burglar who finds a way into a building and hides, biding their time until they learn everything about the organization’s operations and security practices. An APT attack works in much the same way, where a network intrusion leads to extended attempts at data theft.  

Characteristics of an advanced persistent threat 

An APT attack is not a random incident. It’s usually part of a targeted campaign where cybercriminals have a clear objective, such as exfiltrating a particular dataset.   

APTs tend to originate from more than one hacker and can include state-sponsored attacks against government organizations or similar targets. It can also take months or longer before an APT is discovered, at which point considerable data may have already been compromised or removed.  

Examples of advanced persistent threats 

Some recent advanced persistent threat examples include a campaign waged by a Russian group that has gone by several names, including Cozy Bear, which recently breached Microsoft. This was the same group associated with the high-profile attack on software company SolarWinds, which had a ripple effect across many organizations in 2020.   

In March 2024, reports surfaced about an APT attack against Iran’s Railway Company, which exposed identity documents, routes, and internal reports. Another Russian group, Sandworm APT, was linked to an attack on a Texas water plant.  

Life Cycle of an Advanced Persistent Threat

APTs have been around long enough by now that security experts have identified some common patterns that businesses should learn.   

Stages of an advanced persistent threat attack

While the extent of the damage they inflict varies, APT attacks tend to operate as follows:  

Infiltrate: Whether through social engineering that tricks an employee into downloading malware or by taking advantage of zero-day exploits and software vulnerabilities (such as an unpatched system), attackers find a way into an organization’s network. 

Expand: Some attackers will install what’s known as a back door or trojan, which are pieces of software that allow additional malware to infect an organization. Using a remote command and control server, hackers will also use whatever access they've gained to escalate their privileges even further and steal even more valuable data.  

Extract: This is the point where attackers begin exfiltration to actively steal data and potentially manipulate IT systems to disrupt operations in some way.  

Techniques used in an advanced persistent threat attack

APT attacks tend to be among the most sophisticated IT security incidents an organization can face. 

As they learn more about a target’s inner workings, for example, hackers may attempt to operate in ways that appear to be part of an organization’s regular IT operations.  

Even as they steal data, attackers might send it out during regular business hours to avoid the appearance of suspicious activity. This data might be encrypted as well as broken into smaller packets so as not to draw the attention of IT security teams.  

Some APT groups have also taken advantage of the connection between an organization and its hardware and software partners. By compromising a vendor, for instance, APTs can potentially infiltrate a wider scope of targets among its customer bases.  

Detection methods for advanced persistent threats 

Spotting APT attacks requires vigilance. Sometimes IT security teams will notice a series of unusual login attempts on a critical application. A wave of phishing e-mails sent to employees may also suggest APT groups are trying to find a way in. In other cases, users may report data being unexpectedly transferred from one location to another.   

Paying close attention to these sorts of anomalies is key to mitigating APT attacks before threat actors can gain a strong foothold.  

Mitigation Strategies for Advanced Persistent Threats

Despite these cyberattacks becoming increasingly complex, there are a number of APT security best practices that can reduce the risks, and the fallout from a successful intrusion.  

Protecting against advanced persistent threat attacks

As with many cyber threats, the first line of defense comes through people – in this case, employees. Make sure they have received up-to date training on how phishing schemes and other forms of social engineering work to ensure they don’t accidentally allow APT groups to penetrate the network.   

Second, effective patch management can save organizations a lot of negative consequences over the long term. There should never be holes within an application or system that would allow threat actors to break in.  

Security measures to defend against advanced persistent threats

Given that APT groups are usually after data, this is also a good opportunity to review your authorization and authentication processes, and what kind of access levels you’ve assigned to critical applications. Working from a “least privilege” approach could be one way of keeping some of your most valuable data safer.   

Some IT investments worth consideration here include endpoint protection and response technologies, as well as security incident and event management tools.  

Importance of speed in advanced threat protection

Remember that time is often of the essence amid an APT attack.   

As soon as cybercriminal activity has been detected, there should be immediate steps taken by the IT security team, as well as any managed service parties or other third parties that can help contain the threat.  

Even if you’ve already developed an incident response plan, review it ensure you’ve thought through any nuances in terms of how threat protection measures should be accelerated and/or escalated amid an APT attack.  

Advanced Persistent Threat Groups

APTs rarely come from lone hackers working in isolation. The level of coordination and stealth required tends to involve teams that target sectors ranging from the public sector and manufacturing to telecommunications and beyond.   

Overview of APT groups

Security analysts and other experts regularly study APT groups to look for any common identifiers. Many of them tend to come from foreign nations, including China, Russia, and Iran.   

There’s a free global knowledge base that lists more than 100 known APT groups called MITRE ATT&CK that provides an overview of some of the best-known threat actors in this space.  

Motives and targets of APT attacks

An APT attack's motives will depend on who’s behind them, or who they’re serving.  

State-sponsored threat actors, for instance, may be primarily concerned with intelligence gathering that can be shared back to a foreign government.  

Others will be incented by potential financial gain by securing financial credentials, or the opportunity to sell stolen data on the dark web.  

In some cases, an APT campaign can be an effort to disrupt operations as an act of protest, or even terrorism.   

Report and response to APT incidents

It may not be immediately apparent how far threat actors have penetrated the network in an APT attack. As organizations assess the potential impact, they should connect with law enforcement authorities to begin a more detailed investigation.  

At the same time, customers and other stakeholders may need to be informed if their personal information was compromised or put at risk in any way. A solid communications strategy should be an integral part of any cybersecurity incident response plan.  

LastPass Security Measures

Advanced persistent threat security measures

The best approach to combating the rise of APT attacks is to look beyond basic tools and guard data with technology designed with advanced persistent threat security measures in mind.   

How LastPass protects against APT attacks

LastPass, for example, offers best-in-class encryption that keeps your vault data secure at the device level. Multi-factor authentication, meanwhile, provides the layers necessary to keep threat actors at bay. In the event of an incident, LastPass is constantly monitoring the dark web and can inform you when your organization's data has been compromised.   

Importance of consent management

The best data protection is centered around consent management – where users like employees and customers make clear how they’re willing to have their data secured. With consent management as a foundation for transparency and security, organizations that learn on the kind of capabilities LastPass offers can move forward confident they are defended against APT attacks and many other threats.  

Ready to stay ahead of APT attacks? Start your LastPass trial today.