QuestionQ37

Information Security Threats and Attacks

An advanced persistent threat (APT) group, recognized for stealth and sophistication, targeted a leading software development company. The attack was carefully planned and carried out over several months. It involved exploiting vulnerabilities at both the application and operating-system levels. The attack led to the extraction of sensitive source code and disruption of development operations. Post-incident analysis identified multiple attack vectors, including phishing, exploitation of unknown or unpatched software/hardware vulnerabilities, and lateral movement within the network. Given the nature and execution of this attack, what primary method did the attackers use to initiate this APT?

  • A Compromising a third-party vendor with access to the company’s development environment.
  • B Exploiting default passwords to gain initial access to the network.
  • C Exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in the application used by developers.
  • D Exploiting a known vulnerability in the firewall to bypass network defenses.
Explanation

A zero-day is an unknown or unpatched vulnerability. Exploiting such a vulnerability in an application used by developers provides an initial foothold, after which attackers can move laterally and extract source code. MITRE ATT&CK identifies exploitation of an Internet-facing application weakness, including zero-day vulnerabilities, as an Initial Access technique.

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