Presentation Material
Abstract
Bot herders deploy Command and Control (C&C) panels for commanding and collecting exfiltrated data from the infected hosts on the Internet. To protect C&C panels, bot herders deploy several built-in (software-centric) protection mechanisms to restrict direct access to these C&C panels. However, there exist fundamental mistakes in the design and deployment of these C&C panels that can be exploited to take complete control. This talk discusses about the methodology of launching reverse attacks on the centralized C&C panels to derive intelligence that can be used to build automated solutions. This research reveals how to detect vulnerabilities and configuration flaws in the remote C&C panels and exploit them by following the path of penetration testing. This talk is derived from the real time research in which several C&C panels were targeted and intelligence was gathered to attack the next set of C&C panels. A number of case studies will be discussed to elaborate step-by-step process of attacking and compromising C&C panels. This talk also demonstrates the use of automated tools authored for making the testing easier for the researchers.
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Here is a summarized version of the content:
The speaker discusses how to gain access to Command and Control (C&C) panels, which are used by cybercriminals to control malware-infected devices. The C&C panels often have default credentials or vulnerabilities that can be exploited. By accessing the panel, one can download the source code and perform static code analysis to find vulnerabilities.
The speaker shares their experience of gaining access to a C&C panel using default credentials and downloading the source code. They also mention that remote management shells can be used to upload malicious files to the target server if the cryptographic key is obtained.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of penetration testing and malware analysis in fighting cybercrime. They suggest that researchers should continue to study C&C panels, analyze stolen data, and develop new methods to combat emerging botnets.
Some key points from the discussion include:
- Default credentials can be used to access C&C panels
- Vulnerabilities in C&C panels can be exploited to gain access or extract data
- Remote management shells can be used to upload malicious files to target servers
- Penetration testing and malware analysis are crucial in fighting cybercrime
- Ongoing research is necessary to stay ahead of emerging botnets and cyber threats.