CISA Completes Red Team Assessment for U.S. Infrastructure Organization
/ 3 min read
Quick take - The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) conducted a red team assessment over three months for a critical infrastructure organization in the U.S., revealing significant cybersecurity vulnerabilities and recommending enhanced measures for detection, response, and secure software practices.
Fast Facts
- CISA conducted a red team assessment over three months to evaluate a U.S. critical infrastructure organization’s cybersecurity capabilities, revealing significant vulnerabilities.
- Initial access was gained through a web shell from a previous assessment, allowing the red team to compromise sensitive systems and navigate the organization’s network.
- The organization detected some malicious activities but failed to respond effectively, highlighting insufficient technical controls and an overreliance on endpoint detection solutions.
- CISA’s advisory recommends adopting “Secure by Design” principles, improving network segmentation, and implementing Zero Trust architecture to enhance cybersecurity measures.
- Key lessons emphasize the need for ongoing staff training, better monitoring of alerts, and the importance of integrating security throughout the software development lifecycle.
CISA Completes Red Team Assessment for Critical Infrastructure Organization
Overview of the Assessment
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recently completed a red team assessment for a critical infrastructure organization in the United States. The assessment aimed to simulate real-world cyber operations to evaluate the organization’s cybersecurity detection and response capabilities. Spanning approximately three months, the assessment was divided into two phases: gaining persistent access and triggering a security response from the organization.
Key Findings and Vulnerabilities
CISA’s advisory, which detailed the red team’s tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), revealed significant vulnerabilities within the organization’s cybersecurity framework. Initial access was achieved through a web shell left from a prior security assessment conducted by a third party. From there, the red team successfully navigated through the demilitarized zone (DMZ), compromised the organization’s domain, and accessed several sensitive business systems (SBS).
Although the organization detected some of the red team’s activities, it failed to respond promptly to malicious network traffic or challenge the team’s presence within its Windows environment. Key findings from the assessment highlighted the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures for both network defenders and software manufacturers. Among the lessons learned were the identification of insufficient technical controls to prevent and detect malicious activity, an overreliance on host-based endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions, and the necessity for ongoing training and resources for staff.
Recommendations for Improvement
CISA has urged critical infrastructure organizations to adopt the recommendations outlined in the advisory to bolster their cybersecurity posture. These recommendations emphasize the financial burden that insecure software and hardware impose on critical infrastructure owners and call on technology manufacturers to take responsibility for product security by adopting “Secure by Design” principles.
Specific recommendations for software manufacturers include integrating security into product architecture throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC), eliminating default passwords, and mandating multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged users. The advisory also outlines specific recommendations for improving network segmentation, monitoring, and identity management, advocating for organizations to implement a Zero Trust network architecture and prioritize modern security practices.
Overall, the findings from CISA’s red team assessment serve as a critical reminder of the ongoing cybersecurity challenges faced by critical infrastructure organizations.
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