Playbook Objectives:

• To validate the efficacy of a SIEM solution in detecting and responding to complex cyber threats.
• To train security personnel in identifying and mitigating risks utilizing SIEM analytics and workflows.
• To fine-tune alerting and reporting capabilities of the SIEM in the face of a sophisticated cyber attack.
• To bolster the incident response and decision-making processes during a live cyber attack.

Difficulty Level:

• Advanced. Participants should have proficient knowledge of network infrastructure, security operation procedures, and SIEM functionality.

Scenario:

• Global Financial Corp, a large multinational banking and financial services company, has been the target of a series of sophisticated cyber attacks. These attacks have raised concerns over the ability of the company’s current security measures to defend against advanced persistent threats (APTs).
• The network architecture of Global Financial Corp includes multiple data centers housing core banking systems, online transaction processing systems, and corporate offices with their associated employee workstations. The company utilizes an array of network devices and security tools, including firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and endpoint protection solutions, all of which feed into their main SIEM system.
• Recent incidents have revealed that attackers are deploying multi-vector attack strategies including social engineering, zero-day exploits, and stealthy command and control communications. In light of these events, the cybersecurity team, led by the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Ms. Janet Shields, has decided to conduct a Cyber Range exercise with the primary focus on enhancing their SIEM’s integration and response capabilities.
• The team is determined to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the SIEM’s effectiveness, ensure accurate alerting, and develop a seamless response playbook to protect the company’s critical assets.

Category:

• Incident Response
• Security Analytics
• Threat Detection and Management

Exercise Attack Steps:

• The simulated attack begins with a phishing campaign targeting mid-level employees in the company. This step tests the SIEM’s ability to correlate suspicious email traffic with unusual login patterns.
• Attackers move laterally within the network by exploiting a zero-day vulnerability in an unpatched software used by the finance department, aiming to access the payment processing system. The participants observe how the SIEM alerts to the action and verifies proper log tracking from multiple systems.
• The SIEM system must detect an attempt to exfiltrate sensitive financial data to an external command and control server. This step gauges the SIEM’s network traffic analysis capabilities and its effectiveness in recognizing data leak patterns.
• The attack concludes with a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack to disrupt business operations and evaluate SIEM performance in handling volumetric anomalies and initiating appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Throughout the exercise, the participants are tasked with responding to SIEM alerts, conducting investigations to identify the attack vectors, and applying necessary incident response protocols to mitigate threats and harden the defense stance. The ability of the SIEM to provide actionable intelligence and to enable quick remediation methods is critically examined.
• After the attack sequence, the team conducts a thorough review of the SIEM configurations, updates correlation rules, fine-tunes alerts, and enhances reporting dashboards based on the insights gained during the exercise to prepare for actual threat scenarios.