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The Cyber Pyramid of Pain


Cyber Pyramid of Pain

The Cyber Pyramid of Pain is a crucial concept for detection engineering and defense strategies. Developed by David Bianco, this pyramid illustrates the varying levels of difficulty for adversaries when their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) are disrupted.

The pyramid is divided into six levels:

  1. Hash Values: Changing a file's hash is trivial for attackers.

  2. IP Addresses: Slightly more challenging, but attackers often have many IP addresses.

  3. Domain Names: More effort required as it involves domain setup and propagation.

  4. Network/Host Artifacts: Specific to the environment, harder to alter.

  5. Tools: Modifying or changing tools is resource-intensive.

  6. TTPs: Changing tactics, techniques, and procedures involves significant effort and resources.

🔍 Detection Engineering: Elevating Our Defensive Posture 🔍

Effective detection engineering involves developing strategies and tools that make it progressively more difficult for adversaries to operate. By focusing on higher levels of the Cyber Pyramid of Pain, we can increase the cost and effort for attackers, thereby enhancing our defense mechanisms.

At OTM Cyber, we emphasize:

  • Advanced Threat Hunting: Identifying IOCs and security concerns that automated tools might miss.

  • Behavioral Analysis: Tracking network and host artifacts to detect anomalies.

  • Tool Efficacy: Continuously improving our tools and techniques to stay ahead of emerging threats.

  • Collaborative Defense: Integrating insights from various sources to build a robust detection and response strategy.

By understanding and leveraging the Cyber Pyramid of Pain, we can develop more effective detection methodologies, making it significantly harder for adversaries to succeed. Let's continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in cybersecurity!


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