📌 Lateral Movement Summary
Lateral movement is a technique where an attacker, after gaining initial access to a computer or network, moves sideways within the environment to access additional systems or data. This often involves using stolen credentials or exploiting weak security on other devices. The goal is to find valuable information or gain higher privileges without being detected.
🙋🏻♂️ Explain Lateral Movement Simply
Imagine someone sneaks into a building and, instead of heading straight for the main office, wanders from room to room looking for keys or information to help them reach more secure areas. Lateral movement in cyber security is like this intruder quietly moving through different parts of the network, trying to reach important data.
📅 How Can it be used?
Lateral movement techniques can be simulated in a penetration test to identify weaknesses in a company’s internal network defences.
🗺️ Real World Examples
A cyber attacker gains access to an employee’s computer through a phishing email. Once inside, they use the employee’s network access to move laterally to file servers, where they search for confidential documents and attempt to find administrator credentials.
During a ransomware attack, the malicious software infects one machine and then spreads across the company’s network by exploiting weak passwords on other computers, encrypting files on each device it reaches.
✅ FAQ
What does lateral movement mean in a cyber attack?
Lateral movement is when a cyber attacker, after getting into a computer or network, quietly moves around to other devices or accounts. They are looking for more valuable information or trying to gain higher access, all while avoiding detection. It is a way for them to get deeper into a companynulls systems and increase the impact of their attack.
How do attackers move sideways within a network?
Attackers usually move sideways by using stolen passwords or taking advantage of weak security on other computers connected to the network. Once inside, they look for other systems they can access, often pretending to be a regular user, so they do not raise any alarms.
Why is lateral movement dangerous for organisations?
Lateral movement is dangerous because it allows attackers to reach sensitive data or important systems that might not be protected as well as the entry point. The longer they remain unnoticed, the more damage they can do, whether it is stealing information, spreading malware, or disrupting business operations.
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