T1102.001 — Web Service: Dead Drop Resolver
Sub-technique of T1102 Web Service
Description
Adversaries may use an existing, legitimate external Web service to host information that points to additional command and control (C2) infrastructure. Adversaries may post content, known as a dead drop resolver, on Web services with embedded (and often obfuscated/encoded) domains or IP addresses. Once infected, victims will reach out to and be redirected by these resolvers.
Popular websites and social media acting as a mechanism for C2 may give a significant amount of cover due to the likelihood that hosts within a network are already communicating with them prior to a compromise. Using common services, such as those offered by Google or Twitter, makes it easier for adversaries to hide in expected noise. Web service providers commonly use SSL/TLS encryption, giving adversaries an added level of protection.
Use of a dead drop resolver may also protect back-end C2 infrastructure from discovery through malware binary analysis while also enabling operational resiliency (since this infrastructure may be dynamically changed).
Detected by EasySIEM
This project's own SigmaHQ-derived detection pipeline tags every compiled rule with the ATT&CK technique(s) it maps to -- if a rule in your install covers this technique, it shows up automatically on your own Grafana Alerts dashboard's "Top ATT&CK Techniques" panel, no lookup needed. This page exists so a click from there always lands here on easysiem.com, not on attack.mitre.org.