Applied Cybernetics Group
T1102.001 — Dead Drop Resolver
- Technique
T1102.001- Tactics
- Command and Control
- MISP citations
- 0
- KEV CVEs mapped
- 0
- Community rules
- 4
- thrunt rules
- 1
- Upstream
- https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1102/001
MITRE 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).