Remote Service Session Hijacking
Remote Service Session Hijacking [T1563]
Last updated
Remote Service Session Hijacking [T1563]
Last updated
Name: Remote Service Session Hijacking
ID: T1563
Tactics:
Sub-Technique: T1563.001,
Remote Service Session Hijacking (MITRE ATT&CK ID: T1563) is a sophisticated adversarial technique where attackers take control of existing remote sessions to gain unauthorized access to systems or networks. This method allows attackers to bypass authentication mechanisms by exploiting established authenticated sessions, thereby impersonating legitimate users. Within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this technique falls under the "Lateral Movement" tactic, highlighting its role in enabling attackers to move undetected within a compromised environment.
Remote Service Session Hijacking involves attackers intercepting or seizing control of active remote sessions. Typically, attackers target protocols and services that maintain persistent or semi-persistent sessions, such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Secure Shell (SSH), Virtual Network Computing (VNC), and Telnet.
Technical execution methods and mechanisms include:
Session Sniffing and Interception:
Attackers use network sniffing tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) to capture session identifiers, credentials, tokens, or cookies transmitted in plaintext or weakly encrypted channels.
Captured session information is then replayed or injected into attacker-controlled clients to hijack the session.
Session Token Theft:
Attackers compromise endpoints or servers to extract session tokens stored in memory or temporary files.
Tools like Mimikatz, Meterpreter, or custom scripts can extract session tokens or credentials from memory dumps.
Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) Attacks:
Attackers position themselves between client and server communications to intercept, modify, or replay session data.
Techniques include ARP spoofing, DNS spoofing, or SSL/TLS interception using tools such as Ettercap, Bettercap, or MITMf.
Session Injection via Exploitation:
Vulnerabilities in remote services or protocols (e.g., RDP vulnerabilities like BlueKeep or DejaBlue) enable attackers to inject or hijack sessions.
Exploits allow attackers to take control of sessions without directly stealing credentials.
Real-world procedures often involve reconnaissance to identify active sessions, followed by targeted interception or session takeover to gain persistent access and lateral movement capabilities.
Attack scenarios and stages where Remote Service Session Hijacking typically appears include:
Initial Access and Credential Theft:
Attackers may initially compromise a workstation or server to identify and hijack active remote sessions to escalate privileges or move laterally.
Lateral Movement:
Attackers commonly use this technique to traverse internal networks undetected, impersonating legitimate users, and avoiding repeated authentication attempts that could raise alarms.
Persistence and Privilege Escalation:
Hijacking sessions of privileged users or administrators enables attackers to maintain persistent access and escalate privileges within compromised environments.
Data Exfiltration and Command-and-Control (C2):
Attackers leverage hijacked remote sessions to establish covert channels, extract sensitive data, or remotely control compromised systems without triggering detection mechanisms.
Detection methods, tools, and specific Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) include:
Monitoring and Alerting on Suspicious Session Activity:
Monitoring systems for unusual session behaviors, such as simultaneous logins from multiple IP addresses, unexpected session re-establishments, or sessions initiated from unusual geographic locations.
Tools such as SIEM (Splunk, IBM QRadar, Elasticsearch), Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions (CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Carbon Black), and network monitoring solutions (Zeek, Suricata) can help detect anomalies.
Network Traffic Analysis:
Inspecting network traffic for signs of session replay or token reuse.
Identifying unusual patterns, such as sudden IP address changes or abnormal protocol usage.
Endpoint and Memory Forensics:
Analyzing endpoint memory dumps and logs to detect tools like Mimikatz or Meterpreter usage.
Investigating suspicious process injections, session token extraction, or credential dumping activities.
Session Management and Auditing:
Implementing strict session management policies, including session timeout enforcement, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and session token rotation.
Regularly auditing session logs and event records for abnormal activities.
Specific IoCs include:
Unexpected concurrent logins from geographically dispersed locations.
Repeated session disconnects or reconnects without user initiation.
Presence of known hacking tools or exploit frameworks on endpoints.
Unusual network traffic patterns or usage of uncommon protocols during active sessions.
Detecting Remote Service Session Hijacking is critical due to its severe impacts on systems and networks, including:
Credential Compromise and Privilege Escalation:
Attackers gain access to sensitive credentials, allowing them to escalate privileges and compromise additional systems and data.
Lateral Movement and Network-Wide Compromise:
Enables attackers to move undetected across internal networks, significantly increasing the scope and severity of breaches.
Data Exfiltration and Confidentiality Breaches:
Attackers can extract sensitive organizational data, intellectual property, or personally identifiable information (PII), leading to significant financial and reputational damage.
Operational Disruption and Downtime:
Attackers controlling critical administrative sessions can disrupt or degrade critical services, causing operational downtime and business interruption.
Stealthy Persistence and Difficulty of Remediation:
Hijacked sessions allow attackers to maintain stealthy access, complicating detection and remediation efforts, and prolonging incident response activities.
Early detection is crucial to limit damage, quickly isolate compromised systems, prevent lateral movement, and reduce overall incident response costs and impacts.
Real-world examples demonstrating Remote Service Session Hijacking include:
APT41 (Winnti Group) Attacks:
Attack Scenario: APT41 compromised gaming and technology companies by hijacking legitimate RDP sessions.
Tools and Techniques: Custom malware, credential dumping tools (Mimikatz), and session hijacking scripts.
Impact: Theft of intellectual property, source code, and sensitive business information.
FIN7 Cybercrime Group Operations:
Attack Scenario: FIN7 conducted remote session hijacking to infiltrate retail and hospitality sectors, targeting point-of-sale (POS) systems.
Tools and Techniques: Customized Carbanak malware, Metasploit Meterpreter sessions, and memory-scraping techniques for session token extraction.
Impact: Massive financial losses due to stolen credit card information and sensitive customer data.
Operation Cloud Hopper (APT10):
Attack Scenario: APT10 targeted Managed Service Providers (MSPs), hijacking remote administrative sessions to access customer networks.
Tools and Techniques: Custom malware, credential theft tools, and RDP session hijacking.
Impact: Extensive compromise of client networks, theft of sensitive data, and severe reputational damage to MSPs.
BlueKeep Exploit (CVE-2019-0708):
Attack Scenario: Attackers exploited vulnerabilities in RDP to hijack remote desktop sessions without authentication.
Tools and Techniques: Exploit scripts and automated scanning tools targeting vulnerable RDP implementations.
Impact: Unauthorized access, potential ransomware deployment, and remote code execution leading to widespread system compromise.
These examples illustrate the diverse attack scenarios, sophisticated tools, and severe impacts associated with Remote Service Session Hijacking, underscoring the importance of robust detection and response capabilities.