Lateral Movement

Lateral movement is a tactic used by attackers to move within a target network and gain access to sensitive systems and data. This involves the attacker exploiting vulnerabilities in systems and applications to gain access to new systems, and then using that access to move further into the network.

This form of attack can take many forms, including the use of stolen credentials, exploiting vulnerabilities in systems and applications, and compromising network protocols and services. The goal is to gain access to sensitive systems and data, often as an initial step in achieving a larger objective, such as data theft or the deployment of malware such as ransomware.

Lateral movement can be a particularly challenging type of attack to detect and prevent, as it often involves the attacker moving slowly and methodically through the network, exploiting vulnerabilities along the way. To defend against lateral movement, organizations need to implement a robust security posture that includes monitoring, threat detection and response, and access control mechanisms, as well as ensuring that systems and applications are kept up to date and secure.