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Volt Typhoon: living-off-the-land in critical infrastructure operation cover
AdvancedSIEMXDRFirewallPRO

Volt Typhoon: living-off-the-land in critical infrastructure

No malware, no ransomware, no payload to scan for, just native Windows binaries used in an abnormal sequence and a stolen administrator credential. A stealth operator plants a tiny web shell on a water utility's internet-facing host, dumps LSASS with a signed system DLL, routes C2 through a compromised home router, and exports the entire Active Directory database off the domain controller before clearing the logs. Work the Windows Security log, the endpoint process tree, and the perimeter traffic to separate the living-off-the-land activity from a heavy baseline of legitimate admin work.

1h 30m
7 tasks
150 points
Pro

Start this operation

Investigation Tasks

Complete each task by investigating alerts and submitting your findings.

1

Find the quiet way in

50

A water-utility SOC flagged off-hours activity on an internet-facing host, but there is no exploit and no failed-login storm to anchor on. Work the web and identity records and identify the host where the intrusion took hold.

Hint available
2

Name the planted page

55

The operator's command channel is a single file hiding in plain sight among legitimate application pages. Identify the server page that was planted to run commands.

Hint available
3

Catch the credential dump

60

Before touching the directory core, the operator harvested credentials from memory on the foothold host using nothing but a built-in component. Identify the signed system DLL that was abused to read the credential process.

Hint available
4

Trace the disguised channel

65

Command-and-control never went straight to a data-center IP, it was relayed so the egress looks like home internet. Pin down the external address the relay forwarded traffic to.

Hint available
5

Identify the directory theft

65

The decisive move was lifting the entire domain credential store off the controller without any malware. Determine which host the Active Directory database was exported from.

Hint available
6

Spot the cover-up

50

Before disengaging, the operator tried to erase the trail on the foothold host. Pin down the exact time the Security audit log was wiped.

Hint available
7

Classify the credential-store theft

55

Summarize for the incident report how the operator obtained every domain credential at once. Map the directory-database theft to its MITRE ATT&CK sub-technique.

Hint available

7 tasks · 400 points total

Training Tools

Skills You'll Build

Investigate realistic security alerts
SIEM log analysis
XDR log analysis
Firewall log analysis
MITRE ATT&CK® technique identification
Triage decisions: escalate, investigate, or close
Evidence collection and documentation
Job-ready incident response methodology
Advanced

Complex multi-stage investigations. Realistic noise, ambiguous indicators, lateral movement.

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of security alerts
  • Experience with log analysis tools
  • Familiarity with SIEM concepts
  • Familiarity with XDR concepts
  • Familiarity with Firewall concepts

Ready to investigate?

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