Benefits and Drawbacks of NSA’s Advisory. The Double-Edged Sword

The ‎document‏ ‎titled ‎“cyber ‎actors ‎adapt ‎tactics‏ ‎for ‎initial‏ ‎cloud‏ ‎access” ‎released ‎by‏ ‎the ‎National‏ ‎Security ‎Agency ‎(NSA) ‎warns‏ ‎of‏ ‎use ‎of‏ ‎cyber ‎actors‏ ‎have ‎adapted ‎their ‎tactics ‎to‏ ‎gain‏ ‎initial ‎access‏ ‎to ‎cloud‏ ‎services, ‎as ‎opposed ‎to ‎exploiting‏ ‎on-premise‏ ‎network‏ ‎vulnerabilities.

Benefits:

Awareness ‎and‏ ‎Understanding: ‎The‏ ‎document ‎raises‏ ‎awareness‏ ‎about ‎the‏ ‎shift ‎in ‎tactics ‎towards ‎cloud‏ ‎services, ‎which‏ ‎is‏ ‎crucial ‎for ‎organizations‏ ‎to ‎understand‏ ‎the ‎current ‎threat ‎landscape.

📌Detailed‏ ‎TTPs: It‏ ‎provides ‎detailed‏ ‎information ‎on‏ ‎the ‎tactics, ‎techniques, ‎and ‎procedures‏ ‎(TTPs)‏ ‎used ‎by‏ ‎actors, ‎including‏ ‎the ‎use ‎of ‎service ‎and‏ ‎dormant‏ ‎accounts,‏ ‎which ‎can‏ ‎help ‎organizations‏ ‎identify ‎potential‏ ‎threats‏ ‎and ‎vulnerabilities.

📌Sector-Specific‏ ‎Insights: The ‎document ‎outlines ‎the ‎expansion‏ ‎of ‎targeting‏ ‎to‏ ‎sectors ‎such ‎as‏ ‎aviation, ‎education,‏ ‎law ‎enforcement, ‎and ‎military‏ ‎organizations,‏ ‎offering ‎sector-specific‏ ‎insights ‎that‏ ‎can ‎help ‎these ‎industries ‎bolster‏ ‎their‏ ‎defenses.

📌Mitigation ‎Strategies: It‏ ‎offers ‎practical‏ ‎mitigation ‎strategies ‎that ‎organizations ‎can‏ ‎implement‏ ‎to‏ ‎strengthen ‎their‏ ‎defenses ‎against‏ ‎initial ‎access‏ ‎by‏ ‎actors, ‎such‏ ‎as ‎implementing ‎MFA ‎and ‎managing‏ ‎system ‎accounts.

📌Emphasis‏ ‎on‏ ‎Fundamentals: The ‎advisory ‎emphasizes‏ ‎the ‎importance‏ ‎of ‎cybersecurity ‎fundamentals, ‎which‏ ‎can‏ ‎help ‎organizations‏ ‎establish ‎a‏ ‎strong ‎baseline ‎defense ‎against ‎sophisticated‏ ‎actors.

📌Global‏ ‎Supply ‎Chain‏ ‎Relevance: ‎The‏ ‎document ‎references ‎the ‎actors’ ‎involvement‏ ‎in‏ ‎the‏ ‎SolarWinds ‎supply‏ ‎chain ‎compromise,‏ ‎highlighting ‎the‏ ‎global‏ ‎implications ‎of‏ ‎such ‎cyber ‎espionage ‎activities.

Drawbacks:

📌Resource ‎Intensity:‏ ‎Implementing ‎the‏ ‎recommended‏ ‎mitigations ‎may ‎require‏ ‎significant ‎resources,‏ ‎which ‎could ‎be ‎challenging‏ ‎for‏ ‎smaller ‎organizations‏ ‎with ‎limited‏ ‎cybersecurity ‎budgets ‎and ‎personnel.

📌Complexity ‎of‏ ‎Cloud‏ ‎Security: ‎The‏ ‎document ‎points‏ ‎out ‎the ‎inherent ‎challenges ‎in‏ ‎securing‏ ‎cloud‏ ‎infrastructure, ‎which‏ ‎may ‎require‏ ‎specialized ‎knowledge‏ ‎and‏ ‎skills ‎that‏ ‎not ‎all ‎organizations ‎possess.

📌Evolving ‎Tactics: While‏ ‎the ‎document‏ ‎provides‏ ‎current ‎TTPs, ‎the‏ ‎actors’ ‎tactics‏ ‎are ‎constantly ‎evolving, ‎which‏ ‎means‏ ‎that ‎defenses‏ ‎based ‎solely‏ ‎on ‎this ‎advisory ‎may ‎quickly‏ ‎become‏ ‎outdated.

📌Potential ‎for‏ ‎Overemphasis ‎on‏ ‎Specific ‎Threats: Focusing ‎too ‎much ‎on‏ ‎such‏ ‎actors‏ ‎could ‎lead‏ ‎organizations ‎to‏ ‎neglect ‎other‏ ‎threat‏ ‎actors ‎or‏ ‎vectors ‎that ‎are ‎equally ‎dangerous‏ ‎but ‎not‏ ‎covered‏ ‎in ‎the ‎document.

📌Shared‏ ‎Responsibility ‎Model:‏ ‎The ‎document ‎implies ‎a‏ ‎shared‏ ‎responsibility ‎model‏ ‎for ‎cloud‏ ‎security, ‎which ‎may ‎lead ‎to‏ ‎confusion‏ ‎about ‎the‏ ‎division ‎of‏ ‎security ‎responsibilities ‎between ‎cloud ‎providers‏ ‎and‏ ‎customers.

📌False‏ ‎Sense ‎of‏ ‎Security: Organizations ‎might‏ ‎develop ‎a‏ ‎false‏ ‎sense ‎of‏ ‎security ‎by ‎relying ‎on ‎the‏ ‎mitigations ‎suggested,‏ ‎without‏ ‎considering ‎the ‎need‏ ‎for ‎a‏ ‎dynamic ‎and ‎adaptive ‎security‏ ‎posture‏ ‎to ‎respond‏ ‎to ‎new‏ ‎threats.