Adversaries may attempt to exfiltrate data over Bluetooth rather than the command and control channel. If the command and control network is a wired Internet connection, an adversary may opt to exfiltrate data using a Bluetooth communication channel.
Adversaries may choose to do this if they have sufficient access and proximity. Bluetooth connections might not be secured or defended as well as the primary Internet-connected channel because it is not routed through the same enterprise network.
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0143 | Flame |
Flame has a module named BeetleJuice that contains Bluetooth functionality that may be used in different ways, including transmitting encoded information from the infected system over the Bluetooth protocol, acting as a Bluetooth beacon, and identifying other Bluetooth devices in the vicinity.[1] |
| ID | Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1042 | Disable or Remove Feature or Program |
Disable Bluetooth in local computer security settings or by group policy if it is not needed within an environment. |
| M1028 | Operating System Configuration |
Prevent the creation of new network adapters where possible. |
| ID | Data Source | Data Component | Detects |
|---|---|---|---|
| DS0017 | Command | Command Execution |
Monitor executed commands and arguments that may attempt to exfiltrate data over Bluetooth rather than the command and control channel. |
| DS0022 | File | File Access |
Monitor for files being accessed that could be related to exfiltration, such as file reads by a process that also has an active network connection. Also monitor for and investigate changes to host adapter settings, such as addition and/or replication of communication interfaces. |
| DS0029 | Network Traffic | Network Connection Creation |
Monitor for newly constructed network connections that may attempt to exfiltrate data over Bluetooth rather than the command and control channel. Processes utilizing the network that do not normally have network communication or have never been seen before are suspicious. |
| Network Traffic Content |
Monitor and analyze traffic patterns and packet inspection associated to protocol(s) that do not follow the expected protocol standards and traffic flows (e.g extraneous packets that do not belong to established flows, gratuitous or anomalous traffic patterns, anomalous syntax, or structure). Consider correlation with process monitoring and command line to detect anomalous processes execution and command line arguments associated to traffic patterns (e.g. monitor anomalies in use of files that do not normally initiate connections for respective protocol(s)). |
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| Network Traffic Flow |
Monitor network data for uncommon data flows., such as the usage of abnormal/unexpected protocols. |