Adversaries may stage collected data in a central location or directory prior to Exfiltration. Data may be kept in separate files or combined into one file through techniques such as Archive Collected Data. Interactive command shells may be used, and common functionality within cmd and bash may be used to copy data into a staging location.[1]
In cloud environments, adversaries may stage data within a particular instance or virtual machine before exfiltration. An adversary may Create Cloud Instance and stage data in that instance.[2]
Adversaries may choose to stage data from a victim network in a centralized location prior to Exfiltration to minimize the number of connections made to their C2 server and better evade detection.
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| G1032 | INC Ransom |
INC Ransom has staged data on compromised hosts prior to exfiltration.[3][4] |
| S1020 | Kevin |
Kevin can create directories to store logs and other collected data.[5] |
| S0641 | Kobalos |
Kobalos can write captured SSH connection credentials to a file under the |
| S1076 | QUIETCANARY |
QUIETCANARY has the ability to stage data prior to exfiltration.[7] |
| G1015 | Scattered Spider |
Scattered Spider stages data in a centralized database prior to exfiltration.[8] |
| S1019 | Shark |
Shark has stored information in folders named |
| G1017 | Volt Typhoon |
Volt Typhoon has staged collected data in password-protected archives.[10] |
| G0102 | Wizard Spider |
Wizard Spider has collected and staged credentials and network enumeration information, using the networkdll and psfin TrickBot modules.[11] |
This type of attack technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on the abuse of system features.
| ID | Name | Analytic ID | Analytic Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DET0014 | Detection of Data Staging Prior to Exfiltration | AN0040 |
Detects staging of sensitive files into temporary or public directories, compression with 7zip/WinRAR, or batch copy prior to exfiltration. |
| AN0041 |
Detects script or user activity copying files to a central temp or /mnt directory followed by archive/compression utilities. |
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| AN0042 |
Detects files collected into user temp or shared directories followed by compression with ditto, zip, or custom scripts. |
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| AN0043 |
Detects virtual disk expansion or file copy operations to cloud buckets or mounted volumes from isolated instances. |
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| AN0044 |
Detects snapshots or data stored in VMFS volumes from root CLI or remote agents. |