Adversaries may communicate using a protocol and port paring that are typically not associated. For example, HTTPS over port 8088[1] or port 587[2] as opposed to the traditional port 443. Adversaries may make changes to the standard port used by a protocol to bypass filtering or muddle analysis/parsing of network data.
ID | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
G0099 | APT-C-36 | |
G0050 | APT32 |
An APT32 backdoor can use HTTP over a non-standard TCP port (e.g 14146) which is specified in the backdoor configuration.[4] |
G0064 | APT33 |
APT33 has used HTTP over TCP ports 808 and 880 for command and control.[1] |
S0245 | BADCALL |
BADCALL communicates on ports 443 and 8000 with a FakeTLS method.[5] |
S0239 | Bankshot |
Bankshot binds and listens on port 1058 for HTTP traffic while also utilizing a FakeTLS method.[6] |
S0574 | BendyBear |
BendyBear has used a custom RC4 and XOR encrypted protocol over port 443 for C2.[7] |
G0105 | DarkVishnya |
DarkVishnya used ports 5190 and 7900 for shellcode listeners, and 4444, 4445, 31337 for shellcode C2.[8] |
S0021 | Derusbi | |
S0367 | Emotet |
Emotet has used HTTP over ports such as 20, 22, 7080, and 50000, in addition to using ports commonly associated with HTTP/S.[10] |
G0046 | FIN7 |
FIN7 has used port-protocol mismatches on ports such as 53, 80, 443, and 8080 during C2.[11] |
S0493 | GoldenSpy |
GoldenSpy has used HTTP over ports 9005 and 9006 for network traffic, 9002 for C2 requests, 33666 as a WebSocket, and 8090 to download files.[12] |
S0237 | GravityRAT |
GravityRAT has used HTTP over a non-standard port, such as TCP port 46769.[13] |
S0246 | HARDRAIN |
HARDRAIN binds and listens on port 443 with a FakeTLS method.[14] |
S0376 | HOPLIGHT |
HOPLIGHT has connected outbound over TCP port 443 with a FakeTLS method.[15] |
G0032 | Lazarus Group |
Some Lazarus Group malware uses a list of ordered port numbers to choose a port for C2 traffic, creating port-protocol mismatches.[16][17] |
G0059 | Magic Hound |
Magic Hound malware has communicated with its C2 server over TCP port 4443 using HTTP.[18] |
S0455 | Metamorfo |
Metamorfo has communicated with hosts over raw TCP on port 9999.[19] |
S0149 | MoonWind |
MoonWind communicates over ports 80, 443, 53, and 8080 via raw sockets instead of the protocols usually associated with the ports.[20] |
S0385 | njRAT | |
S0428 | PoetRAT |
PoetRAT used TLS to encrypt communications over port 143[22] |
S0153 | RedLeaves |
RedLeaves can use HTTP over non-standard ports, such as 995, for C2.[23] |
G0106 | Rocke | |
S0148 | RTM | |
G0034 | Sandworm Team |
Sandworm Team has used port 6789 to accept connections on the group's SSH server.[26] |
G0091 | Silence |
Silence has used port 444 when sending data about the system from the client to the server.[27] |
S0491 | StrongPity |
StrongPity has used HTTPS over port 1402 in C2 communication.[28] |
G0088 | TEMP.Veles |
TEMP.Veles has used port-protocol mismatches on ports such as 443, 4444, 8531, and 50501 during C2.[29] |
S0266 | TrickBot |
Some TrickBot samples have used HTTP over ports 447 and 8082 for C2.[30][31][32] Newer versions of TrickBot have been known to use a custom communication protocol which sends the data unencrypted over port 443. [33] |
S0263 | TYPEFRAME |
TYPEFRAME has used ports 443, 8080, and 8443 with a FakeTLS method.[34] |
S0515 | WellMail |
WellMail has been observed using TCP port 25, without using SMTP, to leverage an open port for secure command and control communications.[35][36] |
ID | Mitigation | Description |
---|---|---|
M1031 | Network Intrusion Prevention |
Network intrusion detection and prevention systems that use network signatures to identify traffic for specific adversary malware can be used to mitigate activity at the network level. |
M1030 | Network Segmentation |
Properly configure firewalls and proxies to limit outgoing traffic to only necessary ports for that particular network segment. |
ID | Data Source | Data Component |
---|---|---|
DS0029 | Network Traffic | Network Connection Creation |
Network Traffic Content | ||
Network Traffic Flow |
Analyze packet contents to detect communications that do not follow the expected protocol behavior for the port that is being used. Analyze network data for uncommon data flows (e.g., a client sending significantly more data than it receives from a server). Processes utilizing the network that do not normally have network communication or have never been seen before are suspicious.[37]