Sub-technique of T1132 Data Encoding.View on attack.mitre.org
Adversaries may encode data with a standard data encoding system to make the content of command and control traffic more difficult to detect. Command and control (C2) information can be encoded using a standard data encoding system that adheres to existing protocol specifications. Common data encoding schemes include ASCII, Unicode, hexadecimal, Base64, and MIME. Some data encoding systems may also result in data compression, such as gzip.
Rules on DetectionCode tagged with T1132.001.
| Rule | Level | Log source |
|---|---|---|
| DNS Exfiltration and Tunneling Tools Execution | high | windows / process_creation |
| Gzip Archive Decode Via PowerShell | medium | windows / process_creation |
| Suspicious FromBase64String Usage On Gzip Archive - Process Creation | medium | windows / process_creation |
| Suspicious FromBase64String Usage On Gzip Archive - Ps Script | medium | windows / ps_script |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| GroupAPT19 | An APT19 HTTP malware variant used Base64 to encode communications to the C2 server. |
| GroupAPT33 | APT33 has used base64 to encode command and control traffic. |
| GroupAPT42 | APT42 has encoded C2 traffic with Base64. |
| GroupBRONZE BUTLER | Several BRONZE BUTLER tools encode data with base64 when posting it to a C2 server. |
| GroupHAFNIUM | HAFNIUM has used ASCII encoding for C2 traffic. |
| GroupLazarus Group | A Lazarus Group malware sample encodes data with base64. |
| GroupMuddyWater | MuddyWater has used tools to encode C2 communications including Base64 encoding. |
| GroupPatchwork | Patchwork used Base64 to encode C2 traffic. |
| Used by | Procedure example |
|---|---|
| MalwareADVSTORESHELL | C2 traffic from ADVSTORESHELL is encrypted, then encoded with Base64 encoding. |
| MalwareAstaroth | Astaroth encodes data using Base64 before sending it to the C2 server. |
| MalwareAutoIt backdoor | AutoIt backdoor has sent a C2 response that was base64-encoded. |
| MalwareBabyShark | BabyShark has encoded data using certutil before exfiltration. |
| MalwareBackdoor.Oldrea | Some Backdoor.Oldrea samples use standard Base64 + bzip2, and some use standard Base64 + reverse XOR + RSA-2048 to decrypt data received from C2 servers. |
| MalwareBADNEWS | BADNEWS encodes C2 traffic with base64. |
| MalwareBisonal | Bisonal has encoded binary data with Base64 and ASCII. |
| MalwareBLINDINGCAN | BLINDINGCAN has encoded its C2 traffic with Base64. |
View all 114 software examples
Data from MITRE ATT&CK® (Enterprise). ATT&CK® is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation.
