Process of weaponization
The weaponization phase in the cyber kill chain is where attackers turn the information they’ve gathered into powerful cyber weapons. During this phase, they create malicious payloads by exploiting vulnerabilities they found earlier. Attackers often use advanced techniques such as hiding or encrypting their malicious code to avoid detection. The goal is to develop a payload that can silently break through a target’s defenses. In this chapter, we will go through the various methods and tools attackers use to create these digital weapons.
Figure 3.1 – Weaponization process flow
The important steps to carry out the weaponization process are as follows:
- Exploit development:
- Attackers identify weaknesses in the target system, ranging from software flaws to unpatched vulnerabilities, including zero-day vulnerabilities (unknown to the software vendor).
- This requires a deep understanding of how software and systems...
