T1570: Lateral Tool Transfer
Adversaries may transfer tools or other files between systems in a compromised environment. Once brought into the victim environment (i.e., Ingress Tool Transfer) files may then be copied from one system to another to stage adversary tools or other files over the course of an operation.
Adversaries may copy files between internal victim systems to support lateral movement using inherent file sharing protocols such as file sharing over SMB/Windows Admin Shares to connected network shares or with authenticated connections via Remote Desktop Protocol.
Files can also be transferred using native or otherwise present tools on the victim system, such as scp, rsync, curl, sftp, and ftp. In some cases, adversaries may be able to leverage Web Services such as Dropbox or OneDrive to copy files from one machine to another via shared, automatically synced folders.
How it's found
Detection Strategy for Lateral Tool Transfer across OS platforms: Correlate suspicious file transfers over SMB or Admin$ shares with process creation events (e.g., cmd.exe, powershell.exe, certutil.exe) that do not align with normal administrative behavior. Detect remote file writes followed by execution of transferred binaries. Monitor scp, rsync, curl, sftp, or ftp processes initiating transfers to internal systems combined with file creation events in unusual directories. Correlate transfer activity with subsequent execution of those binaries. Detect anomalous use of scp, rsync, curl, or third-party sync apps transferring executables into user directories. Correlate new file creation with immediate execution events. Identify lateral transfer via datastore file uploads or internal scp/ssh sessions that result in new VMX/VMDK or script files. Correlate transfer with VM execution or datastore modification.
Standards mapping
Where this fits in a TurboPentest engagement
This weakness is not covered by the automated black-box pentest. IntegSec pentesters cover it in a manual engagement.
Frequently asked questions
What is T1570 Lateral Tool Transfer?
Adversaries may transfer tools or other files between systems in a compromised environment. Once brought into the victim environment (i.e., Ingress Tool Transfer) files may then be copied from one system to another to stage adversary tools or other files over the course of an operation. Adversaries may copy files between internal victim systems to support lateral movement using inherent file sharing protocols such as file sharing over SMB/Windows Admin Shares to connected network shares or with authenticated connections via Remote Desktop Protocol. Files can also be transferred using native or otherwise present tools on the victim system, such as scp, rsync, curl, sftp, and ftp. In some cases, adversaries may be able to leverage Web Services such as Dropbox or OneDrive to copy files from one machine to another via shared, automatically synced folders.
Which tactics does T1570 belong to?
T1570 maps to the Lateral Movement tactic.
Does TurboPentest test for Lateral Tool Transfer?
This weakness is not covered by the automated black-box pentest. IntegSec pentesters cover it in a manual engagement.
Related MITRE ATT&CK techniques
- Lateral MovementT1021: Remote Services
- Execution, Lateral MovementT1072: Software Deployment Tools
- Lateral MovementT1080: Taint Shared Content
- Initial Access, Lateral MovementT1091: Replication Through Removable Media
- Lateral MovementT1210: Exploitation of Remote Services
- Lateral MovementT1534: Internal Spearphishing
About this reference
These security references are maintained by IntegSec, an offensive-security firm whose team holds CISSP, OSCP, and OSCE certifications and has run thousands of penetration tests. Content is kept current as tools, standards, and attack techniques evolve.
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