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March 17, 2021

AI Neutralized Hafnium-Inspired Cyber-Attacks

Learn from this real-life scenario where Darktrace detected a ProxyLogon vulnerability and took action to protect Exchange servers. Read more here.
Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Written by
Max Heinemeyer
Global Field CISO
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17
Mar 2021

On March 11 and 12, 2021, Darktrace detected multiple attempts by a broad campaign to attack vulnerable servers in customer environments. The campaign targeted Internet-facing Microsoft Exchange servers, exploiting the recently discovered ProxyLogon vulnerability (CVE-2021-26855).

While this exploit was initially attributed to a group known as Hafnium, Microsoft has announced that the vulnerability is also being rapidly weaponized by other threat actors. These new, unattributed campaigns, which have never been seen before, have been disrupted by Cyber AI in real time.

Hafnium copycats

As soon as a vulnerability is made public it is common for there to be an influx of attacks as hackers capitalize on the chaos and attempt to compromise vulnerable networks.

Patches are rapidly reverse-engineered by hackers once they have been published by the vendor, leading to mass high-impact exploits. At the same time, the offensive tooling trickles down from the first adopters, such as nation-state actors, to ransomware gangs and other opportunistic attackers. Darktrace has observed this exact phenomenon as a result of Hafnium’s attacks against vulnerable Microsoft Exchange email servers this month.

Exchange servers attacked: AI analysis

Cyber AI has observed threat actors attempting to download and install malware using ProxyLogon as the initial attack vector. For customers with Autonomous Response, the malicious payload was intercepted at this point, stopping the attack before any developments.

In other Darktrace customer environments, the Darktrace Immune System identified and alerted on every stage of the attack. Generally, the malware has been observed acting as a generic backdoor, without much follow-up activity. Various forms of command and control (C2) channels were detected, including Telegra[.]ph. In a few intrusions, the attackers installed cryptocurrency miners.

Once a foothold has been established in the digital environment, it is likely that the actors will begin a hands-on-keyboard attack, exfiltrating data, moving laterally, or deploying ransomware.

Figure 1: Timeline of a typical ProxyLogon exploit

After the ProxyLogon vulnerability was exploited, the Exchange servers reached out to the malicious domain microsoftsoftwaredownload[.]com, utilizing a PowerShell User Agent. Darktrace flagged this anomalous behavior as the particular User Agent had never been used before by the Exchange server, let alone to access a malicious domain which had never been observed in the network.

Figure 2: Darktrace revealing an anomalous PowerShell connection

The malware executable was masqueraded as a ZIP file, further trying to obfuscate the attack. Darktrace identified this highly anomalous file download and the masqueraded file.

Figure 3: Darktrace revealing key information around the anomalous file download

In some cases, Darktrace AI also observed cryptocurrency mining seconds or minutes after the initial malware download.

Figure 4: Darktrace’s Crypto Currency Mining model is breached

In terms of C2 traffic, Darktrace has observed various potential channels. Around the time of the malware download, some of the Exchange servers began to beacon out to several external destinations using unusual SSL or TLS encrypted connections.

  • Telegra[.]ph — popular messenger application
  • dev.opendrive[.]com — cloud storage service
  • od[.]lk — cloud storage service

In this case, Darktrace recognized that none of these three external domains had ever been contacted before by anybody in the organization, let alone in a beaconing fashion. The fact that these communications started around the same time as the malware downloads strongly suggests a correlation. Darktrace’s Cyber AI Analyst automatically began an investigation into the incident, stitching together these events into one coherent narrative.

Investigating with AI

Cyber AI Analyst then automatically created a summary incident report about the activity, covering the malware download as well as the various C2 channels observed.

Figure 5: Cyber AI Analyst automatically generating a high-level incident summary

Looking at an infected Exchange server ([REDACTED].local) from a birds-eye perspective shows that Darktrace created various alerts when the attack hit. Every one of the colored dots in the graph below represents a major anomaly detected by Darktrace.

Figure 6: Darktrace reveals the anomalous number of connections and subsequent model breaches

This activity was prioritized as the most urgent incident in Cyber AI Analyst among a full week’s worth of data. In this particular organization, there were only four incidents for that week in total in Cyber AI Analyst. Such precise and clear alerting allows security teams to immediately understand the top threats facing their digital environment, without being overwhelmed by unnecessary alerts and false positives.

Machine-speed response

For customers with Darktrace Antigena, Antigena autonomously acted to block all outgoing traffic to malicious external endpoints on the relevant ports. This behavior is held for several hours to interrupt the threat actor from escalating the attack, while giving security teams time to react and remediate.

Antigena responded within seconds of the attack starting, effectively containing the attack in its earliest stage – without interrupting regular business activity (emails could still be sent and received), and despite this being a zero-day campaign.

Figure 7: Darktrace Antigena autonomously responds

Catching a zero-day exploit

This is not the first time Darktrace has stopped an attack leveraging a zero-day or a freshly released n-day vulnerability. Back in March 2020, Darktrace detected APT41 exploiting the Zoho ManageEngine vulnerability, two weeks before public attribution.

It is highly likely that there will be more cyber-criminals exploiting ProxyLogon in the wake of Hafnium. And while the recent Exchange server vulnerabilities were today’s threat, next time it might be a software or hardware supply chain attack, or a different zero-day. Novel threats are emerging every week. In this climate we now find ourselves in, where ‘known unknowns’ which are difficult or impossible to pre-define are the new norm, we need to be more adaptable and proactive than ever.

As soon as an attacker begins to exhibit unusual activity, Darktrace AI will detect it, even if there is no threat intelligence associated with the attack. This is where Darktrace works best, autonomously detecting, investigating and responding to advanced and never-before-seen threats in real time.

Learn more about the Darktrace Immune System

Example Darktrace model detections:

  • Antigena / Network / Compliance / Antigena Crypto Currency Mining Block
  • Compliance / Crypto Currency Mining Activity
  • Antigena / Network / Significant Anomaly / Antigena Breaches Over Time Block
  • Anomalous Connection / Suspicious Expired SSL
  • Antigena / Network / Significant Anomaly / Antigena Significant Anomaly from Client Block
  • Antigena / Network / Significant Anomaly / Antigena Enhanced Monitoring from Client Block
  • Device / Initial Breach Chain Compromise
  • Antigena / Network / Significant Anomaly / Antigena Breaches Over Time Block
  • Anomalous File / Masqueraded File Transfer
  • Anomalous File / EXE from Rare External Location
  • Antigena / Network / External Threat / Antigena Suspicious File Block
  • Antigena / Network / External Threat / Antigena File then New Outbound Block
  • Antigena / Network / Significant Anomaly / Antigena Controlled and Model Breach
  • Anomalous File / Internet Facing System File Download
  • Device / New PowerShell User Agent
  • Anomalous File / Multiple EXE from Rare External Locations
  • Anomalous Connection / Powershell to Rare External

Inside the SOC
Darktrace cyber analysts are world-class experts in threat intelligence, threat hunting and incident response, and provide 24/7 SOC support to thousands of Darktrace customers around the globe. Inside the SOC is exclusively authored by these experts, providing analysis of cyber incidents and threat trends, based on real-world experience in the field.
Written by
Max Heinemeyer
Global Field CISO

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May 21, 2025

Evaluating Email Security: How to Select the Best Solution for Your Organization

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When evaluating email security solutions, it’s crucial to move beyond marketing claims and focus on real-world performance. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through an A/B comparison approach – a side-by-side evaluation of vendors based on consistent, predefined criteria.

This method cuts through biases, reveals true capability differences, and ensures that all solutions are assessed on a level playing field. It’s not just about finding an objectively good solution – it’s about finding the best solution for your organization’s specific needs.

An A/B comparison approach is particularly effective for three main reasons:

  1. Eliminates bias: By comparing solutions under identical conditions, it’s easier to spot differences in performance without the fog of marketing jargon.
  2. Highlights real capabilities: Direct side-by-side testing exposes genuine strengths and weaknesses, making it easier to judge which features are impactful versus merely decorative.
  3. Encourages objective decision-making: This structured method reduces emotional or brand-driven decisions, focusing purely on metrics and performance.

Let’s look at the key factors to consider when setting up your evaluation to ensure a fair, accurate, and actionable comparison.

Deployment: Setting the stage for fair evaluation

To achieve a genuine comparison, deployment must be consistent across all evaluated solutions:

  • Establish the same scope: All solutions should be granted identical visibility across relevant tenants and domains to ensure parity.
  • Set a concrete timeline: Deploy and test each solution with the same dataset, at the same points in time. This allows you to observe differences in learning periods and adaptive capabilities.

Equal visibility and synchronized timelines prevent discrepancies that could skew your understanding of each vendor’s true capabilities. But remember – quicker results might not equal better learning or understanding!

Tuning and configurations: Optimizing for real-world conditions

Properly tuning and configuring each solution is critical for fair evaluation:

  • Compare on optimal performance: Consult with each vendor to understand what optimal deployment looks like for their solution, particularly if machine learning is involved.
  • Consider the long term: Configuration adjustments should be made with long-term usage in mind. Short-term fixes can mask long-term challenges.
  • Data visibility: Ensure each solution can retain and provide search capabilities on all data collected throughout the evaluation period.

These steps guarantee that you are comparing fully optimized versions of each platform, not underperforming or misconfigured ones.

Evaluation: Applying consistent metrics

Once deployment and configurations are aligned, the evaluation itself must be consistent, to prevent unfair scoring and help to identify true differences in threat detection and response capabilities.

  • Coordinate your decision criteria: Ensure all vendors are measured against the same set of criteria, established before testing begins.
  • Understand vendor threat classification: Each vendor may have different ways of classifying threats, so be sure to understand these nuances.
  • Maintain communication: If results seem inaccurate, engage with the vendors. Their response and remediation capabilities are part of the evaluation.

Making a decision: Look beyond the metrics

When it comes to reviewing the performance of each solution, it’s important to both consider and look beyond the raw data. This is about choosing the solution that best aligns with your specific business needs, which may include factors and features not captured in the results.

  • Evaluate based on results: Consider accuracy, threats detected, precision, and response effectiveness.
  • Evaluate beyond results: Assess the overall experience, including support, integrations, training, and long-term alignment with your security strategy.
  • Review and communicate: Internally review the findings and communicate them back to the vendors.

Choosing the right email security solution isn’t just about ticking boxes, it’s about strategic alignment with your organization’s goals and the evolving threat landscape. A structured, A/B comparison approach will help ensure that the solution you select is truly the best fit.

For a full checklist of the features and capabilities to compare, as well as how to perform a commercial and technical evaluation, check out the full Buyer’s Checklist for Evaluating Email Security.

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About the author
Carlos Gray
Senior Product Marketing Manager, Email

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May 21, 2025

Adapting to new USCG cybersecurity mandates: Darktrace for ports and maritime systems

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What is the Marine Transportation System (MTS)?

Marine Transportation Systems (MTS) play a substantial roll in U.S. commerce, military readiness, and economic security. Defined as a critical national infrastructure, the MTS encompasses all aspects of maritime transportation from ships and ports to the inland waterways and the rail and roadways that connect them.

MTS interconnected systems include:

  • Waterways: Coastal and inland rivers, shipping channels, and harbors
  • Ports: Terminals, piers, and facilities where cargo and passengers are transferred
  • Vessels: Commercial ships, barges, ferries, and support craft
  • Intermodal Connections: Railroads, highways, and logistics hubs that tie maritime transport into national and global supply chains

The Coast Guard plays a central role in ensuring the safety, security, and efficiency of the MTS, handling over $5.4 trillion in annual economic activity. As digital systems increasingly support operations across the MTS, from crane control to cargo tracking, cybersecurity has become essential to protecting this lifeline of U.S. trade and infrastructure.

Maritime Transportation Systems also enable international trade, making them prime targets for cyber threats from ransomware gangs to nation-state actors.

To defend against growing threats, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has moved from encouraging cybersecurity best practices to enforcing them, culminating in a new mandate that goes into effect on July 16, 2025. These regulations aim to secure the digital backbone of the maritime industry.

Why maritime ports are at risk

Modern ports are a blend of legacy and modern OT, IoT, and IT digitally connected technologies that enable crane operations, container tracking, terminal storage, logistics, and remote maintenance.

Many of these systems were never designed with cybersecurity in mind, making them vulnerable to lateral movement and disruptive ransomware attack spillover.

The convergence of business IT networks and operational infrastructure further expands the attack surface, especially with the rise of cloud adoption and unmanaged IoT and IIoT devices.

Cyber incidents in recent years have demonstrated how ransomware or malicious activity can halt crane operations, disrupt logistics, and compromise safety at scale threatening not only port operations, but national security and economic stability.

Relevant cyber-attacks on maritime ports

Maersk & Port of Los Angeles (2017 – NotPetya):
A ransomware attack crippled A.P. Moller-Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company. Operations at 17 ports, including the Port of Los Angeles, were halted due to system outages, causing weeks of logistical chaos.

Port of San Diego (2018 – Ransomware Attack):
A ransomware attack targeted the Port of San Diego, disrupting internal IT systems including public records, business services, and dockside cargo operations. While marine traffic was unaffected, commercial activity slowed significantly during recovery.

Port of Houston (2021 – Nation-State Intrusion):
A suspected nation-state actor exploited a known vulnerability in a Port of Houston web application to gain access to its network. While the attack was reportedly thwarted, it triggered a federal investigation and highlighted the vulnerability of maritime systems.

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, India (2022 – Ransomware Incident):
India’s largest container port experienced disruptions due to a ransomware attack affecting operations and logistics systems. Container handling and cargo movement slowed as IT systems were taken offline during recovery efforts.

A regulatory shift: From guidance to enforcement

Since the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) of 2002, ports have been required to develop and maintain security plans. Cybersecurity formally entered the regulatory fold in 2020 with revisions to 33 CFR Part 105 and 106, requiring port authorities to assess and address computer system vulnerabilities.

In January 2025, the USCG finalized new rules to enforce cybersecurity practices across the MTS. Key elements include (but are not limited to):

  • A dedicated cyber incident response plan (PR.IP-9)
  • Routine cybersecurity risk assessments and exercises (ID.RA)
  • Designation of a cybersecurity officer and regular workforce training (section 3.1)
  • Controls for access management, segmentation, logging, and encryption (PR.AC-1:7)
  • Supply chain risk management (ID.SC)
  • Incident reporting to the National Response Center

Port operators are encouraged to align their programs with the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF 2.0) and NIST SP 800-82r3, which provide comprehensive guidance for IT and OT security in industrial environments.

How Darktrace can support maritime & ports

Unified IT + OT + Cloud coverage

Maritime ports operate in hybrid environments spanning business IT systems (finance, HR, ERP), industrial OT (cranes, gates, pumps, sensors), and an increasing array of cloud and SaaS platforms.

Darktrace is the only vendor that provides native visibility and threat detection across OT/IoT, IT, cloud, and SaaS environments — all in a single platform. This means:

  • Cranes and other physical process control networks are monitored in the same dashboard as Active Directory and Office 365.
  • Threats that start in the cloud (e.g., phishing, SaaS token theft) and pivot or attempt to pivot into OT are caught early — eliminating blind spots that siloed tools miss.

This unification is critical to meeting USCG requirements for network-wide monitoring, risk identification, and incident response.

AI that understands your environment. Not just known threats

Darktrace’s AI doesn’t rely on rules or signatures. Instead, it uses Self-Learning AI TM that builds a unique “pattern of life” for every device, protocol, user, and network segment, whether it’s a crane router or PLC, SCADA server, Workstation, or Linux file server.

  • No predefined baselines or manual training
  • Real-time anomaly detection for zero-days, ransomware, and supply chain compromise
  • Continuous adaptation to new devices, configurations, and operations

This approach is critical in diverse distributed OT environments where change and anomalous activity on the network are more frequent. It also dramatically reduces the time and expertise needed to classify and inventory assets, even for unknown or custom-built systems.

Supporting incident response requirements

A key USCG requirement is that cybersecurity plans must support effective incident response.

Key expectations include:

  • Defined response roles and procedures: Personnel must know what to do and when (RS.CO-1).
  • Timely reporting: Incidents must be reported and categorized according to established criteria (RS.CO-2, RS.AN-4).
  • Effective communication: Information must be shared internally and externally, including voluntary collaboration with law enforcement and industry peers (RS.CO-3 through RS.CO-5).
  • Thorough analysis: Alerts must be investigated, impacts understood, and forensic evidence gathered to support decision-making and recovery (RS.AN-1 through RS.AN-5).
  • Swift mitigation: Incidents must be contained and resolved efficiently, with newly discovered vulnerabilities addressed or documented (RS.MI-1 through RS.MI-3).
  • Ongoing improvement: Organizations must refine their response plans using lessons learned from past incidents (RS.IM-1 and RS.IM-2).

That means detections need to be clear, accurate, and actionable.

Darktrace cuts through the noise using AI that prioritizes only high-confidence incidents and provides natural-language narratives and investigative reports that explain:

  • What’s happening, where it’s happening, when it’s happening
  • Why it’s unusual
  • How to respond

Result: Port security teams often lean and multi-tasked can meet USCG response-time expectations and reporting needs without needing to scale headcount or triage hundreds of alerts.

Built-for-edge deployment

Maritime environments are constrained. Many traditional SaaS deployment types often are unsuitable for tugboats, cranes, or air-gapped terminal systems.

Darktrace builds and maintains its own ruggedized, purpose-built appliances and unique virtual deployment options that:

  • Deploy directly into crane networks or terminal enclosures
  • Require no configuration or tuning, drop-in ready
  • Support secure over-the-air updates and fleet management
  • Operate without cloud dependency, supporting isolated and air-gapped systems

Use case: Multiple ports have been able to deploy Darktrace directly into the crane’s switch enclosure, securing lateral movement paths without interfering with the crane control software itself.

Segmentation enforcement & real-time threat containment

Darktrace visualizes real-time connectivity and attack pathways across IT, OT, and IoT it and integrates with firewalls (e.g., Fortinet, Cisco, Palo Alto) to enforce segmentation using AI insights alongside Darktrace’s own native autonomous and human confirmed response capabilities.

Benefits of autonomous and human confirmed response:

  • Auto-isolate rogue devices before the threat can escalate
  • Quarantine a suspicious connectivity with confidence operations won’t be halted
  • Autonomously buy time for human responders during off-hours or holidays
  • This ensures segmentation isn't just documented but that in the case of its failure or exploitation responses are performed as a compensating control

No reliance on 3rd parties or external connectivity

Darktrace’s supply chain integrity is a core part of its value to critical infrastructure customers. Unlike solutions that rely on indirect data collection or third-party appliances, Darktrace:

  • Uses in-house engineered sensors and appliances
  • Does not require transmission of data to or from the cloud

This ensures confidence in both your cyber visibility and the security of the tools you deploy.

See examples here of how Darktrace stopped supply chain attacks:

Readiness for USCG and Beyond

With a self-learning system that adapts to each unique port environment, Darktrace helps maritime operators not just comply but build lasting cyber resilience in a high-threat landscape.

Cybersecurity is no longer optional for U.S. ports its operationally and nationally critical. Darktrace delivers the intelligence, automation, and precision needed to meet USCG requirements and protect the digital lifeblood of the modern port.

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About the author
Daniel Simonds
Director of Operational Technology
Your data. Our AI.
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