Thrip: Espionage Group Hits Satellite, Telecoms, and Defense Companies

One of the most significant developments in cyber espionage in recent years has been the number of groups adopting "living off the land" tactics. That's our shorthand for the use of operating system features or legitimate network administration tools to compromise victims' networks. The purpose of living off the land is twofold. By using such features and tools, attackers are hoping to blend in on the victim's network and hide their activity in a sea of legitimate processes. Secondly, even if malicious activity involving these tools is detected, it can make it harder to attribute attacks.