Anatomy of a modern attack
How real-world threats use multiple techniques to breach your defenses.
Today's AI-driven attacks don't target one environment — they progress across them all, faster than traditional defenses can respond. Here’s what it looks like in the wild and what it means for your organization.
1
Initial Access
The attacker’s first hurdle is to breach your environment — whether on-premises, cloud, or SaaS.
Common techniques include:
Key risk for your organization
After securing initial access, the attacker can pivot into deeper parts of your infrastructure.
2
Establishing Persistence
Next, the attacker works to ensure they won’t be easily kicked out.
Common techniques include:
Key risk for your organization
Once persistent access is in place, attackers can come and go — even if you reset credentials or discover and shut down one access route.
3
Privilege Escalation & Lateral Movement
The attacker can now focus on escalating privileges and moving laterally across on-premises, cloud, and SaaS environments.
Common techniques include:
Brute Force & Credential Stuffing
To test known or leaked credentials and gain higher privileges in SaaS or cloud accounts.
Key risk for your organization
Reaching this stage means the attacker has broad control and can start targeting high-value systems or data.
4
Data Access & Exfiltration
Now that the attacker has privileged access, they work on locating and extracting sensitive data.
Common techniques include:
Key risk for your organization
Successful data exfiltration can result in regulatory penalties, loss of competitive advantage, and reputational damage.
5
Impact & Monetization
Finally, attackers monetize or leverage their access — whether through ransomware demands, cryptomining, data sale, or direct sabotage.
Common techniques include:
Key risk for your organization
Reaching this final stage can cripple operations, destroy data integrity, and tarnish your brand. Early detection and interruption in the previous stages is crucial to prevent or mitigate these high-impact outcomes.
Are you prepared to stop modern attacks?
Take the security gap assessment
Given the sophistication of modern attacks, it’s easy to overlook subtle indicators of a blended attack. See if your tools can detect modern threats.
Featured eBook
A Breakdown of Emerging Modern Attacker Methods
Learn how today’s attackers hide in plain sight — and how to intercept them.
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How Vectra AI detects and disrupts modern attacks
Attackers rely on chaining multiple TTPs to slip under the radar. Vectra AI provides:
Coverage
Real-time attack coverage across cloud, network, and endpoints to catch every phase, from initial compromise to exfiltration.
Clarity
AI-driven correlation transforms scattered signals into a single, prioritized alert—so you know exactly where and how the attack is progressing.
Control
Automated or guided response actions empower you to contain compromised accounts, isolate infected hosts, and block malicious connections without delay.