Issue 4 2021

Issue 4 2021 27 when a company has one and not the other, and therefore is limited in what they can handle and how. AC-Hunter is one of the few programmes on the market that can offer both. To be able to handle this, AC-Hunter will analyse 24-hour chunks of network traffic in order to ascertain if there were any indications of an internal system with an unguarded gateway out into the wider internet and a command and control channel. This is its core focus; C2 beaconing. A deceptively simple yet incredibly effective response to cybersecurity, Active Countermeasures’ low touch nature means that they are minimally disruptive to their client’s business, too. In this context, ‘low touch’ means that they need to monitor for traffic going in and out of the internet, and nothing else. In this way, with nothing else needing to be installed, it ensures it can conduct all its operations whilst not getting in the way of any of the company’s crucial processes. It can also spot when attackers are encrypting data, identifying the resulting command and control channels that such intrusions result in. Active Countermeasures also holds itself to incredibly high standards of effectiveness, being one of the few tools like it in its sphere. It therefore seeks to excel within its niche, not satisfied until it can verify that a company’s network is free of intrusion and forever working on how solidly it can guarantee that this is the case. It also offers audio visual tools and log review, as well as tools and processes such as forensics to stop and investigate a breach when a system is compromised. Its solutions also come fully equipped with recovery and defence of a system after an attack to allow it to get back on its feet quickly and with minimal to no losses. Regarding the CEO, John Strand, he is a published author and Senior SANS Instructor, owning the Black Hills Information Security firm. Black Hills is one of the most recognisable names in cybersecurity and threat hunting as an industry, a prestige which the CEO has brought with him to Active Countermeasures. He has been lauded for the creation of some of the most sophisticated solutions in fighting cyber intrusions, giving frequent webcasts as a Black Hat presenter with a passion for sharing his security skills with a wider audience. In this manner, much of his work has been on empowering others to take the appropriate steps to secure their networks.