RedTeam Adversary Emulation With Caldera

Red Team Adversary Emulation involves simulating a real-world threat actor's actions and tactics to test an organisation's defences. One popular tool for this purpose is CALDERA, an automated adversary emulation system developed by MITRE.

What is CALDERA?

CALDERA is a framework for automated adversary emulation, part of MITRE's ATT&CK? framework. It is designed to simulate adversary behaviours in a controlled environment to help organizations identify vulnerabilities and improve their defensive measures.

Key Features of CALDERA:

Modular Design:

CALDERA uses plugins to extend its functionality, allowing users to add custom abilities and behaviours.

Automated Operations:

It can execute predefined operations, making it possible to simulate complex attack scenarios with minimal manual intervention.

Adversary Profiles:

CALDERA uses profiles that mimic the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of real-world adversaries.

Integration with ATT&CK?:

It leverages the MITRE ATT&CK? framework to comprehensively cover adversary behaviours.

Open Source:

CALDERA is open source, allowing for community contributions and customization.

Getting Started with CALDERA:

Installation:

Docker: CALDERA can be run using Docker for easy setup and management.

Manual Installation: Alternatively, it can be installed manually on a Linux system.

Configuration:

Plugins: Enable and configure various plugins to extend CALDERA's capabilities.

Agents: Deploy agents on target machines to execute adversary actions.

Adversaries: Define adversary profiles to simulate specific threat actors.

Execution:

Operations: Create and run operations that simulate attack scenarios using the defined adversary profiles and TTPs.

Monitoring: Use CALDERA's interface to monitor the progress of operations and collect data on the effectiveness of the defences.

Analysis:

Reports: Generate reports on the findings from the operations, highlighting weaknesses and suggesting improvements.

Continuous Improvement: Use the insights gained to continuously improve the organization's security posture.

Example Use Case:

Objective: Test the organization's ability to detect and respond to lateral movement within the network.

Setup:

Install CALDERA and deploy agents on various endpoints.

Create an adversary profile that includes lateral movement techniques such as Pass-the-Hash or Remote File Copy.

Execution:

Run an operation using the lateral movement adversary profile.

Monitor the operation through CALDERA's interface, observing the actions taken by the simulated adversary.

Analysis:

Analyze the logs and alerts generated during the operation to assess detection capabilities.

Identify any gaps in the defences and recommend measures to address them.

Conclusion:

Using CALDERA for Red Team Adversary Emulation helps organizations proactively identify and mitigate security weaknesses. By simulating real-world attacks, security teams can improve their detection and response capabilities, ultimately enhancing the overall security posture.

Would you like a more detailed guide on any specific aspect of using CALDERA, such as installation, configuration, or running a specific type of operation?

Caldera Installation and Configuration steps:

Here’s a detailed guide on installing and configuring CALDERA:

1. Installation

A. Using Docker (Recommended)

Prerequisites:

Docker installed on your system.

Docker Compose installed.

Clone the CALDERA Repository:

git clone https://github.com/mitre/caldera.git --recursive

cd caldera

Run CALDERA using Docker Compose:

docker-compose up --build

This will pull the necessary Docker images and start CALDERA along with its dependencies.

The web interface will be accessible at https://localhost:8888.

B. Manual Installation

Prerequisites:

Python 3.8 or later.

MongoDB is installed and running.

Clone the CALDERA Repository:

git clone https://github.com/mitre/caldera.git --recursive

cd caldera

Create and Activate a Virtual Environment:

python3 -m venv env

source env/bin/activate

Install Python Dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Run CALDERA:

python server.py --insecure

The web interface will be accessible at https://localhost:8888.

2. Configuration

A. Web Interface Setup

Access the CALDERA Web Interface:

Open a web browser and go to https://localhost:8888.

Login:

Default credentials:

red (username) and blue (password).

It is highly recommended to change these default credentials after the first login.

B. Enable and Configure Plugins

Go to the Plugins Tab:

Navigate to the "Plugins" section in the web interface.

Enable Plugins:

Enable desired plugins by toggling them on.

Some useful plugins include manx, sandcat, and stockpile.

Configure Plugins:

Click on the plugin to configure settings like C2 profiles, agent configurations, etc.

C. Deploy Agents

Generate Agent Executable:

Go to the "Agents" tab and select the appropriate platform for the target machine (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS).

Generate the agent executable.

Deploy Agent:

Transfer the generated agent to the target machine.

Execute the agent on the target machine to establish a connection with the CALDERA server.

D. Create and Run Operations

Create an Adversary Profile:

Go to the "Adversaries" tab.

Create a new adversary profile by adding desired TTPs from the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

Create an Operation:

Go to the "Operations" tab.

Create a new operation by selecting the adversary profile, agents, and other settings.

Run the Operation:

Start the operation and monitor its progress through the web interface.

3. Post-Installation Steps

A. Secure Your Installation

Change Default Credentials:

Go to the "Users" tab and change the default password.

Add new users with appropriate roles and permissions.

Enable HTTPS:

Configure HTTPS by setting up an SSL certificate.

Update the conf/local.yml configuration file to point to your SSL certificate and key.

B. Regular Maintenance

Update CALDERA:

Periodically pull the latest changes from the CALDERA repository.

Rebuild and restart the Docker containers (if using Docker) or update the virtual environment (if installed manually).

Backup Configuration and Data:

Regularly backup the MongoDB database and CALDERA configuration files.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you will have a running instance of CALDERA configured for adversary emulation. This setup allows you to simulate attack scenarios, identify vulnerabilities, and enhance your organization's security posture.