Simultaneously Attacking and Defending

At Blackhat I attended an Amazing Krav Maga Martial Arts Class hosted by WireX Systems . Thank You to my gracious hosts the CEO and Co-Founder Tomer Saban , instructor and blackbelt Beth Sorenson and coordinator Claudia Flores

WireX Systems is a Security and Networking Company

• Focused on Threat Intelligence, Incident Response and Data Correlation to provide a Google-Like way to access data across your environment in order to streamline security operators detect and respond capabilities with automated investigations?
• Analyzing and visualizing massive amounts of data in different dimensions (including access to critical servers, lateral movement, remote execution, file uploads and downloads, database activities, user agents, emails, and so on)
• Lead by seasoned security experts from IDF/8200, Nice Systems, HP and Check Point as well as financially-backed by Magma Venture Partners, Vertex Venture Capital, Entrée Ventures, and Mickey Boodaei

Use Cases

• Infrastructure visibility beyond logs - correlation, enrichment and identity identification
• Incident Response, Threat Hunting, Lateral Movement detection
• Insider Threat, Malware / Command and Control Communications detection
• Critical assets identification and behavioral analytics, Network Segmentation Validation
• ZTNA: visibility into users/ Data/ Application interactions, Rogue Asset Discovery

Krav Maga Intense Training

In the session we learned Krav Maga, an Israeli self defence system developed for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), using techniques derived from Aikido, Boxing, Judo, Karate and Wrestling

Krav Maga core principles include: (Source Wikipedia)

• Simultaneous defense and attack.
• Developing physical aggression (not to be confused with emotional aggression or anger), with the view that physical aggression is the most important component in a fight.
• Continuing to strike the opponent until they are completely incapacitated.
• Attacking pre-emptively or counterattacking as soon as possible.
• Using any objects at hand that could be used to hit an opponent.
• Targeting attacks to the body's most vulnerable points, such as: the eyes, neck or throat, face, solar plexus, groin, ribs, knee, foot, fingers, liver, etc.
• Using simple and easily repeatable strikes.
• Maintaining awareness of surroundings while dealing with the threat in order to look for escape routes, further attackers, or objects that could be used to strike an opponent.
• Developing muscle memory for quick reaction in fight.
• Recognizing the importance of and expanding on instinctive response under stress.[20][21][22]

Lessons from a 2 Hour Class

Stance - back leg and front leg shoulder width apart and one in front of the other to have a steady position and be able to RESIST being "pushed or pulled"

Protection - Hands cover face, open or close fists

Distance - Jab to keep space and be ready to alternate between a jab, cross and hook

Breathing - Short quick breaths for every hit or taking a hit. This oxygenates your body empowering you to both use more power in your hits but also be able to better take a hit and distribute the impact. Most people hold their breath and lose oxygen to both their mind and body which weakens their overall ability to both attack and defend.

Balance - Defend and simultaneously attack. We did an excellent mirror exercise

See how close you are to your attacker to determine where you can reach them.

- When I kick you hit, When I hit you kick

- When I use elbows you use knees, when I use knees you use elbows

Also throw some fake swings to make them think you can't reach them and then attack

Hit with Intention

- Front Foot groin kicks, use the front sole of your foot. It has less bones. Like a stomp

- For the Back foot kick gets power by twisting your hips and kick with ball of foot

Situation Defense

Scenario #1 - Grabbed from the back around the waist.. kidnapper plans to move you to another location.

Response - Drop to the ground like a kid who doesn't want to go, wide stance with a low center of gravity then do a groin hit, stomp on the feet while peeling the hands apart.. One thing to be careful for is if you drop of the ground, make sure their leg is not between yours otherwise you will hurt yourself.

Scenario #2 - Grabbed around the neck from the back

Response - Turn your head sideways quickly to protect your neck and have air otherwise you have less time. Grab around the head to pull by the noise up or eyes to peel them off you. Move your back leg under them and use your body weight to get them off balance. The back leg is a great move.

Scenario #3 - On the floor being choked

Response - Grab the hands to peel off you, bump your hips so they fly forward and lose balance and are now holding themselves up by holding the floor and not your neck. Now start hitting the face.

Scenario #4 - Being hit and choked on the ground

Response - Pull one hand to your chest and hold on tight. don't let them get their hand back, that is your hand now.. Next step is to role into that direction because they have no support in that direction to get them on their back

Scenario #5 - Choked on the ground and not enough power to get them off you

Response - Lock their arms in place with both your hands in crossed over both of their hands on top like your trapping them to your body. Now pick up your legs and put them on their shoulders and lift up. The idea is your going to snap their elbows, so use force which will tighten their arms until they have no power. Remember your entire body weight will be more force then what they have in their arms. It is just physics.