Is APT malware?

APT vs malware, that’s a common source of confusion. APTs use malware (and sometimes even custom-designed malware) in their arsenal, but it's just a means to an end. They also use social engineering, stolen credentials, phishing emails, and fileless attacks that leverage legitimate Windows system tools. Valid usernames, passwords, and your own administrative tools are also what they use to get in and stay in.

Malware types vs APT objectives

Malware comes in many forms: the common ones include viruses (self-replicating code), worms (standalone malware that spreads automatically), trojans (programs masquerading as legitimate software), and ransomware (locks you out and demands payment). Other types include spyware, adware, rootkits, and keyloggers. 

APTs pursue different objectives. Attackers want continued access, not a quick ransomware drop for a few bitcoins. They want your precious IP. They use various persistence mechanisms across different networks, launching attacks from within using legitimate accounts, creating duplicate user profiles, or setting up new admin accounts.

Living off the land and abuse of legit tools

APTs increasingly avoid installing stand-alone malicious applications. Instead, they use legitimate software already in your environment: PowerShell, Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), Task Scheduler, and PsExec. These function as common system administration tools that IT teams use daily and that APTs use to maneuver around networks, escalate permissions, and move laterally without tripping alarms. This is called “living off the land.”

Layered persistence and C2 rotation

APTs use multiple persistence mechanisms. Beyond valid credentials and new admin accounts, they create backdoors that unlock doors even when you secure your network against other attacks.

A prime example is APT29 (also known as Cozy Bear), which carried out the SolarWinds supply-chain attack by injecting the SUNBURST malware into Orion software builds. This gave them stealthy, persistent footholds in thousands of organizations.

APTs also rotate through compromised third-party software, legitimate cloud services, and "domain generation algorithms" (DGAs), creating multiple domain names to stage attacks on servers worldwide. By the time you figure out what's happening and plug those holes, attackers have moved to new "homes" with different networks to attack from.

Other attack groups may use two or three avenues for repeated access. APT groups have so many that you'll likely never fully shut them out.

Identity monitoring and endpoint behavior analytics

If APTs use your tools against you and become long-term residents, what can you do? Start with identity and access management.

Identity monitoring proves key: when an account accesses something it's never accessed before, at times it's never logged in before, from IP locations it's never connected from before—check it. An endpoint behavior analytics tool monitors which programs run on which systems, how users launch them, and where they connect from.

This is where Huntress Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and ITDR (Identity Threat Detection and Response) come in. You need solutions that understand normal behavior and flag deviations, not just known bad signatures. Technology has advanced since the late 90s and early 2000s. We don't need separate "antivirus" and "anti-malware" applications anymore. Huntress offers comprehensive EDR solutions that handle known threats, behavior monitoring, and threat intelligence, backed by a 24/7 SOC ready to detect advanced threats like APTs and respond in real-time.

Log correlation and rapid containment

Gather all your logs and look for patterns. This is where Huntress Managed SIEM comes in. APTs are patient, so security solutions must be patient too, looking at systems and processes communicating over long periods.

An unexpected PowerShell script could be innocent or the first APT sign. By looking across your entire environment through Huntress Managed SIEM rather than in silos, you catch bad guys early and neutralize threats before they cause significant harm.

This is rapid containment: the moment you realize you have a security issue, work fast to stem the tide or face a flood.

You need to match your tools to the job. Email filtering and basic endpoint security work for commodity malware but not for APTs. APTs persist. If your solutions don't persist, they'll get you eventually.

Huntress solutions for Managed EDR, Managed SIEM, and Managed ITDR monitor your environment and are backed by an expert SOC that hunts for bad actors and APTs to stop threats early.