What Happens After a Cyberattack?
BAE Networks and Huntress host a webinar on October 21, featuring a simulated cyberattack.
Cyberattacks don't usually begin with flashing screens, ominous music, or a countdown clock. More often, they start with something that looks completely ordinary.
An employee clicks a link in an email. Someone downloads a file. A password is reused. A compromised account is accessed from an unfamiliar location. An endpoint is exposed to the internet.
The initial event may seem insignificant, but what happens next can matter more.
Once an attacker gains access to an environment, they may look for credentials, identify systems, move between devices, establish persistence, or search for valuable data. Depending on the attack, days or weeks can pass before the activity becomes obvious to the people inside the organization.
That's why understanding what happens after initial access is such an important part of cybersecurity.
Getting In is Only the Beginning
When people picture a cyberattack, they often picture the end result: ransomware encrypting files, systems going offline, or a ransom note appearing on a screen.
Those are effects of an attack, not necessarily where the attack began.
Before deploying ransomware, an attacker may have already spent time inside the environment.
They might begin by:
Gathering information about the network,
Identifying users, devices, and applications,
Searching for credentials,
Attempting to escalate privileges,
Moving from one compromised system to another,
Establishing ways to maintain access, or
Identifying valuable files or systems.
This activity is often called lateral movement, where an attacker moves through an environment after gaining an initial foothold.
The longer an attacker operates undetected, the more opportunities they may have to expand their access and increase the impact of an attack.
Cyberattacks Can Be Surprisingly Quiet
One of the biggest misconceptions about cyberattacks is that they are always obvious. They're not.
A compromised account doesn't necessarily lock everyone out of their email. A malicious download doesn't necessarily crash a computer. Suspicious activity doesn't always trigger an immediate, visible warning.
An attacker may be trying to blend into normal activity.
That makes context important.
A login from an unusual location might not mean anything on its own. A new process running on a computer might be legitimate. A user accessing a particular file might be completely normal.
But when those events connect with other suspicious activity, they can tell a very different story, and that's where security monitoring and detection come into play.
Detection is About More Than Finding Malware
Modern cybersecurity isn't just about looking for a known virus and blocking it. Security teams and technology need to be able to identify suspicious behavior and investigate what it means.
That might include unusual login activity, unexpected processes, attempts to access credentials, suspicious PowerShell activity, or communication with known malicious infrastructure.
Your IT team needs to move beyond just asking, "Is this file malicious?" They should also be asking, "Does this activity make sense?"
That distinction matters because attackers don't always need traditional malware to cause problems. They can potentially use legitimate tools already available within an environment to accomplish their objectives.
Understanding behavior gives security teams more context to work with.
What Happens When Suspicious Activity is Detected?
Detection is only one part of the process.
Once suspicious activity is identified, someone needs to determine what happened, how far the activity may have spread, and what action to take.
That investigation can involve questions such as:
What triggered the alert?
Which user or device was involved?
When did the activity begin?
What happened before and after the suspicious event?
Did the attacker access other systems?
Were credentials compromised?
What needs to be contained?
What steps are necessary to prevent further activity?
This is where cybersecurity becomes much more than a collection of tools.
Technology can surface suspicious activity, but understanding its significance and deciding what to do about it requires expertise, context, and a defined response process.
So What Does a Cyberattack Actually Look Like?
It's one thing to read about initial access, lateral movement, detection, and response, but it's another thing to watch those stages unfold.
That's exactly what we're exploring during Anatomy of a Cyberattack, a live webinar hosted by BAE Networks and Huntress.
During the webinar, attendees will watch a simulated cyberattack unfold and get a firsthand look at what happens after an attacker gains access to a compromised environment.
We'll walk through the attack from initial compromise through detection, investigation, and response, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the activity that can occur along the way.
You'll also see how BAE Networks and Huntress use security technology and expertise together to identify and respond to suspicious activity.
You won't just hear about a cyberattack. You'll watch one happen.
Watch a Cyberattack Unfold
Join BAE Networks and Huntress for Anatomy of a Cyberattack on Wednesday, October 21 at 12:00 PM ET.
Understanding what happens during an attack is an important part of preparing for one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the first step in a cyberattack?
There isn't one universal starting point. An attack may begin through phishing, stolen credentials, a malicious download, an exposed system, a compromised account, or another method of gaining initial access.
What happens after an attacker gets into a network?
After gaining initial access, an attacker may attempt to establish persistence, obtain additional credentials, escalate privileges, gather information, move between systems, and identify valuable data or systems.
What is lateral movement in cybersecurity?
Lateral movement describes an attacker's attempts to move from one compromised system or account to other systems within an environment. This can let an attacker expand access after the initial compromise.
How are cyberattacks detected?
Cyberattacks can be detected through a combination of security tools, monitoring, threat intelligence, behavioral analysis, and human investigation. Detection often involves identifying activity that is unusual or inconsistent with expected behavior.
What happens after a cyberattack is detected?
The response depends on the nature of the activity, but generally involves investigating the alert, determining the scope of the activity, containing the threat, removing the attacker's access, and taking steps to prevent or limit further impact.
Why is it important to understand how cyberattacks happen?
Understanding how attacks progress can help organizations identify where their security processes, technology, and response capabilities need attention. It also gives employees and business leaders a clearer picture of why cybersecurity involves more than simply preventing suspicious emails or installing antivirus software.
Can I watch a simulated cyberattack?
Yes. BAE Networks and Huntress will demonstrate a simulated cyberattack during Anatomy of a Cyberattack on October 21 at 12:00 PM ET. Attendees will watch the attack unfold and see how suspicious activity is detected, investigated, and addressed.
