Simulating Cyber-Attacks for Fun and Profit

TL;DR

Insight is a low-resource, realistic cyber-attack simulation platform that models complex scenarios with vulnerabilities, aiding security research, training, and risk assessment.

Contribution

This paper introduces Insight, a novel simulation platform capable of realistic cyber-attack modeling with low hardware requirements and detailed vulnerability and exploit simulation.

Findings

Enables realistic attack scenario simulation with interconnected networks.

Supports testing of zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits.

Useful for pentesting training and security evaluation.

Abstract

We introduce a new simulation platform called Insight, created to design and simulate cyber-attacks against large arbitrary target scenarios. Insight has surprisingly low hardware and configuration requirements, while making the simulation a realistic experience from the attacker's standpoint. The scenarios include a crowd of simulated actors: network devices, hardware devices, software applications, protocols, users, etc. A novel characteristic of this tool is to simulate vulnerabilities (including 0-days) and exploits, allowing an attacker to compromise machines and use them as pivoting stones to continue the attack. A user can test and modify complex scenarios, with several interconnected networks, where the attacker has no initial connectivity with the objective of the attack. We give a concise description of this new technology, and its possible uses in the security research field, such as pentesting training, study of the impact of 0-days vulnerabilities, evaluation of security countermeasures, and risk assessment tool.