The Evolution of Integrated Advance Persistent Threat and Its Defense Solutions: A Literature Review
Jun Zhang, Dan Tenney
Abstract
In 2023, the dawn of Generative Artificial Intelligence, cybercriminals thrive in the underground domain of the dark web ecosystem, powered by cutting-edge technology and all sorts of Cybercrime-as-a-Service weaponry. This complete dark supply chain offers a diverse array of vicious yet non-tech savvy friendly services, from Phishing to Malware. This can significantly lower the barriers to entry for even non-tech savvy person to launch IAPT attacks against large targets such as governments and corporations, as social engineering is the only required skill which now can be augmented by Large Language Models. Despite this gruesome reality, the current academic research lacks a comprehensive understanding such arsenal of Integrated Advanced Persistent Threats (IAPT) within the dark web ecosystem. This work aims to bridge the knowledge gap with a comprehensive literature review on IAPT, which is nowadays augmented with threat infrastructure. It will analyze the attack chain, highlight notable CaaS providers and techniques, and discuss possible defense strategies with the consideration of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It will also motivate further research in the new area of Psybersecurity/Secoanalysis by incorporating psychological/psychoanalytical, sociocultural, and sociopolitical tools into cybersecurity and management.