> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://muhammed-hatem.gitbook.io/muhammed-hatem/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://muhammed-hatem.gitbook.io/muhammed-hatem/summaries/cyber-defence-frameworks/pyramid-of-pain.md).

# Pyramid of Pain

## *<mark style="color:blue;">Overview</mark>*

The **Pyramid of Pain** (David J. Bianco) ranks Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) by how hard they are for attackers to change. Defending higher levels causes more "pain" to adversaries.

### *<mark style="color:blue;">Levels & Defense Strategies</mark>*

<table><thead><tr><th>Level</th><th width="157">IOCs Examples</th><th>Detection Methods</th><th>Attacker Pain</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>1. Hash Values</strong></td><td>Malware SHA-256 hashes</td><td>Memory dump analysis (<code>dumpfiles</code>)</td><td>Low</td></tr><tr><td><strong>2. IP Addresses</strong></td><td>C2 server IPs</td><td><code>netscan</code>, firewall logs</td><td>Low</td></tr><tr><td><strong>3. Domain Names</strong></td><td>Malicious DNS (e.g., <code>evil[.]com</code>)</td><td>DNS monitoring + <code>netscan</code></td><td>Moderate</td></tr><tr><td><strong>4. Hostnames</strong></td><td>Attacker machine names</td><td><code>envars</code>, <code>bash_history</code></td><td>Moderate</td></tr><tr><td><strong>5. Network Artifacts</strong></td><td>HTTP User-Agents</td><td>Packet capture analysis</td><td>High</td></tr><tr><td><strong>6. Tools</strong></td><td>Mimikatz, Cobalt Strike</td><td><code>malfind</code>, <code>pslist</code>, YARA rules</td><td>High</td></tr><tr><td><strong>7. TTPs</strong></td><td>LSASS dumping, lateral movement</td><td>Behavioral analysis (<code>handles</code>, <code>timeliner</code>)</td><td><strong>Max</strong></td></tr></tbody></table>

### *<mark style="color:blue;">Key Takeaways</mark>*

1. **Higher = Harder**: Focus on TTPs (Level 7) over hashes/IPs.
2. **Volatility 3 Alignment**:
   * Low levels: `netscan`, `dumpfiles`
   * High levels: `malfind`, `handles`, `registry`
3. **Attacker Impact**: Changing TTPs requires retooling/re-training.


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