TA0009 · COLLECTION
Archive Collected Data
Compressing and encrypting the staged data to shrink it and hide its contents.
Detect it with
rar.exe / 7z.exe with a password flag; large archives written to temp or ProgramData.
Why it matters on shift
Archive Collected Data is one of the concrete ways adversaries achieve collection. Recognising it in telemetry lets you name the technique in your ticket and pivot to what came before and after.
What to look for next
After collection, the next tactic is usually Command and Control. Search your telemetry for the transition before closing the ticket.
3 sub-techniques
How it shows up in practice
- T1560.001
Archive via Utility
Adversaries may use utilities to compress and/or encrypt collected data prior to exfiltration. Many utilities include functionalities to compress, encrypt, or otherwise package data into a format that is easier/more secure to transport.
- T1560.002
Archive via Library
An adversary may compress or encrypt data that is collected prior to exfiltration using 3rd party libraries. Many libraries exist that can archive data, including Python rarfile , libzip , and zlib .
- T1560.003
Archive via Custom Method
An adversary may compress or encrypt data that is collected prior to exfiltration using a custom method.
Kill-chain context