TA0043 · RECONNAISSANCE
Digital Certificates
Adversaries may search public digital certificate data for information about victims that can be used during targeting. Digital certificates are issued by a certificate authority (CA) in order to cryptographically verify the origin of signed content.
Detect it with
Much of this activity may have a very high occurrence and associated false positive rate, as well as potentially taking place outside the visibility of the target organization, making detection difficult for defenders.
Why it matters on shift
Digital Certificates is one of the concrete ways adversaries achieve reconnaissance. 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 reconnaissance, the next tactic is usually Resource Development. Search your telemetry for the transition before closing the ticket.
Kill-chain context