Analysis of Advanced Persistent Threat Attacks, Lifecycle, and Counter Measures: A Comprehensive Review

Large organizations including big IT firms and military organizations are interconnected through a large cyber network and these organizations are prone to highly sophisticated forms of cyber-attacks like Advanced Persistent Threats. Advanced Persistent Threats are highly sophisticated and formidable form of attacks that are characterized by their stealthy, prolonged, and meticulously planned operations. This paper explores the nature of Advanced Persistent Threats and talks about the stages of its lifecycle and the mitigation strategies. It examines the different stages of APTs beginning from reconnaissance to setting up a command-and-control centre and exfiltrating the data without getting detected. Further, based on the existing studies, various existing APT attack detection techniques are identified. In response to the challenges, a framework is proposed for detection of APT attacks. Furthermore, this paper also discussed the countermeasure methodologies such as pattern-based detection, the cyber kill chain framework, and artificial intelligence-based approaches to underscore the importance of proactive and multilayered defence mechanisms.