Unsurprisingly, as we create new ways of stopping cyber threats, someone will be on the other side of the world researching how to circumvent them. It's human nature to see something as it exists in its current state and try to find ways to improve it, for good or bad. This is where HEAT(Highly Evasive Adaptive Threats) attacks come into the picture. Today, we will talk about how these new threats work, what makes them different from the usual suspects we've all heard so much about, how they could be used against small businesses, and what the good guys are doing to try to stop them.

 

What are HEAT Attacks?

Traditional cyber threats often rely on methods such as email-based phishing, malware attachments, or exploiting software vulnerabilities. These attacks typically depend on users downloading malicious files or clicking on suspicious links, actions that can be mitigated by user education, monitoring, and standard security tools like antivirus software and firewalls.

In contrast, HEAT attacks are designed to infiltrate systems by evading detection from multiple layers of security defenses. Here are some differences between the attacks you've probably heard about and HEAT...

 

Browser as the Primary Attack Vector

HEAT attacks target web browsers, exploiting their widespread use in accessing cloud-based apps and services. This focus allows attacks to bypass traditional network security measures that are not optimized for browser-based threats (i.e. your firewall). Now, this doesn't mean throw your firewall in the trash, as much as we all would like to stop paying for those support licenses; you will still need them to prevent more conventional forms of attack.

Evasion of Content Inspection

Utilizing techniques like HTML smuggling, HEAT attacks embed malicious scripts within HTML files. These scripts are assembled within the browser, making it challenging for security tools to detect malicious payloads before they reach the endpoint. Put simply, HEAT attacks hide inside harmful code, when someone opens the file the browser will automatically put the malicious code together and run it, since this happens inside the browser, most security tools can't catch it before it causes damage.

Dynamic Content Generation

Attackers employ JavaScript and other scripting languages to generate malicious content in real-time. This dynamic generation can obfuscate malicious code, rendering static analysis tools less effective.

Bypassing URL Reputation Checks

HEAT attacks often use compromised but reputable URLs, a tactic known as Legacy URL Reputation Evasion (LURE). By leveraging trusted domains, these attacks can bypass URL filtering solutions that rely on reputation scores.

 

How This Impacts Small Business

The average employee spends a substantial portion of their workday on a browser, around 75% of their day according to Google. As this number grows, the attack surface for HEAT threats expands considerably. Just as outdated software allows more and more entry points for cybercriminals; the amount of time users spend online gives HEAT attacks more opportunity for entry.  To this point, HEAT attacks have primarily been used on larger businesses where there are more employees online, and therefore more opportunity for a successful attack, but now that small businesses are spending more time on web-based apps (thanks Quickbooks Online), cybercriminals have turned their eyes on more vulnerable victims.

Mitigation Strategies

Luckily for you, the good guys are working just as hard to stop these attacks as they become more common, and there are already several things you can do to prevent being a sitting duck for HEAT attacks.

Implement Advanced Threat Protection

Deploy solutions capable of real-time behavioral analysis to detect anomalies associated with HEAT techniques. One such solution is Deep Instinct’s AI-driven antimalware tool, which leverages deep learning to predict and prevent both known and unknown threats. This is a tool we provide all of our customers and is a great start to preventing these attacks.

Adopt a Zero Trust Security Model

Continuously verify user identities and device integrity, minimizing the risk of unauthorized access. For this, you would likely want a full-time IT person or an MSP to monitor your systems.

Enhance Browser Security

Utilize security tools that can inspect and sandbox HTML content, preventing malicious scripts from executing within the browser.

Regular Employee Training

Your human capital is always going to be your most important line of defense, and training your employees about new threats will never be an outdated tool of defense.

Maintain Up-to-Date Systems

Regularly update and patch web browsers and associated applications to address known vulnerabilities.

 

HEAT attacks are growing in popularity amongst cybercriminals, and as I said earlier, 2025 will see these attacks rolled out on smaller and smaller businesses. Don't wait for it to happen to you, take time this new year to bolster your cybersecurity procedures, your company may be at stake if you don't.