Defend Against Hacktivist Groups like APT Handala

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How To Defend Against Hacktivist Groups like APT Handala

Hacktivist groups like APT Handala aren’t driven by money. They’re fueled by politics, disruption, and the desire to make headlines. In this episode of Threat Talks, host Lieuwe Jan Koning sits down with SOC analyst Yuri Wit and Field CTO Rob Maas to break down how these groups operate.

The team walks through the seven steps of the Lockheed Martin kill chain, showing how APT Handala chooses targets, launches attacks, and what organizations can do to fight back.

What we cover

·      What hacktivists are and what motivates them

·      APT Handala’s tactics during the Israel conflict

·      How phishing, wipers, and credential dumps are used

·      The role of awareness vs technical defenses

·      Best practices for detection and prevention at each kill chain stage

 

Your cybersecurity experts

Lieuwe

Lieuwe Jan Koning

Co-Founder and CTO
ON2IT

Yuri Wit

Yuri Wit

SOC Specialist
ON2IT

Rob Maas, Field CTO, ON2IT

Rob Maas

Field CTO
ON2IT

Episode details

How To Defend Against Hacktivist Groups like APT Handala

Hacktivism is psychological warfare disguised as IT trouble. The panel walks the Lockheed Martin kill chain, showing where Handala invests effort—and where you should break momentum. Recon is social. Delivery is fast. Exploitation leans on phish, dumps, and credential stuffing. Installation aims for disruption, not domain admin. That’s the blind spot: attackers don’t need everything to hurt you.

Defense becomes simple when you accept human error as permanent. Build for it. Use strict mail hygiene, sandboxing, and “assume-clicked” URL policies. On endpoints, pair tight allow-lists with EDR software that kills suspicious behavior mid-run. For command and control, block newly registered domains, detect DGA patterns, and enforce egress deny-by-default—especially on servers. Zero Trust isn’t a slogan here; it’s the playbook that keeps a single mistake from becoming a public incident.

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