SC Media reports that malicious versions of Fortra's Cobalt Strike commercial penetration testing tool leveraged by numerous threat actors have dropped by 80% two years after joint crackdown efforts by the cybersecurity firm alongside Microsoft and the Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center.Over 200 domains involved in illicit Cobalt Strike use have been sequestered and sinkholed as part of the operation, with the duration from malicious domain identification to dismantling only taking less than a week and less than two weeks in the U.S. and worldwide, respectively, according to a Fortra analysis.Initiatives to clamp down on Cobalt Strike abuse will continue, noted Fortra, which has also joined the Pall Mall Process that seeks to further counter commercial tool exploitation."These efforts are gaining momentum and have entered a new phase of heightened efficacy," said Fortra. "Automation processes have been put into place to further increase efficiency and simplify the takedown process."
