This method, dubbed BYOEDR (Bring Your Own EDR), represents a concerning evolution in defense evasion tactics that leverage legitimate security tools as weapons against themselves. Security experts recommend implementing application control measures, custom IOAs (Indicators of Attack), and application-aware firewalls to block unauthorized RMM and EDR installations. Additionally, fundamental security practices, including proper network segmentation, host hardening, regular patching, and limiting local administrator privileges, remain crucial defenses. In their testing, they demonstrated how Cisco Secure Endpoint (AMP) could be successfully installed and configured to disable both CrowdStrike Falcon and Elastic Defend without triggering alerts or generating telemetry beyond the host going offline. The final step involves identifying the SHA256 hash of the target EDR process and adding it to the “Blocked Application List” through the Outbreak Control > Blocked Application interface. This attack method emerges against a backdrop of increasing RMM (Remote Management and Monitoring) abuse, with the 2024 CrowdStrike Threat Hunting Report indicating a 70% year-over-year increase in such activities. The research team has called for EDR vendors to strengthen validation processes for free trials and implement safeguards preventing agent hijacking between different tenants of the same product. Attackers use free EDR trials to disable existing security tools. Unlike more complex evasion methods such as BYOVD (Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver) or DLL-unhooking techniques, BYOEDR presents a lower complexity approach while maintaining high effectiveness. The legitimacy of EDR tools makes them particularly effective for malicious purposes, as they possess valid certificates and trusted status that reduces detection likelihood. According to Mike Manrod and Ezra Woods, the technical process involves several critical steps that exploit EDR administrative capabilities.
This Cyber News was published on cybersecuritynews.com. Publication date: Fri, 01 Aug 2025 06:30:17 +0000