New External Client IP Address Connection

This alert occurs when Lacework detects an external IP address connects to a process on a host running a Lacework agent for the first time. The host had knowledge about this client, but the client never connected to the host before this alert.

Why this Alert is Important

This alert may indicate that an IP address associated with an attack is attempting to connect to an Internet-facing service in your infrastructure. These connection attempts may include automated port scanning, service discovery, brute-forcing, or application exploitation. Such an event may highlight services that have been mistakenly exposed to the Internet.

Investigation

Investigate threat tags and any open source information to determine what activity has been associated with this IP address in the past. Examine the number of connections and size of data transfer for the connections to determine if meaningful data has been transferred - over 10 KB per connection. If the target application requires a password, review logs for successful login activity from the remote IP.

Resolution

Determine if the activity associated with IP was successful. If successful, inspect for signs of persistence and lateral movement. If determined to be malicious, block future communications from the IP. Additionally, determine if the application in question should be Internet-accessible.