Command and Control (C2) Servers in Cybersecurity: Infrastructure, Detection & Mitigation

the world of Command and Control (C2) servers—the covert backbone of advanced cyber threats—by exploring how attackers establish C2 infrastructures using channels like HTTP, DNS, and HTTPS, and learn cutting-edge detection methods such as network traffic analysis, anomaly detection, and threat intelligence sharing. For more details visit, www.sysdevcode.com

Transcript

2. SYSDEVCODE COMMAND AND CONTROL FRAMEWORK STRUCTURE Learn More Command and Control (C2) servers are used by attackers to communicate with compromised systems.
3. C2 SERVER The C2 Server serves as a hub for agents to call back to. Agents will periodically reach out to the C2 server and wait for the operator’s commands.
4. Run the C2 agent on a target machine and the agent connects to the public C2 server. An administrator connects to the C2 server to interact with the compromised machine through the server.
5. AGENTS / PAYLOADS An agent is a program generated by the C2 framework that calls back to a listener on a C2 server. examples of this may be a simulated command to Download or Upload a file onto the system
6. C2 CLIENT Software installed on a C2 operator’s machine that allows him to connect to the C2 server and interact with compromised machines
7. LISTENERS A listener is an application running on the C2 server that waits for a callback over a specific port or protocol. Examples DNS, HTTP, and or HTTPS BEACONS A Beacon is the process of a C2 Agent calling back to the listener running on a C2 Server
8. WHY NOT JUST USE A REVERSE SHELL?
9. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A C2 FRAME? C2 frameworks are client-server platforms for post- exploitation, access maintenance, and collaboration. They centralize data flow, support multiple users, and require one public IP/domain, simplifying infrastructure. More stable than traditional shells, they allow tool integration (e.g., Mimikatz, Nmap) and are ideal for red/purple teaming to simulate attacks and test defenses.
10. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A C2 FRAME? Stealth Flexibility scalability Centralized Management P Data Exfiltration Reliability
11. What are the most popular C2 frameworks? Cobalt Strike
16. Studio Shodwe THANK YOU