What is the Cyber Kill Chain, and why was this framework created by Lockheed Martin, a global security and aerospace company
Welcome! I'm excited to dive into the Cyber Kill Chain with you. Before we sketch out our learning path and get into how this framework reshaped modern defense, I'd love to know a bit more about what brings you to this topic.
I'm building general cybersecurity knowledge.
It's great to have you here! Building a solid grasp of foundational frameworks is one of the best ways to kick off your cybersecurity journey, and the Cyber Kill Chain is the perfect place to start. Let's look at the learning path we'll take to master this concept.
Your path
The 7 Attack Phases
Defensive Application and Limitations
The Military Roots of Cyber Defense
To understand the Cyber Kill Chain, we actually have to step out of the digital world for a moment and look at physical military strategy. The term "kill chain" was originally coined by the military to describe the systematic phases of an attack: finding a target, tracking its movement, dispatching forces, and finally engaging the target.
In 2011, took this physical warfare concept and adapted it to information security. They realized that cybercriminals don't just magically teleport into a secure database to steal data. Instead, they have to execute a highly structured, step-by-step journey to succeed.
The absolute core philosophy of the Cyber Kill Chain is incredibly empowering for defenders. It states that an adversary must succeed at every single step of the chain to achieve their objective, but a defender only needs to break one single link to completely disrupt and defeat the attack.