Query: Lateral movement indicators for LNK Icon Smuggling
Matching passage: T1027.012 LNK Icon Smuggling. Tactics: stealth. Description: Adversaries may smuggle commands to download malicious payloads past content filters by hiding them within otherwise seemingly benign windows shortcut files. Windows shortcut files (.LNK) include many metadata fields, including an icon location field (also known as the `IconEnvironmentDataBlock`) designed to specify the path to an icon file that is to be displayed for the LNK file within a host directory. Adversaries may abuse this LNK metadata to download malicious payloads. For example, adversaries have been observed using LNK files as phishing payloads to deliver malware. Once invoked (e.g., [Malicious File](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/002)), payloads referenced via external URLs within the LNK icon location field may be downloaded. These files may also then be invoked by [Command and Scripting Interpreter](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1059)/[System Binary Proxy Execution](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1218) arguments within the target path field of the LNK.(Citation: Unprotect Shortcut)(Citation: Booby Trap Shortcut 2017) LNK Icon Smuggling may also be utilized post compromise, such as malicious scripts executing an LNK on an infected host to download additional malicious payloads.
Near-miss passage: T1027.015 Compression. Tactics: stealth. Description: Adversaries may use compression to obfuscate their payloads or files. Compressed file formats such as ZIP, gzip, 7z, and RAR can compress and archive multiple files together to make it easier and faster to transfer files. In addition to compressing files, adversaries may also compress shellcode directly - for example, in order to store it in a Windows Registry key (i.e., [Fileless Storage](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1027/011)).(Citation: Trustwave Pillowmint June 2020) In order to further evade detection, adversaries may combine multiple ZIP files into one archive. This process of concatenation creates an archive that appears to be a single archive but in fact contains the central directories of the embedded archives. Some ZIP readers, such as 7zip, may not be able to identify concatenated ZIP files and miss the presence of the malicious payload.(Citation: Perception Point) File archives may be sent as one [Spearphishing Attachment](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1566/001) through email. Adversaries have sent malicious payloads as archived files to encourage the user to interact with and extract the malicious payload onto their system (i.e., [Malicious File](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1204/002)).(Citation: NTT Security Flagpro new December 2021) However, some file compression tools, such as 7zip, can be used to produce self-extracting archives. Adversaries may send self-extracting archives to hide the functionality of their payload and launch it without requiring multiple actions from the user.(Citation: The Hacker News) [Compression](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1027/015) may be used in combination with [Encrypted/Encoded File](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1027/013) where compressed files are encrypted and password-protected.