CampaignPublished 4 Mar 2026

Using SSL Certificates and Graph Theory to Uncover Threat Actors

Source AlienVault OTX General

Description

Researchers at Infoblox have developed an advanced technique leveraging graph theory and SSL certificates to uncover threat actor operational relationships. The approach analyzes Certificate Transparency logs, using the Subject Alternative Name field in certificates to identify domains under common control. By modeling domains as nodes and certificate relationships as edges, the system reveals comprehensive threat infrastructures. This method enables discovery of new malicious domains, consolidation of threat actor identities, and early detection of emerging threats. The system processes millions of certificates daily, providing actionable intelligence on threat actor operations across various types of cybercriminal activities.

Impact

The primary impact of this technique is on improving the detection and attribution capabilities of cybersecurity teams and threat intelligence providers. By uncovering hidden relationships between malicious domains, organizations can more effectively block or monitor threat actor infrastructure, reducing the risk of successful attacks. Early identification of emerging malicious domains allows for proactive defense measures, such as updating firewall rules, intrusion detection signatures, and threat intelligence feeds. This can limit the operational scope and effectiveness of cybercriminal campaigns including phishing, malware distribution, and command-and-control operations. The technique also aids in threat actor attribution, which supports law enforcement and strategic response efforts. However, since this is a detection methodology rather than an exploit, it does not directly compromise confidentiality, integrity, or availability of systems. Its value lies in enhancing situational awareness and enabling faster, more informed defensive actions.

Defensive guidance

Organizations should integrate Certificate Transparency log analysis and graph-based domain clustering into their threat intelligence and security monitoring workflows. Deploying or subscribing to services that perform this type of analysis can provide early warnings about malicious infrastructure linked to threat actors targeting their sector. Security teams should correlate these findings with internal telemetry such as DNS logs, network traffic, and endpoint alerts to validate and prioritize threats. Automated blocking or alerting on newly discovered malicious domains identified through this method can reduce exposure. Additionally, organizations should share relevant intelligence with industry Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) and law enforcement to enhance collective defense. Investing in skilled analysts and tools capable of handling large-scale graph data and certificate analysis is critical. Finally, maintaining up-to-date SSL/TLS configurations and monitoring certificate issuance for their own domains can help prevent abuse by adversaries.

Indicators of compromise

Domains 324

365day-jp.com
365shop-pl.com
365shopping-pl.com
618712.xyz
618713.xyz
618714.xyz
618715.xyz
618721.xyz
618722.xyz
618723.xyz

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Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 5 Mar 2026, 10:08 UTC

MITRE ATT&CK techniques8 from threat tags

Technical details

Indicators of compromise

Domains 324

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