Automated Control Validation with Tommyknocker

Presented at DEF CON 32 (2024), Aug. 9, 2024, 2 p.m. (105 minutes).

Tommyknocker is an open source project designed to facilitate automation of continuous security control validation, bringing some of the processes developers have been using for years for regressing testing, to the security world. It allows users to easily create test scenarios using docker images and standard scripts to perform one or more test actions, followed by the ability to easily check common tooling (SIEM, IDS, Log aggregators) for any expected alerts or log entries. Using Tommyknocker, security organizations can add test cases each time a new security control is created, so that any time a change is made in the environment, the continued functioning of existing controls can be validated. Many times, security organizations will only test controls when they are first implemented, and potentially a few times a year for audit purposes. With Tommyknocker, controls can be tested multiple times per day, ensuring that alerts are raised as soon as possible when a control ceases to function correctly, or is compromised by a threat actor.

Presenters:

  • Jeremy Banker
    Jeremy is an accomplished software developer and lifelong hacker with a combined 10 years of experience in software development and cybersecurity. After working his way up from customer support, and earning a Master's degree in Information Security, Jeremy helped found the Security Product Engineering, Automation and Research group at VMware. Having spoken at both Blackhat Arsenal and Def Con Demolabs on his open source projects, he continues to be passionate about sharing new tools and technologies with the community. In his spare time, Jeremy enjoys gardening, camping, and tinkering with all manner of technology.

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