Which type of communication does WildFire primarily inspect for command and control activity?

WildFire primarily inspects malicious outbound communications for command and control (C2) activity. This is crucial because C2 channels are how malware communicates back to its command server after infecting a system. By monitoring outbound traffic, WildFire can detect when a device is trying to connect to external servers that it shouldn't be, helping to identify and mitigate threats.

The primary focus on outbound communications is due to the nature of many cyber-attacks, where initially, the malware may infiltrate a network (indicating an inbound threat), but it is during the outbound communication phase that the danger escalates as compromised devices attempt to transmit sensitive data or receive further instructions. Therefore, effective monitoring of outbound traffic is essential to thwart potential cybersecurity breaches and malicious activities at an early stage.

In contrast, inbound communications, while important for identifying threats attempting to enter the network, are not the primary focus when considering command and control activities since the identification and neutralization of threats often hinge on stopping them from communicating after they are already within the network. Encrypted traffic is a significant concern for many security solutions; however, identifying C2 communication relies more heavily on understanding the context and behavior of outbound connections rather than just the encryption aspect. Internal network communications don’t typically relate