Lateral Movement in Hybrid Networks: How Attackers Move Inside

When attackers get into a network, the activity does not always stop there. Instead, they begin moving to other systems that are connected to the network. This movement stays quiet and happens in the background.

In hybrid networks, this is easier to miss. Some systems run on-premises, while others run in the cloud. These systems are built to work together, but they are not always monitored in the same way. Attackers take advantage of this gap. They move between systems using access that already exists and connections that are already trusted.

During this time, everything looks normal. People log in the way they usually do, and systems respond the way they always have. In the background, the attacker keeps moving through the network, reaching one system after another without being noticed.

This infographic shows how that movement happens in hybrid networks. It shows attackers moving from one system to the next using access that is already in place. The paths they follow are familiar and trusted, which is why the movement does not stand out while it is happening.

For security teams, this can be confusing. Activity is spread across cloud systems and on-premises systems, and it is not always clear how everything connects. By the time someone puts the pieces together, the attacker may have already been inside several systems for some time.

This makes it easy to miss what is happening inside the network. Movement that happens slowly can blend into everyday activity, especially when systems sit in different places and are monitored in different ways.