System-Level Behavior Analysis for Detecting Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs)

Purpose: Advanced Persistent Threats pose a serious threat in cybersecurity because of their stealth, long presence, and ability to hide. Most organizations placed considerable emphasis on signature-based detection techniques, which were effective against known malware but often failed to detect novel, targeted, or user-specific threats with undefined signatures. This study investigates system-level behavioral analysis as a dynamic alternative for detecting APTs, shifting focus from static indicators to the real-time behavior of processes and applications interacting with the operating system. It emphasizes the importance of identifying abnormal activities such as atypical system call usage, unauthorized process creation, memory injection, and unpredictable modifications to the registry or file system. Materials and Methods: The research outlines several practical tools and methods used to capture behavioral data, including system call monitoring with strace and Sysmon, process and memory analysis via Process Monitor and Volatility, and registry inspection with Autoruns and Rekall. While these techniques lack automation and often require significant technical expertise, they offer valuable insights into threats that evade conventional antivirus solutions. Findings: The study acknowledges the challenges posed by high false positives, manual rule creation, and scalability limitations but underscores their critical role in laying the groundwork for modern cybersecurity practices. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Based on these findings, the study recommends the integration of behavioral detection capabilities into advanced, automated platforms that leverage machine learning and cloud-based analytics. It advocates for a behavior-first approach that prioritizes system-wide visibility and proactive threat hunting over reactive, signature-matching strategies. These recommendations aim to inform the development of AI-driven security solutions capable of detecting complex, evasive threats like APTs in real time and at scale.