Detonating Beacons to Illuminate Detection Gaps

Understanding where your detection coverage falls short is critical for building a robust security posture. This research explores an innovative methodology for identifying detection gaps by systematically detonating command-and-control (C2) beacons in controlled environments.

By safely executing beacon payloads and analyzing the resulting telemetry, security teams can:

• Validate existing detection rules against real-world C2 behavior
• Identify blind spots in endpoint and network visibility
• Prioritize detection engineering efforts based on actual gaps
• Measure detection coverage improvements over time

This approach brings a proactive, offensive-minded perspective to detection engineering, helping teams move beyond theoretical coverage assessments to practical validation of their security controls.

Check out the original blog post at Elastic's Security Labs.