Beacon

In cybersecurity, a beacon refers to a signal or communication sent from a compromised device to a remote server (often controlled by the attacker) to establish or maintain communication.

• It is sent from a small, often dormant, piece of malware.
• It acts as a form of ping or callback from a malware or a botnet to a command-and-control (C&C) server, letting the attacker know the device is ready for further instructions or that it is still active on the network.

Purpose

• Reporting: Informing the attacker of the system’s status or capabilities.
• Receiving Commands: Awaiting further instructions from the attacker.
• Exfiltrating Data: Sending stolen information back to the attacker.