# outbound\_ping **Explanation** When threat actors first compromise a host, they often ping internet resources to verify connectivity. A spurious ping can be subtle and hard to detect because end users may make frequent pings from their workstations or while troubleshooting. However, under normal circumstances pings to the Internet may not be expected from network infrastructure, servers, and IOT/OT devices. The outbound\_ping NDM is opt-in and must be manually enabled, and can detect internet bound ping activity. It is most useful if a discard has been configured to ignore pings from workstations or other network segments where they are common. **What to Look For** If an internet bound ping is observed from a device where it is not expected, the first thing to ascertain is whether an authorized administrator is using that device. If the ping cannot be explained, it might be an indicator of compromise, and further investigation is warranted. **Related MITRE ATT\&CK Categories** [Discovery: System Network Configuration Discovery, Technique T1016 - Enterprise](https://attack.mitre.org/techniques/T1016) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.fusion.vectra.ai/detection-models/library/post-compromise/outbound_ping.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.