> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/analytics-alerts/alerts-by-name/download-pattern-that-resembles-peer-to-peer-traffic.md).

# Download pattern that resembles Peer to Peer traffic

### Synopsis

| Field                | Value                                                                                                         |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Activation Period    | 14 Days                                                                                                       |
| Training Period      | 30 Days                                                                                                       |
| Test Period          | 30 Minutes                                                                                                    |
| Deduplication Period | 1 Day                                                                                                         |
| Required Data        | <p>Requires one of the following data sources:<br>Palo Alto Networks Firewall traffic Logs OR XDR Agent</p>   |
| ATT\&CK Tactic       | Command and Control (TA0011), Initial Access (TA0001)                                                         |
| ATT\&CK Technique    | Application Layer Protocol (T1071), Non-Standard Port (T1571), Trusted Relationship (T1199), Phishing (T1566) |
| Severity             | Informational                                                                                                 |

### Description

A possible P2P protocol was spotted from an internal host.

### Attacker's Goals

An attacker may use peer-to-peer communication to gain initial access, as a C\&C tool, or an exfiltration tool.

### Investigative actions

* confirm that the port accessed is a P2P port/ is run by a P2P application.
* View the downloaded content and determine it's not malicious.
* Check for large uploads from this host and check for sensitive information that might not be required on the host.


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