When it comes to cybersecurity, most organizations are stuck in prevention mode. They hope that the security controls they implement, such as firewalls and antivirus software, will prevent cyber attacks. This strategy has been failing us for years. There are headlines about data breaches and ransomware attacks daily if you look at the news. Many of these stories involve a company that thought they were well protected but later found out they had been compromised. There is an alternative: using a new framework called MITRE ATT&CK to help organizations shift their focus from prevention to detection and response.
This isn’t the first time MITRE has developed a tool meant to help defenders protect their networks against intruders; they also created the Cyber Analytics Repository (CAR), which includes over 500 analytic queries that allow analysts to flag anomalies or suspicious activity within their networks.
The ATT&CK framework and CAR have been released as open-source tools to help further improve cybersecurity worldwide.
What is the MITRE ATT&CK Framework?
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a tool that collects and analyzes data on the hacking techniques used by cybercriminals. The more we know about how hackers get around security systems, the better prepared we will be when they come after us. This database gathers information from various sources, including government agencies, and organizes it into a comprehensive collection of attack models and tactics. With this knowledge in hand, the next step is to use it to inform our security measures—essentially, keeping one step ahead of the bad guys.
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a publicly available knowledge base that can be used as a resource for security professionals to better understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) of attackers.
Researchers at MITRE initially developed MITRE ATT&CK to support the U.S. Defense Department in its cyber threat intelligence efforts, but it has since been integrated into other public and private sector organizations’ security frameworks and is referenced in many reports about threat actor groups by experts in the cybersecurity industry.
MITRE ATT&CK provides a list of common techniques used by attackers at different stages of an attack, which can then be used to analyze threat data and detect potential threats before they become more serious incidents such as data breaches or service outages.
- Initial Access: How does the hacker first gain access to your system?
- Execution: In what ways does the hacker execute his plan?
- Persistence: How does he maintain his foothold on your system after entering?
- Privilege Escalation: How does he take advantage of any weaknesses in your defenses?
- Defense Evasion: What methods does he use to avoid detection?
- Credential Access: After gaining access, how does he steal your passwords?
- Discovery: How does he find out what’s happening within your system?
- Lateral Movement: How the adversary moves around your network once inside.
- Collection: How the adversary gathers data.
- Exfiltration: How they get data out of your network.
- Command and Control: How they communicate with their malware after it’s installed on your network.
What Frameworks are there in MITRE ATT&CK Framework?
There are 3 frameworks in the MITRE ATT&CK framework. They are Enterprise, Mobile and Pre-attack.
1. Enterprise Framework
The Enterprise framework is for the enterprise organizations planning to implement the MITRE ATT&CK framework. It has 10 tactics and 153 techniques which can be used to identify the threats and prioritize them according to their risk level. This can help organizations improve their security posture and reduce their attack surface.
2. Mobile Framework
The Mobile framework is for the mobile device applications that run on Android and iOS operating systems. It has 4 tactics and 51 techniques which can be used to identify the threats and prioritize them according to their risk level. This can help organizations improve their security posture and reduce their attack surface related to mobile devices.
3. Pre-Attack Framework
The Pre-Attack framework is similar to the Enterprise. Still, it focuses on the pre-attack phase of an adversary and how they operate in a targeted environment before they start gaining access to it. It has 7 tactics and 42 techniques which can be used to identify the threats and prioritize them according to their risk level. This can help organizations improve their security posture and reduce their attack surface related to the pre-attack stage of an adversary.
Why Working with MITRE ATT&CK Framework Beneficial?
A MITER ATT&CK framework is a comprehensive understanding of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-life observations. In the private sector, in the government, and in the cybersecurity product and service communities, the ATT&CK knowledge base is used as a foundation to develop various threat models and methodologies.
It provides a wealth of knowledge about how threats operate, what they might do, and how to detect them.
The ATT&CK framework can be used to provide common language, structure, and granularity when discussing cyber threat intelligence. Security teams can use ATT&CK to create more realistic detection strategies by focusing on adversaries’ known, observable behaviors rather than solely targeting their tools. They can also cross-reference indicators of compromise with the framework to understand better what specific tactics were used during an attack.
The MITRE ATT&CK framework consists of a matrix of attackers’ tactics and techniques. It enables you to see the entire scope of an attack from start to finish across multiple phases. Each cell in the matrix consists of real-world attacks mapped back to credible references.
The framework also includes threat groups with known TTP mapped to their respective cells in the matrix. This allows you to see exactly what each group has done or is known for doing.
ATT&CK provides greater visibility into how adversaries operate so that you can design more effective defenses against them. That’s why this one is beneficial.
Benefit of MITRE ATT&CK Framework
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is one of the most widely known models of how cyber attackers operate. It includes a comprehensive knowledge base where you can understand the steps an attacker would take to penetrate your network. It also provides best practices for detection and mitigation strategies. It’s a helpful tool for keeping your organization safe from malicious threats, and here are two reasons why:
● Build more effective threat intelligence.
Understanding how an adversary would attack is key to knowing what information to look for when monitoring your network. The ATT&CK framework can help you decide which indicators are important to log and how to prioritize them according to their risk level. Then, you can use that data to detect breaches before they cause any harm.
● Create more effective detection strategies
With access to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, you have access to extensive information on cybersecurity threats, including all their phases and the tactics and techniques used. With this information, you can create better detection strategies that will mitigate the risk of an attack or identify it to be remediated quickly if it does occur.
● Track attacker groups
Many businesses may want to track specific opponent group behaviors that pose a particular danger to their sector or vertical as a top priority. The ATT&CK structure isn’t a set of instructions. MITRE is constantly updating the framework as new threats emerge, making it a valuable source of information for tracking and understanding hacker groups’ actions and strategies.
● Evaluate current defenses
As a means of assessing existing tools and coverage depths for important attack tactics, MITRE ATT&CK is valuable. Various degrees of telemetry are available for every sort of detection. The teams may decide that in some cases a high level of detection confidence is required, while in others, a lesser degree of detection confidence may be acceptable. Organizations can assess their coverage by defining the types of threats they are most interested in. Red-teaming exercises also benefit from this. The matrix could be used to define the scope of a red-teaming exercise or pen-test, and its results could be used to compile an evaluation during the test.
● Prioritize Detections Based on the Environment in which a Company Operates
Even the most well-equipped teams cannot defend against all attack avenues equally. The ATT&CK framework can help teams determine where to concentrate their detection efforts. Many teams, for example, might start by prioritizing threats earlier in the attack chain. Other teams may prefer to prioritize specific detections depending on the strategies used by attacker groups that are particularly common in their sectors. Teams can educate themselves to inform their security plan by researching tactics, targeted platforms, and risk, and then using the MITRE ATT&CK framework to track progress over time.
Final Words
One of the best ways to get a true sense of cybersecurity risk is to see it from the adversaries’ perspective. In other words, to understand what hackers could do, you need to know what they’re already doing. And in this day and age, that’s a lot.
The MITRE ATT&CK framework provides an inside look at the techniques and tactics used by hackers. This knowledge can help organizations improve their security controls, make their defenses more resilient, and reduce their risk.