MITRE corporation introduced ATT&CK in 2013. It describes the phases of an adversary’s attack cycle. ATT&CK stands for Adversarial Techniques, Common Knowledge and is abbreviated as Adversarial Tactics. This framework is a global knowledge base that categorizes adversarial attacks and compiles them into tactics and techniques. It provides security analysts, red teams, and the blue team with a common language for dealing with adversaries’ behavior.
The ATT&CK framework is designed to help organizations assess the risk after a security incident has occurred. Security teams can identify the steps that adversaries might take to break into the network infrastructure and the ways they operate within it. These tactics and techniques are used by threat hunters and defenders to evaluate the vulnerabilities within an organization.
Understanding MITRE ATT&CK framework
It is important to have a basic understanding of matrices in order to understand the MITRE ATT&CK framework and techniques.
Matrices of the ATT&CK Framework
The ATT&CK Framework consists of three matrices, each with its own tactics and techniques. These are the three matrices that make up the ATT&CK Framework:
Enterprise: The Enterprise matrix focuses on the tactics and techniques that are used for Windows, macOS and Linux platforms.
Mobile: Mobile matrix focuses on the tactics and techniques that are used for the iOS and Android platforms.
PRE-ATT&CK: The PRE–ATT&CK matrix outlines the tactics and techniques that an attacker uses to attack a target organisation.
The core components of the ATT&CK framework
Tactics: These are the short-term goals the adversary is trying to achieve during an attack. ATT&CK Framework has eleven tactics:
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Privilege Escalation
Evasion of Defense
Credential Access
Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
Exfiltration
Techniques and Subtechniques: Techniques describes how adversaries can achieve the goals they seek. Sub-techniques describe the behavior that is used to achieve a goal.
MITRE ATT&CK Framework Applications
These are the applications of MITRE ATT&CK framework:
Integration of MITRE ATT&CK and different toolsThe integration ATT&CK’s tactics with different tools and services can help strengthen security posture. It is already integrated into automated SIEM systems. Sentinal, IBM QRadar, and Alienvault USM are all being integrated with the tactics and techniques of ATT&CK Framework.
Information sharing
Blue teams can use MITRE to create a defensive strategy. They can also understand the tactics and techniques used against an organization and develop defense strategies and mitigation strategies accordingly.
It is used by the red team to plan attacks. The red team can use it to plan strategies to test their security position by following the adversarial emulator plan and modeling different tactics. Red teams can also use the ATT&CK framework to develop new techniques that cannot easily be identified by common defenses.
Using ATT&CK together with cyber threat intelligenceATT&CK is a great tool for problem-solving when combined with threat intelligence. It allows for an organized way to explain the tactics and techniques of adversaries. Both security analysts and defenders can benefit from ATT&ck Framework. They can also create a response plan to thwart any potential threats.
The tactics and techniques of ATT&CK can be used to improve the efficiency of SOCA security operation center (SOC). It helps the team to predict attackers’ behavior by studying their tactics, strategies, and procedures in the past. It helps them assess their defensive strength.