Cyber attacks are a growing threat to organizations across industries. A cyber security framework is essential in order to understand, prioritize, and mitigate the risks of cyber attacks. The MITRE ATT&CK (adversarial tactics & techniques) framework is an excellent resource that provides guidance on how best to prevent and respond to cyber threats.
What is the MITRE ATT&CK Framework?
The MITRE ATT&CK Framework is a comprehensive, iterative, and agile framework for building a full spectrum of adversarial tactics and techniques. It is designed to help security teams prioritize their efforts to defend against modern attacks.
The MITRE ATT&CK Framework was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in collaboration with the MITRE Corporation in 2015 as an open reference standard to help all defenders improve their security postures against modern adversaries in cyberspace. Since then, it has evolved into a community-driven open source project with over 30 contributors from government and industry organizations worldwide who are working together to advance its development based on feedback obtained through multiple public releases since its release date.
What are the ATT&CK Matrices?
There are three types of ATT&CK Matrices: Enterprise, Pre-ATT&CK, and Mobile. Each one offers a different perspective on how an attacker might move within your environment:
Enterprise ATT&CK
For large organizations with many security tools and groups to manage, this matrix is meant to be used as a single reference point for threat intelligence sharing across departments and teams. It’s also helpful in devising strategies around attack prevention or detection because it shows how various techniques may overlap in terms of use cases (for example, lateral movement techniques can also be used for persistence).
Pre-ATT&CK
When you’re preparing for an attack by identifying risks or weaknesses before they occur, this matrix gives you more information about the likelihood that attackers will exploit those issues through specific techniques as well as their typical targets. It also outlines possible methods for detecting each technique if you choose to monitor your network traffic instead of monitoring users’ behavior directly via endpoint protection software (which could include antivirus software).
Mobile ATT&CK
If your company doesn’t have many resources dedicated toward endpoint protection but still wants some help securing mobile devices such as laptops or tablets used by employees outside its office, then this matrix might be what they need! This section includes all relevant information about ways hackers might get into an organization via its employees’ personal smartphones/tablets without having any knowledge whatsoever.
What are the benefits of the MITRE ATT&CK?
The MITRE ATT&CK is a framework that can quickly and accurately identify security threats. It provides a path for assessing the value of information, defining targets, and prioritizing activities. The framework consists of the following:
Threat detection
The ability to detect signs that a system or organization has been compromised by an adversary. This includes:
- Behavioral indicators
- Malware identification tools and signatures
- Static analysis tools (such as code scanners)
- Threat intelligence feeds,
- Endpoint protection software (which examines files for suspicious activity)
- Network traffic monitoring systems (which inspect packets for malicious behavior)
- Intrusion detection systems (IDSes)
- Host-based IDSes that monitor operating system processes for suspicious activity
- Anti-malware products
- Rootkit detectors
- Deception technologies such as honeypots, and more advanced approaches such as machine learning models trained on data collected from previous attacks against your organization’s infrastructure.
Security assessments
A process whereby IT teams discover vulnerabilities in their networks and determine how best to address them via updates or patches before hackers exploit them—or even worse yet… cyber criminals!
Threat intelligence research
The ongoing study of adversaries’ tactics so you know what they’re likely going after next! Threat intel also helps you understand threats better than ever before, so now, when something like ransomware hits your company’s servers out of nowhere, it doesn’t seem quite scary because now everyone knows what they’re dealing with.
Adversary emulation
This is the process whereby you get to know your attackers by emulating their tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). This will help you understand how they work so you can better defend against them.
MITRE ATT&CK is a Necessity
As you can see, the MITRE ATT&CK Framework is a powerful tool that can help organizations identify, prioritize and mitigate cyber-attacks. Having a framework like this is invaluable, so we encourage you to look into it further if you haven’t already!
The Need for a Managed Service Provider
If you’re unfamiliar with the MITRE ATT&CK framework, consider this: it’s a collection of methods used by hackers to exploit system vulnerabilities. These attacks aren’t limited to any one industry or type of business and can range from phishing emails to malware-laden websites. As a result, it’s crucial for businesses of all sizes to have effective cyber security measures in place—and Cyber Sainik is here to help with that process.
Cyber Sainik is an expert at implementing cyber security strategies that take advantage of our knowledge about the best methods hackers use today. We’ve helped many companies develop their own unique plans for protecting themselves against malicious cyber activity and ensuring that employees know how to recognize attacks if they occur (and what steps they should take). Contact us to get started.
