An adversary may use legitimate desktop support and remote access software to establish an interactive command and control channel to target systems within networks. These services, such as VNC
, Team Viewer
, AnyDesk
, ScreenConnect
, LogMein
, AmmyyAdmin
, and other remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools, are commonly used as legitimate technical support software and may be allowed by application control within a target environment.(Citation: Symantec Living off the Land)(Citation: CrowdStrike 2015 Global Threat Report)(Citation: CrySyS Blog TeamSpy)
Remote access software may be installed and used post-compromise as an alternate communications channel for redundant access or as a way to establish an interactive remote desktop session with the target system. They may also be used as a component of malware to establish a reverse connection or back-connect to a service or adversary controlled system.
Adversaries may similarly abuse response features included in EDR and other defensive tools that enable remote access.
Installation of many remote access software may also include persistence (e.g., the software's installation routine creates a Windows Service).
View in MITRE ATT&CK®Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name |
---|---|---|---|---|
AC-17 | Remote Access | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
AC-03 | Access Enforcement | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
AC-04 | Information Flow Enforcement | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
CA-07 | Continuous Monitoring | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
CM-02 | Baseline Configuration | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
CM-06 | Configuration Settings | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
CM-07 | Least Functionality | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
SC-07 | Boundary Protection | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
SI-10 | Information Input Validation | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
SI-15 | Information Output Filtering | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
SI-03 | Malicious Code Protection | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
SI-04 | System Monitoring | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |
SI-07 | Software, Firmware, and Information Integrity | Protects | T1219 | Remote Access Software |