Adversaries may attempt to position themselves between two or more networked devices using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to support follow-on behaviors such as Network Sniffing, Transmitted Data Manipulation, or replay attacks (Exploitation for Credential Access). By abusing features of common networking protocols that can determine the flow of network traffic (e.g. ARP, DNS, LLMNR, etc.), adversaries may force a device to communicate through an adversary controlled system so they can collect information or perform additional actions.(Citation: Rapid7 MiTM Basics)
For example, adversaries may manipulate victim DNS settings to enable other malicious activities such as preventing/redirecting users from accessing legitimate sites and/or pushing additional malware.(Citation: ttint_rat)(Citation: dns_changer_trojans)(Citation: ad_blocker_with_miner) Adversaries may also manipulate DNS and leverage their position in order to intercept user credentials, including access tokens (Steal Application Access Token) and session cookies (Steal Web Session Cookie).(Citation: volexity_0day_sophos_FW)(Citation: Token tactics) Downgrade Attacks can also be used to establish an AiTM position, such as by negotiating a less secure, deprecated, or weaker version of communication protocol (SSL/TLS) or encryption algorithm.(Citation: mitm_tls_downgrade_att)(Citation: taxonomy_downgrade_att_tls)(Citation: tlseminar_downgrade_att)
Adversaries may also leverage the AiTM position to attempt to monitor and/or modify traffic, such as in Transmitted Data Manipulation. Adversaries can setup a position similar to AiTM to prevent traffic from flowing to the appropriate destination, potentially to impair defenses and/or in support of a Network Denial of Service.
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| action.hacking.variety.AiTM | Adversary-in-the-middle attack. Child of 'Exploit vuln' | related-to | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle | |
| action.hacking.variety.Routing detour | Routing detour. Child of 'Exploit vuln'. | related-to | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle | |
| action.malware.variety.AiTM | Man-in-the-middle attack. Child of 'Exploit vuln'. | related-to | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle | |
| attribute.confidentiality.data_disclosure | Confirmed or potential data disclosure | related-to | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| certificate_authority_service | Certificate Authority Service | technique_scores | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle |
Comments
This control may mitigate against Adversary-in-the-Middle by providing certificates for internal endpoints and applications to use with asymmetric encryption. This control may also provide authentication for user identity for VPN or zero trust networking.
References
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| cloud_vpn | Cloud VPN | technique_scores | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle |
Comments
Cloud VPN enables traffic traveling between the two networks, and it is encrypted by one VPN gateway and then decrypted by the other VPN gateway. This action protects users' data as it travels over the internet. This control may prevent adversaries from attempting to position themselves between two or more networks and modify traffic.
References
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| vpc_service_controls | VPC Service Controls | technique_scores | T1557 | Adversary-in-the-Middle |
Comments
VPC security perimeter mitigates the impact from Adversary-in-the-Middle by creating virtual segmentation that limits the data and information broadcast on the network.
References
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| Technique ID | Technique Name | Number of Mappings |
|---|---|---|
| T1557.003 | DHCP Spoofing | 2 |
| T1557.001 | Name Resolution Poisoning and SMB Relay | 2 |
| T1557.002 | ARP Cache Poisoning | 4 |