T1546.015 Component Object Model Hijacking Mappings

Adversaries may establish persistence by executing malicious content triggered by hijacked references to Component Object Model (COM) objects. COM is a system within Windows to enable interaction between software components through the operating system.(Citation: Microsoft Component Object Model) References to various COM objects are stored in the Registry.

Adversaries can use the COM system to insert malicious code that can be executed in place of legitimate software through hijacking the COM references and relationships as a means for persistence. Hijacking a COM object requires a change in the Registry to replace a reference to a legitimate system component which may cause that component to not work when executed. When that system component is executed through normal system operation the adversary's code will be executed instead.(Citation: GDATA COM Hijacking) An adversary is likely to hijack objects that are used frequently enough to maintain a consistent level of persistence, but are unlikely to break noticeable functionality within the system as to avoid system instability that could lead to detection.

View in MITRE ATT&CK®

Azure Mappings

Capability ID Capability Description Mapping Type ATT&CK ID ATT&CK Name Notes
file_integrity_monitoring File Integrity Monitoring technique_scores T1546.015 Component Object Model Hijacking
Comments
The detection score for this group of sub-techniques is assessed as Minimal due to the accuracy component of the score. The registry keys which are modified as a result of these sub-techniques can change frequently or are too numerous to monitor and therefore can result in significant amount of false positives.
References