MITRE ATT&CK Framework: A Complete Guide to Understanding Adversary Behavior

MITRE ATT&CK (Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge) is a globally-accessible knowledge base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations. It serves as a foundation for developing threat models and methodologies in the private sector, government, and the cybersecurity product and service community. The framework was created by MITRE Corporation and has become the de facto standard for understanding and categorizing cyber adversary behavior. Unlike other frameworks that focus on vulnerabilities or compliance, ATT&CK focuses on how attackers actually operate. Key Characteristics: • Based on real-world threat intelligence • Continuously updated with new techniques • Platform-specific matrices (Enterprise, Mobile, ICS) • Detailed procedure examples from known threat groups • Mappings to detection and mitigation strategies

The ATT&CK Matrix is organized into a hierarchy that helps security teams understand the full scope of adversary operations: Tactics (The "Why") Tactics represent the adversary's tactical goals — the reasons behind their actions. There are 14 tactics in the Enterprise matrix: • Reconnaissance • Resource Development • Initial Access • Execution • Persistence • Privilege Escalation • Defense Evasion • Credential Access • Discovery • Lateral Movement • Collection • Command and Control • Exfiltration • Impact Techniques (The "How") Techniques describe how adversaries achieve tactical goals. Each tactic contains multiple techniques — over 200 in total. Sub-Techniques Sub-techniques provide more specific descriptions of adversarial behavior. They offer granular details about variations of a technique. Procedures Procedures are the specific implementations of techniques by threat groups. They provide real-world context for how techniques are used.

Initial Access (TA0001) Techniques adversaries use to gain a foothold in your network. Common techniques include: • Phishing (T1566) • Exploit Public-Facing Application (T1190) • Valid Accounts (T1078) • Supply Chain Compromise (T1195) Persistence (TA0003) How attackers maintain access despite restarts or credential changes: • Registry Run Keys (T1547.001) • Scheduled Tasks (T1053) • Create Account (T1136) • Boot or Logon Autostart Execution (T1547) Defense Evasion (TA0005) Techniques to avoid detection: • Obfuscated Files or Information (T1027) • Masquerading (T1036) • Process Injection (T1055) • Indicator Removal (T1070) Lateral Movement (TA0008) Moving through the network: • Remote Services (T1021) • Internal Spear Phishing (T1534) • Exploitation of Remote Services (T1210) • Use Alternate Authentication Material (T1550)

1. Threat Intelligence Map threat intelligence reports to ATT&CK techniques. This helps you understand: • Which threat groups target your industry • What techniques they commonly use • How to prioritize your defenses 2. Detection Engineering Build detection rules around ATT&CK techniques: • Create alerts for specific technique indicators • Develop detection coverage maps • Identify detection gaps in your security stack • Prioritize detection development efforts 3. Security Assessments Use ATT&CK for red team exercises and penetration testing: • Structure attack simulations around real techniques • Measure defensive coverage against known TTPs • Validate detection and response capabilities • Report findings in a standardized format 4. Security Operations Enhance SOC operations with ATT&CK: • Enrich alerts with ATT&CK context • Create investigation playbooks by technique • Track adversary progression through the kill chain • Improve incident response procedures

Building effective detections requires understanding how techniques manifest in your environment: Data Sources ATT&CK maps techniques to data sources needed for detection: • Process creation and command-line logging • Network traffic analysis • File system monitoring • Windows Event Logs • Authentication logs • Cloud audit logs Detection Examples: Detecting T1059.001 (PowerShell) • Monitor for powershell.exe execution • Log PowerShell script block contents • Alert on encoded commands (-EncodedCommand) • Watch for suspicious PowerShell module loading Detecting T1055 (Process Injection) • Monitor for CreateRemoteThread API calls • Track memory allocations in remote processes • Detect unusual parent-child process relationships • Alert on code execution from suspicious memory regions Detecting T1021.001 (Remote Desktop Protocol) • Monitor RDP connection events (Event ID 4624, Logon Type 10) • Track lateral RDP movements • Alert on RDP from unusual source IPs • Detect RDP tunneling through non-standard ports

The ATT&CK Navigator is an open-source tool for visualizing and annotating ATT&CK matrices. It helps security teams: Create Coverage Maps • Visualize which techniques your tools can detect • Identify gaps in your security stack • Compare coverage across different solutions Track Threat Groups • Map known adversary techniques • Prioritize defenses against relevant threats • Understand attack patterns targeting your industry Plan Security Improvements • Document current vs. desired detection state • Track progress on detection development • Communicate coverage to stakeholders Share and Collaborate • Export layers as JSON for sharing • Combine multiple layers for analysis • Create executive-friendly visualizations

Challenge 1: Technique Overlap Many adversary behaviors can map to multiple techniques. Solution: Focus on the primary intent and document your mapping rationale. Challenge 2: Detection Feasibility Not all techniques are equally detectable. Solution: Prioritize based on: • Prevalence in real attacks • Detection data availability • False positive potential • Business impact Challenge 3: Keeping Current ATT&CK is regularly updated with new techniques. Solution: • Subscribe to MITRE ATT&CK updates • Review quarterly for new additions • Integrate updates into your detection roadmap Challenge 4: Resource Constraints Organizations can't detect everything. Solution: • Focus on techniques used by relevant threat groups • Prioritize high-impact tactics (Initial Access, Execution) • Build detection capabilities incrementally

TEPTEZ leverages the MITRE ATT&CK framework throughout our security scanning platform: Vulnerability Mapping Every vulnerability discovered by TEPTEZ is mapped to relevant ATT&CK techniques, helping you understand: • How attackers might exploit the vulnerability • What tactics the exploitation enables • Related techniques that may be used in attack chains Prioritized Remediation We use ATT&CK context to prioritize findings: • Vulnerabilities enabling critical tactics (Initial Access, Execution) are flagged as high priority • Technique prevalence data helps focus remediation efforts • Attack chain analysis shows potential escalation paths Detection Recommendations TEPTEZ provides detection guidance based on ATT&CK: • Suggested detection rules for each finding • Data source requirements • Integration with SIEM and EDR platforms Reporting and Compliance Our reports include ATT&CK mappings for: • Executive summaries showing technique coverage • Technical details with procedure examples • Compliance mapping to regulatory frameworks