MITRE-ATT&CK™ framework overview
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- UpdatedAug 1, 2024
- 3 minutes to read
- Xanadu
- Threat Intelligence
MITRE-ATT&CK framework overview
The MITRE-ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base of common tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) that your organization can access to develop specific threat models and methodologies against cyberattacks.
Overview
The MITRE Adversarial Tactics, Techniques, and Common Knowledge (ATT&CK) framework documents and tracks various adversarial techniques that are used during different stages of a cyberattack.
By using the MITRE-ATT&CK framework's knowledge base, the cyberthreat intelligence community can quickly identify threats and coordinate cyberattack responses.
MITRE-ATT&CK and Security Operations
See the following diagram to learn how the MITRE-ATT&CK information flows with Security Operations applications.
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- The pre-loaded TAXII client connects to the TAXII server to ingest the data collections to Threat Intelligence.
- Existing Security Information and Event Manager (SIEM) integrations ingest their threat data (alerts and events), with relevant TTPs and are associated with security incidents.
- When an IoC is associated to a security incident, Threat Intelligence automatically searches threat feeds for relevant information and sends IoCs to third-party sources such as EDR, Sandbox, or TIP for additional analysis.
- If any third-party source contains the MITRE-ATT&CK information, then Threat Intelligence extracts the technique information and enriches the data in the Threat Intelligence repository for correlation and analysis.
- MITRE-ATT&CK also shares CVE context information for each technique. Your security team can review the exploited techniques in Vulnerability Response to determine if your business-critical assets are threatened.
MITRE-ATT&CK matrices, tactics, and techniques
- Enterprise ATT&CK: Describes the behaviors and actions that an adversary takes to
compromise and operate in an enterprise network and cloud.Note: The Pre ATT&CK matrix has been deprecated by MITRE and is merged with the Enterprise matrix.
- ICS ATT&CK: Describes the actions that an adversary takes while operating within an Industrial Control Systems (ICS) network.
- Mobile ATT&CK: Describes the adversary behaviors and actions that focus on mobile devices.
Tactics represent the why of an ATT&CK technique. It is the adversary’s tactical objective for performing an action.
Techniques represent how an adversary achieves a tactical objective by performing an action.
Techniques may be associated with more than one tactic. For example, Access Token Manipulation is used by an adversary to achieve either the tactic of Privilege Escalation or Defense Evasion.
Using an intent-based approach for incident responses
An intent-based response uses a dynamic and contextual kill chain framework that can help your organization to correlate security incidents and to identify a large scope of attacks. Your security team can use an intent-based response to understand how the organization is being attacked and what the attacker might do next. This type of response enables you to predict an attacker's behavior so that you can focus your resources effectively.
Using Security Incident Response, your security team can manage the life cycle of each security incident from analysis to containment by focusing on indicators of compromise (IOCs) like IP addresses, file hashes, and domains.
By integrating Security Incident Response with the MITRE-ATT&CK framework, security incidents are handled as links in a larger enterprise-wide attack.
How your organization can benefit from MITRE-ATT&CK in Security Operations
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Using the MITRE-ATT&CK framework can help your organization do the following:
- Equip security analysts with MITRE-ATT&CK tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to better analyze and respond to security incidents.
- Automate the incident workflows using the playbook for detecting and containing threats in the context of the MITRE-ATT&CK framework.
- Prioritize indicators of compromise and threat hunting with MITRE-ATT&CK information.
- Understand the high-level security posture of your organization in the context of the MITRE-ATT&CK framework.
On this page
Related Content
- Understanding Threat Intelligence
The Threat Intelligence application allows you to access and provide a point of reference for your company's Structured Threat Information Expression (STIX) data. Included in Threat Intelligence is the Security Case Management application, which provides a means for analyzing threats to your organization posed by targeted campaigns or state actors.
- Set up Threat Intelligence
Before you run Threat Intelligence in your instance, you must download it from the ServiceNow Store. You can also set up properties and define a threat source.
- IoC Repository
IoC repository contains STIX objects, each of these objects contain a specific piece of information.
- Threat Intelligence administration
The Threat Intelligence base system is ready to use on activation. You can add records to certain modules in the Administration application menu, but most are already populated with industry-standard information.
- Threat Intelligence integrations
The Threat Intelligence base system includes integrations to third-party malware-detection software packages. This section provides instructions for activating the plugins and configuring both ServiceNow and third-party integrations. Also included are some basic guidelines for developing your own integrations, as well as details on specific integrations included in the base system.
- Threat Intelligence Orchestration
Threat Intelligence Orchestration activities allow users to determine whether a threat has been seen before in other security incidents or on other systems using workflow orchestration.
- Security Case Management
Security Case Management provides a means for security analysts who are engaged in threat hunting to gather information on suspicious activity in their environment. Case-related records, such as security incidents, observables, CIs, and affected users can be added to cases to accommodate broad and specific analysis.