Introduction
In the world of cybersecurity, staying ahead of the game is crucial. With an ever-evolving threat landscape, it’s essential for professionals to continuously adapt and strategize their defense tactics. Two prominent frameworks that have garnered significant attention are the Cyber Kill Chain and the MITRE ATT&CK framework. These systems are often hailed as indispensable tools for understanding and countering cyber threats. However, it’s intriguing to note that while many organizations use these frameworks, they often apply them in distinct ways. In this blog, we will delve into the nuances of the Cyber Kill Chain and the MITRE ATT&CK framework, exploring their relevance and potential implications for cybersecurity professionals at TeamWork Security.
A Military Perspective
To gain a deeper understanding of these frameworks, let’s first consider a military perspective. Our cybersecurity journey starts with a reflection on the past. In the early stages of a cybersecurity career, the focus primarily revolves around safeguarding against vulnerabilities. In military terms, this corresponds to ensuring that all equipment aligns with security standards, adheres to policies, and passes inspections. Compliance and passing inspections were key objectives, as they determined an organization’s ability to protect sensitive data.
The Defense-in-Depth Strategy
In this early phase, the military adopted a defense-in-depth strategy. This strategy encompassed policies, equipment, hardware, operating systems, and additional layers of security, such as firewalls. Vulnerability assessments were performed meticulously, followed by remediation efforts to patch any identified vulnerabilities. However, these vulnerabilities were not always referred to as such back then. Instead, they were simply compliance discrepancies.
The Cyber Kill Chain: A Strategic View
Fast forward to today, and we are introduced to the Cyber Kill Chain, a framework that offers a more strategic perspective on cyber adversaries and advanced persistent threats (APTs). The Cyber Kill Chain divides the attack process into stages, such as reconnaissance, weaponization, delivery, exploitation, installation, command and control, and actions on objectives. It provides insights into how adversaries progress through these stages, aiding incident response teams in anticipating the next moves of cyber attackers.
Understanding the MITRE ATT&CK Framework
Complementing the Cyber Kill Chain, we have the MITRE ATT&CK framework, which takes a more granular approach. Unlike the Cyber Kill Chain, which offers a high-level overview, MITRE ATT&CK dives deep into the living, breathing tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of cyber adversaries. It continuously evolves to reflect changes in adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures, making it a vital resource for defenders. The MITRE ATT&CK matrix captures a wide range of adversary behaviors, making it essential for understanding and mitigating specific threats.
Applying MITRE ATT&CK to Existing Vulnerabilities
From a defensive perspective, understanding each phase of the Cyber Kill Chain and applying the MITRE ATT&CK framework to existing vulnerabilities is crucial. It allows organizations to bridge the gap between compliance-based approaches and the dynamic threat landscape. For example, vulnerabilities like CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) or security weaknesses like SMB (Server Message Block) version 4.5 can appear innocuous from an operational standpoint. However, adversaries leverage these entry points to infiltrate networks and cause damage.
The Power of Reconnaissance and Weaponization
One significant revelation is that the first two to three stages of the Cyber Kill Chain—reconnaissance and weaponization—can take months of careful planning and research. During this time, attackers meticulously gather data, such as email distribution lists and information about publicly facing web servers. They search for vulnerabilities (CVEs) to exploit, meticulously planning their weaponization strategies. This preparatory phase is often overlooked but is critical to understanding the dedication and patience required for successful cyberattacks.
Attribution Challenges
Attributing cyberattacks to specific threat actors or groups is a complex task. While frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK help in profiling attackers based on their tactics and techniques, it’s crucial to remain cautious about attribution. Attribution should not be solely reliant on these frameworks. Threat actors can mimic the actions of other groups to obfuscate their true identity, making it challenging to assign attribution with high confidence. Defenders must consider the evolving nature of cyber threats and approach attribution cautiously.
Supply Chain Attacks: A Growing Concern
In addition to client-side attacks and tactics, supply chain attacks pose a significant threat. These attacks are more expensive and require deeper infiltration, but they are highly impactful. For example, the Supermicro motherboard incident, where malware was implanted at the firmware level in China, demonstrated the sophistication and long-term planning involved in such attacks. Detecting supply chain compromises is exceptionally difficult, as compromised hardware can be implanted before a device is even powered on.
The Role of AI and Automation
The evolving threat landscape calls for advanced tools and strategies. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are poised to play a pivotal role in cybersecurity. With AI-driven tools, organizations can better detect and respond to threats in real-time. These tools help in aggregating and triaging data, allowing security teams to tune systems to their specific network protocols and traffic. Automation will be crucial in mitigating threats proactively and efficiently.
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving realm of cybersecurity, frameworks like the Cyber Kill Chain and the MITRE ATT&CK matrix serve as indispensable guides. They help defenders anticipate adversary moves and understand their tactics and techniques. However, attribution remains a complex challenge, and defenders must approach it cautiously. Additionally, supply chain attacks are a growing concern, emphasizing the need for robust security measures throughout the entire lifecycle of a product. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, embracing AI and automation is essential for staying one step ahead of cyber adversaries.
At TeamWorx Security, we remain committed to keeping your organization secure and proactive in the face of cyber threats. By staying informed and leveraging advanced tools and frameworks, we can navigate the cybersecurity landscape with confidence, vigilance, and a proactive mindset.
Alex Lothstein
Alex is an Intelligence Analyst at TeamWorx Security. He has experience in the history/museum world researching, writing, and breaking down large pieces of information on complex topics into understandable bits for a general audience. His experience analyzing the past to better understand the present is a great asset in his intelligence research and writing.
John Rolley
John Rolley is a 26-year Army Veteran. He is an innovative Cybersecurity professional with a proven successful history in the Defense industry. John has compiled a unique set of skills and experience by fulfilling multiple work roles in cyber over nine years, spanning both offensive and defensive cyber operations. During this time, he has gained the knowledge, skills, and abilities in threat hunting, incident response, malware reverse engineering, and cyberspace operations planning.