MITRE ATT&CK and Breach & Attack Simulation
MITRE ATT&CK® is a free resource that all cyber defenders should be aware of and use in their defensive preparations. The ATT&CK framework is a comprehensively documented kill-chain of attacker behaviours, classified by Tactics, Techniques and Procedures.
The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a powerful tool for understanding cyber threats. With over 180 techniques and 375 sub-techniques, it provides a comprehensive view of the ways that attackers perform malicious activities. When you’re first getting started with the framework, however, it can be difficult to know where to focus your attention.
Why Should You Use in Cyber Defence?
MITRE ATT&CK® is a globally-accessible knowledge base of adversary tactics and techniques based on real-world observations. Produced by MITRE, the ATT&CK knowledge base is used as a foundation for the development of specific threat models and methodologies in the private sector, in government, and in the cybersecurity product and service community.
For those who are fans of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, you will be familiar with the phrase “know your enemy and know yourself”. Similarly, understanding how threat actors operate and what tactics and techniques they use when planning and executing an attack is critical to understanding how to harden your defences to best protect your environment.
Enterprise View
Validato is a Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) platform designed and built to simulate MITRE ATT&CK techniques and behaviours. Threat actors, malware and tools used in offensive attacks that have been observed and documented by MITRE in the ATT&CK framework.
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise View in Validato
The goal of any organisation is to protect its assets and resources from potential threats. One of the most important ways to do this is by understanding the methods used by threat actors. By studying their tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP’s), you can better understand how they operate and identify potential attacks early on. This can help prevent significant damage before it occurs.
Understanding What Adversarial TTP’s Could Succeed in Your Environment
Ideally, offensive security teams will want to determine what adversarial TTP’s could be successful in their corporate environments. Mapping where security gaps or misconfigurations might be, based on MITRE ATT&CK TTPS’s, could significantly improve the way that organisations are able to protect themselves against some of the most formidable cyber adversaries.
However, putting this into practice remains largely out of reach for many companies as few companies have the resources and budgets available to conduct offensive security testing to test adversarial TTP’s effectively.
Simulating MITRE ATT&CK TTP-based Threat Scenarios
Simulating cyber threat scenarios using automated Breach and Attack Simulation platforms, like Validato, has emerged in recent years as a viable alternative to costly and inefficient professional services based offensive security testing.
With Breach and Attack Simulation platforms, it is now possible to simulate offensive threat scenarios to test security control effectiveness and SOC detection capabilities without the risk of P1 disruption issues or network latency that are commonplace with professional services based offensive security tests.
Validato has packaged up MITRE’s threat scenarios for immediate deployment to validate security control effectiveness and cyber risk assurance.
Simulating MITRE ATT&CK cyber threat scenarios using Validato
Summary
If you are looking to use MITRE ATT&CK as the basis of your security testing programme, using a Breach and Attack Simulation platform, like Validato, can help you to create a proactive offensive security testing programme more cost effectively and allow more frequent validation of your security posture than relying solely on professional services based penetration testing or Red Team testing.
Contact us for a demonstration or request a free trial of the Validato platform.
