Adversaries may compromise third-party infrastructure that can be used during targeting. Infrastructure solutions include physical or cloud servers, domains, network devices, and third-party web and DNS services. Instead of buying, leasing, or renting infrastructure an adversary may compromise infrastructure and use it during other phases of the adversary lifecycle.[1][2][3][4] Additionally, adversaries may compromise numerous machines to form a botnet they can leverage.
Use of compromised infrastructure allows adversaries to stage, launch, and execute operations. Compromised infrastructure can help adversary operations blend in with traffic that is seen as normal, such as contact with high reputation or trusted sites. For example, adversaries may leverage compromised infrastructure (potentially also in conjunction withDigital Certificates) to further blend in and support staged information gathering and/orPhishing campaigns.[5] Adversaries may also compromise numerous machines to supportProxy and/or proxyware services or to form a botnet.[6][7] Additionally, adversaries may compromise infrastructure residing in close proximity to a target in order to gainInitial Access viaWi-Fi Networks.[8]
By using compromised infrastructure, adversaries may enable follow-on malicious operations. Prior to targeting, adversaries may also compromise the infrastructure of other adversaries.[9]
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| C0051 | APT28 Nearest Neighbor Campaign | DuringAPT28 Nearest Neighbor Campaign,APT28 compromised third-party infrastructure in physical proximity to targets of interest for follow-on activities.[8] |
| C0043 | Indian Critical Infrastructure Intrusions | Indian Critical Infrastructure Intrusions included the use of compromised infrastructure, such as DVR and IP camera devices, for command and control purposes inShadowPad activity.[10] |
| ID | Mitigation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| M1056 | Pre-compromise | This technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on behaviors performed outside of the scope of enterprise defenses and controls. |
| ID | Name | Analytic ID | Analytic Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| DET0885 | Detection of Compromise Infrastructure | AN2017 | Once adversaries have provisioned compromised infrastructure (ex: a server for use in command and control), internet scans may help proactively discover compromised infrastructure. Consider looking for identifiable patterns such as services listening, certificates in use, SSL/TLS negotiation features, or other response artifacts associated with adversary C2 software.[11][12][13] |