MITRE ATT&CKtechnique

T1557 Adversary-in-the-Middle

Published 2020-02-11 Modified 2026-05-12 Official page ↗
Domain
enterprise
Tactics
Credential Access, Collection
Platforms
Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Windows
Version
2.5
Created
2020-02-11

Description

Adversaries may attempt to position themselves between two or more networked devices using an adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) technique to support follow-on behaviors such as Network Sniffing, Transmitted Data Manipulation, or replay attacks (Exploitation for Credential Access). By abusing features of common networking protocols that can determine the flow of network traffic (e.g. ARP, DNS, LLMNR, etc.), adversaries may force a device to communicate through an adversary controlled system so they can collect information or perform additional actions. For example, adversaries may manipulate victim DNS settings to enable other malicious activities such as preventing/redirecting users from accessing legitimate sites and/or pushing additional malware. Adversaries may also manipulate DNS and leverage their position in order to intercept user credentials, including access tokens (Steal Application Access Token) and session cookies (Steal Web Session Cookie). Downgrade Attacks can also be used to establish an AiTM position, such as by negotiating a less secure, deprecated, or weaker version of communication protocol (SSL/TLS) or encryption algorithm. Adversaries may also leverage the AiTM position to attempt to monitor and/or modify traffic, such as in Transmitted Data Manipulation. Adversaries can setup a position similar to AiTM to prevent traffic from flowing to the appropriate destination, potentially to impair defenses and/or in support of a Network Denial of Service.

Related

Tactic · MITRE ATT&CK (2)

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · mitigates (7)

  • M1035 Limit Access to Resource Over Network mitigation
  • M1037 Filter Network Traffic mitigation
  • M1041 Encrypt Sensitive Information mitigation
  • M1042 Disable or Remove Feature or Program mitigation
  • M1030 Network Segmentation mitigation
  • M1031 Network Intrusion Prevention mitigation
  • M1017 User Training mitigation

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · subtechnique of (4)

Referenced by MITRE ATT&CK · uses (9)

  • S9044 Kali365 software (malware)
  • S9003 evilginx2 software (tool)
  • C0046 ArcaneDoor campaign
  • S1188 Line Runner software (malware)
  • G1041 Sea Turtle group
  • S1131 NPPSPY software (tool)
  • G0129 Mustang Panda group
  • G0094 Kimsuky group
  • S0281 Dok software (malware)

Referenced by CAPEC · att&ck technique (1)

  • CAPEC-94 Adversary in the Middle (AiTM) attack pattern

Referenced by Compliance · mitigates (35)

  • CIS-12.2 Establish and Maintain a Secure Network Architecture CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-12.3 Securely Manage Network Infrastructure CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-12.6 Use of Secure Network Management and Communication Protocols CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-12.7 Ensure Remote Devices Utilize a VPN and are Connecting to an Enterprise's AAA Infrastructure CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-12.8 Establish and Maintain Dedicated Computing Resources for All Administrative Work CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-13.4 Perform Traffic Filtering Between Network Segments CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-13.8 Deploy a Network Intrusion Prevention Solution CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-16.8 Separate Production and Non-Production Systems CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-3.10 Encrypt Sensitive Data in Transit CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-4.5 Implement and Manage a Firewall on End-User Devices CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • CIS-4.6 Securely Manage Enterprise Assets and Software CIS Safeguard v8.1
  • NIST-AC-16 Security and Privacy Attributes NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-17 Remote Access NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-18 Wireless Access NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-19 Access Control for Mobile Devices NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-20 Use of External Systems NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-3 Access Enforcement NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-AC-4 Information Flow Enforcement NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CA-7 Continuous Monitoring NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-2 Baseline Configuration NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-6 Configuration Settings NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-7 Least Functionality NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-CM-8 System Component Inventory NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-RA-5 Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-23 Session Authenticity NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-4 Information in Shared System Resources NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-46 Cross Domain Policy Enforcement NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-7 Boundary Protection NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SC-8 Transmission Confidentiality and Integrity NIST 800-53 control
  • NIST-SI-10 Information Input Validation NIST 800-53 control
Show all 35 ›

References