Acquire Access

Acquire Access [T1650]

Information

• Name: Acquire Access

• ID: T1650

• Tactics: TA0042

Introduction

Acquire Access is a critical initial access technique categorized under the MITRE ATT&CK framework. It involves attackers gaining unauthorized entry into a target environment, which serves as a foundational step for subsequent malicious activities, including lateral movement, privilege escalation, data exfiltration, and persistence. Attackers leverage various methods, such as exploiting vulnerabilities, credential theft, social engineering, or supply chain compromise, to establish their foothold within targeted systems or networks.

Deep Dive Into Technique

The Acquire Access technique encompasses multiple methods attackers employ to achieve initial entry into a target environment. These include:

• Exploitation of Public-Facing Applications:

  • Attackers scan for vulnerabilities in publicly accessible web servers, VPN gateways, email servers, and other externally facing services.

  • Common vulnerabilities include SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and remote code execution (RCE).

  • Attackers use automated tools, such as Metasploit, Burp Suite, and OWASP ZAP, to discover and exploit vulnerabilities.

• Credential Theft and Reuse:

  • Attackers harvest credentials through phishing campaigns, password spraying, credential stuffing, or keylogging.

  • Stolen credentials are used to access VPNs, remote desktops (RDP), or cloud services.

  • Tools commonly involved include Mimikatz, Hydra, and CrackMapExec.

• Phishing and Social Engineering:

  • Attackers send malicious links or attachments via emails or messaging platforms to trick users into executing malware or providing credentials.

  • Techniques include spear-phishing, whaling, and business email compromise (BEC).

  • Common payloads delivered include RATs (Remote Access Trojans), credential harvesters, and downloaders.

• Trusted Relationship and Supply Chain Compromise:

  • Attackers exploit third-party vendors or partners with legitimate access to the target organization.

  • Supply chain attacks involve compromising software updates or third-party libraries (e.g., SolarWinds Orion compromise).

  • Attackers leverage legitimate communication channels and trust relationships to bypass traditional security measures.

• Hardware Additions and Physical Access:

  • Attackers physically insert malicious hardware (e.g., USB drives, network implants) to establish access.

  • Techniques include rogue access points, keyloggers, and malicious USB devices like Rubber Ducky or Bash Bunny.

When this Technique is Usually Used

Attackers utilize the Acquire Access technique primarily during the initial stages of an attack lifecycle. Common scenarios include:

• Initial Reconnaissance and Entry:

  • Attackers identify vulnerable external-facing systems and exploit them to gain initial foothold.

  • Phishing campaigns target employees to gain credentials or deploy malware.

• Establishing Persistent Access:

  • Once initial entry is achieved, attackers establish persistence mechanisms to maintain long-term access.

  • Persistence can involve backdoors, web shells, or scheduled tasks.

• Supply Chain Attacks:

  • Attackers compromise third-party vendors or software providers to indirectly gain access to multiple targets simultaneously.

• Insider Threats and Physical Intrusion:

  • Malicious insiders or attackers with physical access leverage hardware implants or direct credential theft.

• Credential Harvesting Campaigns:

  • Large-scale credential harvesting through phishing or credential stuffing campaigns to gain access to multiple accounts or services.

How this Technique is Usually Detected

Detection of Acquire Access techniques involves multiple layers of security monitoring, analysis, and response:

• Network Monitoring and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS):

  • Detect unusual traffic patterns, port scanning, or exploitation attempts.

  • Tools include Snort, Suricata, Zeek, and network traffic analyzers.

• Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Solutions:

  • Identify suspicious processes, file activities, and malware execution on endpoints.

  • Tools include CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Carbon Black, and SentinelOne.

• Log Analysis and SIEM Solutions:

  • Correlate logs from various sources (firewalls, web servers, authentication systems) to detect anomalies.

  • Tools include Splunk, IBM QRadar, Elastic Security, and LogRhythm.

• Email Security Solutions:

  • Detect and quarantine phishing emails, malicious attachments, or suspicious links.

  • Solutions include Proofpoint, Mimecast, and Cisco Secure Email.

• Threat Intelligence Integration:

  • Utilize threat feeds and indicators of compromise (IoCs) to proactively identify known malicious IP addresses, domains, file hashes, and signatures.

• Indicators of Compromise (IoCs):

  • Unusual login attempts or successful logins from unknown IP addresses or locations.

  • Unexpected processes or services running on endpoints.

  • Presence of known malicious binaries, scripts, or web shells.

  • Anomalous outbound network connections to suspicious domains or IP addresses.

  • Detection of phishing emails or malicious attachments.

Why it is Important to Detect This Technique

Early detection of Acquire Access techniques is crucial due to the severe potential impacts on organizations:

• Data Breaches and Exfiltration:

  • Attackers gaining initial access may lead directly to theft of sensitive information, intellectual property, or customer data.

• Ransomware Deployment:

  • Initial access often serves as a precursor to ransomware deployment, causing significant financial and operational damages.

• Lateral Movement and Privilege Escalation:

  • Initial access enables attackers to move laterally within networks, escalate privileges, and compromise critical assets.

• Compliance and Regulatory Violations:

  • Undetected initial access can lead to breaches of regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) resulting in fines, lawsuits, and reputational damage.

• Operational Disruption:

  • Attackers may disrupt critical systems or services, causing downtime, loss of productivity, and financial losses.

• Supply Chain Risks:

  • Initial access through supply chain compromise can affect multiple organizations simultaneously, magnifying impacts.

• Reputational Damage:

  • Failure to detect initial access promptly can severely damage an organization's reputation, eroding customer trust and market position.

Examples

Real-world examples of Acquire Access techniques and associated attack scenarios:

• SolarWinds Orion Supply Chain Attack (2020):

  • Attackers compromised SolarWinds' software update mechanism, injecting malicious code into Orion software updates.

  • Allowed attackers to gain initial access to thousands of organizations globally, including government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.

  • Tools involved: SUNBURST malware, Cobalt Strike.

  • Impact: Large-scale espionage, data exfiltration, significant remediation efforts.

• Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerabilities (ProxyLogon, 2021):

  • Attackers exploited zero-day vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server to gain initial access to email servers.

  • Techniques included web shell deployment, credential theft, and lateral movement.

  • Tools involved: China Chopper web shell, PowerShell scripts.

  • Impact: Thousands of organizations compromised, extensive data theft, ransomware deployment.

• Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack (2021):

  • Attackers leveraged compromised credentials for VPN access to gain initial entry into Colonial Pipeline's network.

  • Attackers deployed DarkSide ransomware, encrypting critical systems and causing significant operational disruption.

  • Impact: Fuel shortages, economic disruption, significant ransom payment.

• Twitter Social Engineering Attack (2020):

  • Attackers conducted spear-phishing and social engineering against Twitter employees to gain initial access to internal administrative tools.

  • Attackers hijacked high-profile Twitter accounts for cryptocurrency scams.

  • Impact: Reputational damage, financial losses, cybersecurity scrutiny.

• NotPetya Malware Attack (2017):

  • Attackers compromised Ukrainian accounting software (M.E.Doc) to distribute malware through software updates.

  • Malware rapidly spread, encrypting systems globally.

  • Impact: Extensive operational disruption, billions in economic losses, global impact across multiple industries.