Identify Business Tempo (T1591.003)
Identify Business Tempo [T1591.003]
Last updated
Identify Business Tempo [T1591.003]
Last updated
Name: Identify Business Tempo
ID: T1591.003
Tactics:
Technique:
Identify Business Tempo (T1591.003) is a sub-technique within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, categorized under the Reconnaissance tactic. This sub-technique involves adversaries gathering information related to the timing, frequency, and patterns of business operations within an organization. By understanding the rhythm and schedule of normal business activities, adversaries can strategically plan their attacks, enhance their stealth, and increase the likelihood of successful exploitation or disruption.
Adversaries executing the Identify Business Tempo technique typically engage in extensive reconnaissance to understand the target organization's operational schedules, critical business processes, and employee routines. The methods and mechanisms attackers commonly use include:
Passive Information Gathering:
Monitoring publicly available corporate websites, financial disclosures, press releases, and social media channels.
Analyzing job postings, event announcements, and public calendars to identify periods of increased activity or reduced staff availability.
Active Information Gathering:
Conducting targeted phishing or spear-phishing campaigns to obtain internal emails, calendars, and scheduling details.
Leveraging social engineering techniques to elicit information from employees regarding operational hours, shifts, and maintenance schedules.
Technical Monitoring:
Observing network traffic patterns, VPN usage, and remote access behaviors to identify peak business hours or maintenance windows.
Analyzing publicly accessible network services or web applications to detect predictable usage patterns and system availability schedules.
This sub-technique allows adversaries to identify optimal attack windows, such as periods of minimal staffing, reduced monitoring, or critical business events, maximizing their operational effectiveness and minimizing detection risks.
The Identify Business Tempo sub-technique is predominantly used during the reconnaissance phase of cyber operations. Attackers leverage this technique in various scenarios, including:
Pre-Attack Planning:
To determine the optimal timing for initial compromise attempts, such as phishing campaigns or vulnerability exploitation.
To identify periods of reduced security monitoring, such as weekends, holidays, or off-peak hours, to minimize detection risks.
Operational Persistence and Lateral Movement:
To schedule internal lateral movement or data exfiltration activities during times of reduced IT staff availability or diminished network monitoring.
To align malicious activities with legitimate administrative tasks or maintenance windows, blending in with normal operational behaviors.
Disruptive or Destructive Operations:
To identify critical business periods, such as financial reporting cycles, product launches, or major organizational events, maximizing the impact of disruptive attacks (e.g., ransomware attacks or denial-of-service attacks).
To time attacks for maximum disruption or financial damage, leveraging operational dependencies and peak business activity periods.
Detection of adversaries identifying business tempo involves proactive monitoring and analysis of suspicious reconnaissance activities. Common detection approaches include:
Network Traffic Analysis:
Monitoring network logs and traffic patterns for anomalous external scanning or repeated access attempts to publicly available resources, such as calendars, event announcements, or employee directories.
Identifying unusual patterns in external queries or connections directed toward publicly accessible business-related documents and resources.
Endpoint and Email Monitoring:
Deploying endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect suspicious email activities, such as spear-phishing attempts targeting scheduling information or internal calendar access.
Monitoring for unusual email requests or social engineering attempts requesting sensitive operational details from employees.
Behavioral Analytics and SIEM Solutions:
Implementing security information and event management (SIEM) systems with behavior-based analytics to identify abnormal access patterns, especially around publicly accessible information or internal scheduling resources.
Setting alerts for repeated or unusual access attempts to internal portals, calendars, and business-related documentation.
Indicators of Compromise (IoCs) specific to this sub-technique may include:
Unusual external IP addresses repeatedly accessing public-facing schedule or event-related web pages.
Suspicious emails or social media interactions requesting detailed operational schedules or internal calendars.
Increased scanning activity targeting publicly accessible business documentation and resources.
Early and effective detection of adversaries attempting to Identify Business Tempo is crucial due to several potential impacts:
Operational Disruption:
Attackers who successfully identify business tempo can time disruptive attacks (e.g., ransomware, DDoS) to coincide with critical business events, causing maximum damage and financial loss.
Enhanced Stealth and Persistence:
Knowledge of business tempo allows attackers to blend malicious activities with legitimate operations, significantly complicating detection and response efforts.
Data Exfiltration and Espionage:
Adversaries leveraging this technique can strategically exfiltrate sensitive data during periods of reduced monitoring or heightened business activity, increasing the likelihood of successful espionage without detection.
Financial and Reputational Damage:
Attacks timed strategically around critical business activities or periods of reduced vigilance can result in significant financial losses, operational disruption, and reputational damage to the organization.
Early detection and remediation efforts significantly reduce these risks, enabling security teams to implement proactive countermeasures, adjust monitoring strategies, and reduce the likelihood of successful exploitation.
Real-world examples demonstrating the use of Identify Business Tempo include:
APT29 (Cozy Bear):
Known for extensive reconnaissance activities, APT29 has leveraged publicly available information, such as event announcements, employee travel schedules, and business calendars, to identify optimal attack windows.
Utilized spear-phishing emails targeting specific employees to obtain internal scheduling details, enabling them to plan subsequent intrusion activities during periods of reduced security vigilance.
FIN7 Cybercriminal Group:
Conducted extensive reconnaissance to analyze business schedules and operational tempo of retail and hospitality organizations.
Used social engineering and phishing techniques to obtain internal calendars and shift schedules, timing their point-of-sale malware deployment during periods of peak business activity to maximize financial gain and minimize detection probability.
Ransomware Operators (e.g., REvil, Conti):
Frequently performed reconnaissance to identify critical business events or financial reporting periods, timing ransomware deployment to maximize operational disruption and increase ransom payment likelihood.
Leveraged publicly accessible financial disclosures and event calendars to strategically plan attacks around critical business milestones, significantly increasing the impact and financial damages incurred by victim organizations.