Identify Roles (T1591.004)
Identify Roles [T1591.004]
Last updated
Identify Roles [T1591.004]
Last updated
Name: Identify Roles
ID: T1591.004
Tactics:
Technique:
The sub-technique "Identify Roles" (T1591.004) within the MITRE ATT&CK framework focuses on adversaries gathering intelligence to determine the roles and responsibilities of individuals within an organization. This reconnaissance activity is typically conducted to identify key personnel, decision-makers, or individuals with privileged access, enabling attackers to tailor subsequent spear-phishing, social engineering, or targeted cyber operations more effectively.
Adversaries employing the "Identify Roles" sub-technique commonly use open-source intelligence (OSINT) techniques and publicly available information sources to map out organizational structures and personnel roles. Technical execution methods and mechanisms include:
OSINT Gathering: Attackers leverage publicly accessible platforms such as LinkedIn, company websites, social media profiles, and professional forums to identify job titles, responsibilities, and hierarchical structures.
Email Enumeration: Attackers may attempt to enumerate valid email addresses and cross-reference them with known roles or departments, often using automated tools and scripts.
Metadata Analysis: Adversaries analyze document metadata (e.g., PDFs, Word documents, presentations) posted publicly or leaked online to uncover authorship, roles, and organizational affiliations.
Social Engineering: Attackers may directly contact organizational personnel under false pretenses to confirm roles, responsibilities, and reporting structures.
Data Breach Analysis: Attackers may utilize previously leaked or compromised data to map organizational roles and responsibilities.
Real-world procedures include detailed reconnaissance efforts preceding targeted spear-phishing campaigns, business email compromise (BEC) attacks, or advanced persistent threat (APT) operations. Attackers meticulously document organizational charts, reporting hierarchies, and key decision-makers to maximize the effectiveness of their subsequent intrusion attempts.
This sub-technique typically appears in the reconnaissance and initial access stages of cyber-attacks. Attack scenarios and stages include:
Pre-attack Reconnaissance: Attackers use this technique extensively before launching targeted phishing or spear-phishing campaigns.
Targeted Social Engineering Attacks: Identifying roles enables attackers to craft convincing social engineering scenarios, impersonating authority figures or trusted colleagues.
Business Email Compromise (BEC): Attackers identify financial officers, executives, or procurement personnel to facilitate fraudulent financial transactions.
Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) Operations: APT actors systematically map out critical personnel and decision-makers to infiltrate sensitive networks and systems.
Privilege Escalation and Lateral Movement: Once initial access is gained, adversaries may continue to identify roles internally to escalate privileges or move laterally within the organization.
Organizations can detect adversary attempts to identify roles through various detection methods, tools, and specific indicators of compromise (IoCs):
Monitoring OSINT Activity:
Regularly assessing public-facing websites and social media for unusual access patterns or scraping activity.
Implementing web analytics and monitoring tools to detect anomalous behavior patterns.
Email Enumeration Detection:
Deploying email gateway and mail server logs to detect enumeration attempts, such as repeated SMTP queries or validation requests.
Utilizing honeypot email addresses to detect enumeration attempts.
Metadata Analysis Detection:
Employing document management systems that sanitize metadata before publication.
Monitoring network logs for unusual downloads or accesses to publicly available documents.
User Awareness and Reporting:
Training users to identify and report suspicious inquiries or unexpected contact attempts.
Establishing clear reporting channels for suspicious communications.
Deception Technologies:
Utilizing decoy profiles, fake organizational charts, or deceptive documents to lure attackers and detect reconnaissance activity.
Specific IoCs may include:
Sudden increase in traffic from unknown IP addresses to company websites or employee profiles.
Repeated failed attempts to validate email addresses via SMTP queries.
Suspicious social media connection requests targeting multiple employees simultaneously.
Reports of unsolicited inquiries regarding roles, responsibilities, or organizational structure.
Early detection of adversaries attempting to identify roles within an organization is crucial due to several potential impacts:
Enhanced Attack Precision: Attackers equipped with detailed organizational insights can launch highly personalized spear-phishing attacks, increasing their likelihood of success.
Increased Risk of Privilege Escalation: Knowledge of roles and responsibilities enables attackers to target privileged users, facilitating privilege escalation and lateral movement.
Financial Losses: Accurate identification of financial or procurement roles can lead to successful business email compromise (BEC) attacks, resulting in significant financial damages.
Data Exfiltration and Intellectual Property Theft: Targeting individuals with access to sensitive data heightens the risk of data breaches and intellectual property theft.
Operational Disruption: Successful exploitation of key personnel roles can disrupt organizational operations, damage reputation, and erode customer trust.
Detecting this reconnaissance activity at an early stage allows organizations to implement proactive defensive measures, strengthen user awareness, and mitigate potential attacks before they escalate into significant incidents.
Real-world examples illustrating the use of "Identify Roles" (T1591.004) include:
APT29 (Cozy Bear):
Attack Scenario: Conducted extensive OSINT reconnaissance on targeted organizations, mapping out roles and responsibilities before launching spear-phishing campaigns.
Tools Used: Social media platforms, LinkedIn scraping tools, and publicly available organizational charts.
Impact: Successful infiltration of government and private sector networks, leading to sensitive data exfiltration and espionage activities.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) Attacks:
Attack Scenario: Attackers identified CFOs, finance managers, and procurement officers through LinkedIn and company websites.
Tools Used: Email enumeration scripts, OSINT tools, and publicly available financial disclosures.
Impact: Fraudulent wire transfers, financial losses exceeding millions of dollars, and significant reputational damage.
FIN7 Cybercrime Group:
Attack Scenario: Conducted detailed reconnaissance on retail and hospitality sector employees, identifying roles responsible for point-of-sale systems.
Tools Used: Social engineering via targeted phishing emails and OSINT methods to identify key personnel.
Impact: Large-scale financial fraud, credit card data theft, and operational disruptions across multiple retail chains.
Operation Aurora (APT attack against Google and others):
Attack Scenario: Attackers identified software engineers and developers with privileged access to source code repositories and sensitive corporate data.
Tools Used: OSINT techniques, targeted spear-phishing emails, and social engineering.
Impact: Intellectual property theft, unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data, and significant reputational damage.
These examples illustrate the critical importance of detecting and mitigating adversarial reconnaissance activities aimed at identifying organizational roles and responsibilities.