Spearphishing Voice
Spearphishing Voice [T1566.004]
Last updated
Spearphishing Voice [T1566.004]
Last updated
Name: Spearphishing Voice
ID: T1566.004
Tactics:
Technique:
Spearphishing Voice (T1566.004) is a sub-technique within the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the broader Spearphishing (T1566) technique. It involves adversaries using targeted voice calls, also known as "vishing," to deceive users into performing actions that compromise the security of their organization. These voice-based attacks typically leverage social engineering tactics, impersonation, and manipulation to trick individuals into divulging sensitive information, executing unauthorized transactions, or granting access to protected systems.
Spearphishing Voice attacks, commonly referred to as vishing, use personalized and targeted voice communications to deceive victims. Unlike generic phishing calls, spearphishing voice attacks are tailored specifically to the targeted individual or group, increasing their effectiveness and credibility.
Technical details and execution methods include:
Caller ID Spoofing: Attackers manipulate caller ID information to appear as legitimate entities, such as internal departments, trusted vendors, or government agencies.
Pretexting: Attackers create believable scenarios or "pretexts" to persuade victims into providing sensitive information or performing actions that compromise security.
Social Engineering: Attackers exploit human psychology, using urgency, authority, trust, or fear to manipulate victims into compliance.
Reconnaissance: Attackers gather publicly available or leaked personal information beforehand (e.g., LinkedIn profiles, social media, corporate websites) to enhance credibility and increase the likelihood of success.
Voice Manipulation and Deepfake Audio: Advanced attackers may use voice alteration software or deepfake audio technologies to impersonate trusted individuals convincingly.
Follow-up Communications: Attackers may combine voice calls with emails, SMS, or other communication channels to reinforce legitimacy and encourage victim compliance.
Spearphishing Voice attacks can appear across multiple stages and scenarios of an attack lifecycle, including:
Initial Access: Attackers use voice calls to trick users into providing credentials, granting remote access, or installing malicious software.
Privilege Escalation: Attackers impersonate IT personnel or senior management to convince employees to grant elevated permissions or reset passwords.
Credential Harvesting: Attackers pose as legitimate entities (e.g., IT helpdesk, HR department) to trick users into revealing login credentials or sensitive personal information.
Financial Fraud: Attackers impersonate executives or financial officers to authorize fraudulent wire transfers, payments, or financial transactions.
Information Gathering: Attackers call employees to obtain sensitive internal information, such as network architecture, security policies, or employee details, to facilitate future attacks.
Detection methods and indicators of compromise (IoCs) for Spearphishing Voice attacks include:
User Reporting: Employees reporting suspicious or unexpected calls requesting sensitive information or unusual actions.
Caller ID Anomalies: Detection systems identifying spoofed caller IDs or calls originating from unusual geographic regions or known malicious numbers.
Behavioral Analytics: Monitoring anomalies in user behavior, such as sudden password resets, unusual access patterns, or unexpected financial transactions following suspicious calls.
Voice Authentication and Verification: Deploying voice biometric systems or multi-factor authentication (MFA) to detect and prevent unauthorized access attempts.
Call Logging and Analysis: Maintaining detailed call logs and analyzing call metadata to identify patterns indicative of targeted attacks, such as repeated calls from suspicious numbers or unusual call durations.
Awareness Training: Regular security awareness training to educate employees on recognizing and reporting vishing attempts.
Early detection of Spearphishing Voice attacks is critical due to the severe potential impacts on organizations, including:
Credential Theft: Attackers acquiring sensitive login credentials, facilitating further compromise and lateral movement within organizational networks.
Financial Loss: Successful financial fraud schemes resulting in significant monetary losses through unauthorized wire transfers or transactions.
Reputational Damage: Public disclosure of successful attacks undermining customer trust and negatively affecting organizational reputation.
Data Breaches: Compromise of sensitive personal, financial, or proprietary information leading to regulatory fines, legal actions, and loss of competitive advantage.
Operational Disruption: Successful attacks potentially causing disruptions to critical business operations, productivity losses, and costly remediation efforts.
Early and effective detection helps minimize these impacts by enabling rapid incident response, containment, and mitigation of threats before significant damage occurs.
Real-world examples of Spearphishing Voice attacks include:
Twitter Bitcoin Scam (2020):
Attackers used voice-based social engineering tactics to deceive Twitter employees into providing credentials and MFA codes.
Attackers impersonated internal IT helpdesk personnel, convincing employees to grant access to internal administrative tools.
Impact: High-profile Twitter accounts (e.g., Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Bill Gates) compromised to conduct cryptocurrency fraud, resulting in financial loss and severe reputational damage.
Robinhood Customer Support Scam (2021):
Attackers impersonated Robinhood customer support agents via phone calls, convincing users to provide account credentials and MFA codes.
Attackers leveraged detailed personal information obtained from previous data leaks to enhance credibility.
Impact: Unauthorized account access, financial losses for users, and significant reputational harm for Robinhood.
Corporate Wire Transfer Fraud (Multiple Incidents):
Attackers impersonated company executives (CEO, CFO) in targeted voice calls to finance department employees.
Attackers requested urgent and confidential wire transfers to attacker-controlled bank accounts.
Impact: Millions of dollars in financial losses, legal actions, and damage to organizational reputation.
These examples illustrate the variety of scenarios, tools, and impacts associated with Spearphishing Voice attacks, emphasizing the importance of robust detection and prevention measures.