Determine Physical Locations
Determine Physical Locations [T1591.001]
Last updated
Determine Physical Locations [T1591.001]
Last updated
Name: Determine Physical Locations
ID: T1591.001
Tactics:
Technique:
"Determine Physical Locations" (T1591.001) is a reconnaissance sub-technique within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, categorized under "Gather Victim Identity Information" (T1591). This sub-technique involves adversaries actively collecting information about the physical locations of targeted organizations, infrastructure, or individuals. Such information typically includes addresses, geographic coordinates, building layouts, or details about physical security measures. Attackers leverage this information to plan and execute targeted operations, such as physical intrusion, social engineering, or cyber-physical attacks.
Adversaries utilize various methods and resources to determine the physical locations of their targets. This reconnaissance activity often precedes more sophisticated attacks and can involve both passive and active information gathering:
Open Source Intelligence (OSINT):
Leveraging publicly available data such as corporate websites, social media profiles, press releases, and job postings to identify physical addresses and facility details.
Using online mapping services (e.g., Google Maps, Bing Maps, OpenStreetMap) to visually survey target locations, identify entry points, nearby landmarks, and infrastructure layouts.
Examining satellite imagery and street-level photography to gather insights into physical security measures, perimeter defenses, and facility vulnerabilities.
Technical Reconnaissance:
Analyzing metadata from documents, images, or websites that may inadvertently disclose geolocation information.
Utilizing geolocation services and IP address lookups to approximate the physical location of network infrastructure or individuals.
Performing DNS and WHOIS lookups to identify physical addresses associated with domain registrations or hosting providers.
Social Engineering and Human Interaction:
Conducting targeted phishing campaigns or impersonation attempts to extract information about physical locations from employees or contractors.
Engaging in direct communication (phone calls, emails, or in-person visits) under false pretenses to obtain facility details, employee locations, or security protocols.
Physical Surveillance:
Conducting on-site reconnaissance to identify physical security measures, employee habits, and facility vulnerabilities.
Using drones or other remote-controlled vehicles to capture aerial images or video footage of targeted locations.
Adversaries typically employ the "Determine Physical Locations" sub-technique during early reconnaissance phases of an attack lifecycle. Specific scenarios and stages include:
Initial Reconnaissance and Target Selection:
Adversaries gather preliminary intelligence to assess the viability of potential targets based on geographic factors, accessibility, and security posture.
Attack Planning and Preparation:
Physical location data is critical for planning advanced persistent threats (APTs), targeted cyber operations, or cyber-physical attacks, such as sabotage, espionage, or theft.
Attackers use location intelligence to identify optimal entry points, timing, and execution strategies.
Social Engineering Attacks:
Precise location data supports tailored social engineering campaigns, allowing attackers to impersonate legitimate personnel, reference accurate facility details, and increase credibility.
Physical Intrusion and Cyber-Physical Operations:
Attackers conducting hybrid cyber-physical operations rely on accurate location intelligence to coordinate simultaneous digital and physical intrusions.
Organizations can detect attempts to determine physical locations through various monitoring strategies and tools:
Network Traffic Analysis:
Monitoring for unusual access patterns to publicly facing websites, especially repeated access to location-specific pages (e.g., office locations, contact details, facility maps).
Analyzing logs for repeated IP geolocation lookups, DNS queries, or WHOIS lookups targeting organizational domains.
Website and Application Monitoring:
Tracking web analytics for anomalous visitor behavior, including increased traffic from unexpected geographical regions or suspicious IP addresses.
Deploying honey tokens or fake location data to detect adversary reconnaissance attempts.
Social Engineering Detection:
Employee awareness training to identify and report suspicious inquiries regarding physical locations, facility layouts, or security measures.
Monitoring email gateways and communication platforms for phishing attempts specifically targeting location-related information.
Physical Security Systems:
Surveillance systems (CCTV, drones) to detect unusual physical surveillance activities near organizational facilities.
Security personnel trained to recognize and report suspicious behaviors indicative of reconnaissance activities.
Anomalous web traffic patterns targeting geographic or facility-specific web pages.
Repeated, suspicious DNS or WHOIS queries from unfamiliar IP addresses.
Phishing emails or social engineering attempts explicitly requesting physical location information.
Unusual physical surveillance activities (e.g., unauthorized drones, unknown individuals conducting facility photography or video recording).
Early detection of adversaries attempting to determine physical locations is crucial due to the significant risks and impacts associated with successful reconnaissance:
Enhanced Attack Effectiveness:
Accurate location intelligence enables attackers to plan highly targeted and effective cyber or physical attacks, significantly increasing their likelihood of success.
Physical Security Risks:
Reconnaissance activities may precede physical intrusions, theft of sensitive equipment or data, sabotage, or espionage operations against critical infrastructure.
Cyber-Physical Threats:
Adversaries may leverage precise location details to execute cyber-physical attacks, potentially causing operational disruptions, physical damage, or even threats to human safety.
Operational Disruption and Financial Loss:
Successful attacks leveraging detailed location intelligence can result in extensive operational downtime, financial losses, reputational damage, and regulatory penalties.
Proactive Defense:
Early detection enables organizations to proactively enhance physical and cybersecurity defenses, mitigate vulnerabilities, and reduce the overall attack surface.
Real-world examples highlighting the use of this technique include:
APT28 ("Fancy Bear"):
Known to leverage OSINT methodologies, including mapping services and satellite imagery, to identify physical locations and vulnerabilities of targeted organizations, particularly governmental and military entities.
Utilized physical location intelligence to perform highly targeted spear-phishing campaigns referencing specific facilities or geographic locations to increase credibility.
APT29 ("Cozy Bear"):
Conducted extensive reconnaissance using publicly available information to identify physical locations of diplomatic and governmental facilities, enabling targeted cyber espionage operations.
Cybercriminal Groups Targeting Financial Institutions:
Cybercriminals gathering detailed physical location information of bank branches, ATMs, and data centers to coordinate simultaneous cyber and physical attacks, including ATM jackpotting or physical theft of computing hardware.
Critical Infrastructure Attacks (e.g., Triton/Trisis malware):
Attackers conducted detailed reconnaissance of victim industrial control system (ICS) facilities, obtaining precise location intelligence to plan cyber-physical attacks capable of causing operational disruptions or physical harm.
In each of these scenarios, attackers leveraged detailed location intelligence to enhance the precision, effectiveness, and impact of their malicious operations.