Description
Adversaries may prepare an operational environment to infect systems that visit a website over the normal course of browsing. Endpoint systems may be compromised through browsing to adversary controlled sites, as in Drive-by Compromise. In such cases, the user's web browser is typically targeted for exploitation (often not requiring any extra user interaction once landing on the site), but adversaries may also set up websites for non-exploitation behavior such as Application Access Token. Prior to Drive-by Compromise, adversaries must stage resources needed to deliver that exploit to users who browse to an adversary controlled site. Drive-by content can be staged on adversary controlled infrastructure that has been acquired (Acquire Infrastructure) or previously compromised (Compromise Infrastructure).
Adversaries may upload or inject malicious web content, such as JavaScript, into websites.(Citation: FireEye CFR Watering Hole 2012)(Citation: Gallagher 2015) This may be done in a number of ways, including:
Inserting malicious scripts into web pages or other user controllable web content such as forum posts Modifying script files served to websites from publicly writeable cloud storage buckets * Crafting malicious web advertisements and purchasing ad space on a website through legitimate ad providers (i.e., Malvertising)
In addition to staging content to exploit a user's web browser, adversaries may also stage scripting content to profile the user's browser (as in Gather Victim Host Information) to ensure it is vulnerable prior to attempting exploitation.(Citation: ATT ScanBox)
Websites compromised by an adversary and used to stage a drive-by may be ones visited by a specific community, such as government, a particular industry, or region, where the goal is to compromise a specific user or set of users based on a shared interest. This kind of targeted campaign is referred to a strategic web compromise or watering hole attack.
Adversaries may purchase domains similar to legitimate domains (ex: homoglyphs, typosquatting, different top-level domain, etc.) during acquisition of infrastructure (Domains) to help facilitate Drive-by Compromise.
Platforms
Mitigations (1)
Pre-compromiseM1056
This technique cannot be easily mitigated with preventive controls since it is based on behaviors performed outside of the scope of enterprise defenses and controls.
Threat Groups (8)
| ID | Group | Context |
|---|---|---|
| G0134 | Transparent Tribe | [Transparent Tribe](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0134) has set up websites with malicious hyperlinks and iframes to infect targeted victims with [... |
| G1014 | LuminousMoth | [LuminousMoth](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1014) has redirected compromised machines to an actor-controlled webpage through HTML injection.(Citat... |
| G0035 | Dragonfly | [Dragonfly](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0035) has compromised websites to redirect traffic and to host exploit kits.(Citation: Gigamon Berserk Be... |
| G1012 | CURIUM | [CURIUM](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1012) used strategic website compromise to fingerprint then target victims.(Citation: PWC Yellow Liderc 2023... |
| G0050 | APT32 | [APT32](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0050) has stood up websites containing numerous articles and content scraped from the Internet to make them a... |
| G0046 | FIN7 | [FIN7](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0046) has compromised a digital product website and modified multiple download links to point to trojanized ve... |
| G0027 | Threat Group-3390 | [Threat Group-3390](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G0027) has embedded malicious code into websites to screen a potential victim's IP address and the... |
| G1020 | Mustard Tempest | [Mustard Tempest](https://attack.mitre.org/groups/G1020) has injected malicious JavaScript into compromised websites to infect victims via drive-by do... |
References
- Blasco, J. (2014, August 28). Scanbox: A Reconnaissance Framework Used with Watering Hole Attacks. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
- Gallagher, S.. (2015, August 5). Newly discovered Chinese hacking group hacked 100+ websites to use as “watering holes”. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- Kindlund, D. (2012, December 30). CFR Watering Hole Attack Details. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is T1608.004 (Drive-by Target)?
T1608.004 is a MITRE ATT&CK technique named 'Drive-by Target'. It belongs to the Resource Development tactic(s). Adversaries may prepare an operational environment to infect systems that visit a website over the normal course of browsing. Endpoint systems may be compromised through browsing to adversary controll...
How can T1608.004 be detected?
Detection of T1608.004 (Drive-by Target) typically involves monitoring system logs, network traffic, and endpoint telemetry. Use SIEM rules, EDR solutions, and behavioral analytics to identify suspicious activity associated with this technique.
What mitigations exist for T1608.004?
There are 1 documented mitigations for T1608.004. Key mitigations include: Pre-compromise.
Which threat groups use T1608.004?
Known threat groups using T1608.004 include: Transparent Tribe, LuminousMoth, Dragonfly, CURIUM, APT32, FIN7, Threat Group-3390, Mustard Tempest.